Orthognathic treatment and temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review. Part 2. Signs and symptoms and meta-analyses.

INTRODUCTION

There have been conflicting viewpoints in the literature regarding the effects of orthognathic treatment on temporomandibular disorders (TMD). A systematic review was conducted to determine the percentage of orthognathic patients with TMD, establish the range of signs and symptoms, and follow patients longitudinally through treatment for any changes in signs and symptoms.

METHODS

Part 1 of this 2-part article described the methodology of this review, with a narrative analysis of the study characteristics and the TMD classification methods. Part 2 describes the percentage of patients suffering from TMD and the signs and symptoms reported. Meta-analyses were conducted on data from clinically similar studies.

RESULTS

Pain decreased after surgery for both self-reported symptoms and clinically diagnosed pain on palpation. However, postsurgical results were more varied for joint sounds. The percentage of patients with clicking had a tendency to decrease postsurgery, but improvements in crepitus were questionable. The results from all meta-analyses in this review were subject to considerable statistical heterogeneity, and it was not possible to draw strong inferences relating to the percentage of orthognathic surgery patients with TMD with any degree of certainty.

CONCLUSIONS

Although orthognathic surgery should not be advocated solely for treating TMD, patients having orthognathic treatment for correction of their dentofacial deformities and who are also suffering from TMD appear more likely to see improvement in their signs and symptoms than deterioration.