Temporomandibular joint replacement (TMJR) may significantly improve the quality of life in patients experiencing advanced TMJ disorders, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
Furthermore, the benefits of TMJR were broad and not exclusively limited by presurgical demographic or pain variables, the authors wrote.
“These findings validate TMJR as an effective treatment for severe TMJ pathology,” wrote the authors, led by Dr. Arshi Munjal of the University of Iowa College of Dentistry (J Oral Maxillo Fac Surg, May 8, 2026).
When nonoperative therapies for advanced TMJ pathology don’t work, patients are encouraged to undergo total TMJR. Although this treatment has been proven to improve pain and function, its effect on quality of life isn’t fully understood.
To assess changes in quality of life after TMJR using the Oral Health Impact Profile-Temporomandibular Disorders (OHIP-TMD) questionnaire, a retrospective cohort study was conducted in 84 adults. They underwent TMJR at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 2021 and then completed preoperative and postoperative OHIP-TMD questionnaires, according to the study.
Of the patients, 28 underwent bilateral TMJR and 56 underwent unilateral replacement. Prior to the replacement, 26 patients had previously undergone TMJ surgery, and 17 were taking opioids for pain, the authors wrote.
The mean OHIP-TMD score for patients improved statistically significantly prior to replacement (61.3 ± 17.6) to post-surgery (41.5 ± 20.9, p < 0.001). Improvement in quality of life (QoL) was significant with a mean change of 19.8 (± 20.9) points (p < 0.001), they wrote.
Moreover, the study was not without limitations. Generalizability may be limited because the study was retrospective and only included a single center, the authors wrote.
“TMJR provides statistically and clinically significant QoL improvement for patients with advanced TMJ pathology,” Munjal and colleagues wrote.
