Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare recurrence, operation time, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain following eminectomy versus eminoplasty in patients with recurrent TMJ dislocation.
Materials and methods: 12 patients with bilateral TMJ recurrent dislocation were included in this study. Bilateral eminectomy was performed for 6 patients, and bilateral reduction eminoplasty was performed for the other 6 patients. Recurrence rate, operation time, TMJ pain, TMJ noise, postoperative complications were assessed and compared between the 2 groups.
Results: No recurrence was observed in the eminectomy group. While in the eminoplasty group, recurrent dislocation occurred in 33.3% of the patients. Operation time was shorter in the eminoplasty group compared to the eminectomy group (40.75 ± 5.17, 47.3 ±7.27 minutes. TMJ pain at different time points, and TMJ noise were was comparable in the 2 groups.
Conclusions: Eminectomy is superior to eminoplasty for treatment of recurrent TMJ dislocation. Eminoplasty can represent an alternative for eminectomy in cases with risk of intracranial perforation, subjected for further investigations.