Purpose: Joint noises associated with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) internal derangement (ID) are often treated by using an intra-oral splint. The present study tried to find the most effective splint for this purpose, either full-arch maxillary stabilization splint (FAMSS) or anterior repositioning splint (ARS).
Materials and Methods: 50 patients (100 joints) with bilateral ID (presented with reciprocal clicking as the main complaint) were selected according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD). These patients were randomly and equally divided into two groups. Group I used FAMSS while Group II used ARS. Then, the sounds of both right and left TMJs were scored.
Results: Nearly all patients in both groups showed a decrease in the opening and closing sounds after 6 months. The reduction in TMJ clicking was highly significant in Group II (ARS) indicating a highly efficient splint therapy in managing joint clicking. Also, the study revealed a long-term stability of the gained results especially in Group II by following all patients for another 6 months without the usage of splints.
Conclusion: The results suggested that the use of 6-month ARS significantly reduced TMJ sounds with long-term positive effect so it can be the splint of choice for the management of TMJ clicking.