[Surgical treatment for temporomandibular articulation disorders]

Temporomandibular (TMJ) disorders are very common and account for pain and dysfunction in an important number of patients. Nevertheless, their treatment is far from reaching an international consensus and therefore is regularly replaced in argument and debated. While the literature emphasizes the role of conservative measures (physiotherapy and/or occlusal splint) as being the first line management, there is also a place for surgery. In the last two decades, minimally invasive procedures--such as arthroscopy and arthrocentesis with intra-articular lavage--have gained in popularity. These techniques have been proved to be extremely efficient for patients with disc displacement with or without reduction, as well as in patients with osteoarthritis or arthritis.