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Updated: Jul 9, 2026
Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
Published on: August 22, 2022
History of temporomandibular joint surgery
A Thomas Indresano1, Daniel A Mobati
1Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, 2155 Webster Street 522J, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA. atindresano@acmedctr.org
Abstract:
This article reviews past surgical treatments for TMJ and their rationale. Because of poor outcomes with alloplastic materials in the 1980s, many experts believed TMJ surgery had failed. Those who advocated nonsurgical treatment condemned the entire discipline without recognizing the benefits of many surgical approaches. Only after 20 years of "good science" has TMJ surgery reemerged with many procedures proven highly effective.
