Role of coronoidectomy in increasing mouth opening

To evaluate the effectiveness of coronoidectomy in advanced (stage III-IV) oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis.

Five patients clinically diagnosed as grade III/IV OSMF (group 1) and seven patients clinically and radiographically confirmed as TMJ ankylosis (group 2) underwent surgery entailing coronoidectomy in addition to conventional surgical procedures required in both the conditions followed by vigorous mouth opening exercises. The results were evaluated using the interincisal distance at maximum mouth opening as the objective outcome over a follow-up period of 2 months.

OSMF patients (group I) showed a mean preoperative interincisal opening of 14.40 mm which increased to 24.60 mm after conventional procedures and showed further increment to 35 and 44.80 mm after unilateral and bilateral coronoidectomy, respectively; which was statistically significant (P = 0.043). Follow-up of 2 months showed a gradual increase in mean mouth opening compared to baseline which was also found to be statistically significant (P = 0.043). In TMJ ankylosis patients (group II), preoperative mean mouth opening of 6.71 mm increased to 24.29 mm after conventional procedures, and further to 37.29 mm after unilateral coronoidectomy which was statistically significant (P = 0.018). On subsequent follow-up of 2 months, a gradual increase in mean mouth opening compared to baseline was observed which was statistically significant (P = 0.018).

Coronoidectomy is an effective adjunct in increasing intraoperative and stabilizing postoperative mouth opening.