Temporomandibular joint ankylosis: A tertiary center-based epidemiological study

Limitation of mouth opening can be caused by bony or fibrous ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) as a sequel to trauma, infection, or autoimmune diseases. The incidence of TMJ ankylosis differs significantly in different parts of the world. The purpose of this study was to analyze the etiological incidence of TMJ ankylosis at our tertiary-level center, which covers a huge population from parts of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

This study was conducted from July 2016 to April 2019, and a total of 1607 children were screened in the duration of 33 months. Participants were included in this study as per the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

After screening of the 1607 children, 128 TMJ ankylosis cases were identified. Out of the 128 cases of TMJ ankylosis, 33 cases were bilateral and 95 cases were unilateral (48 left sided and 47 right sided). Most of the patients (83.5%) were in the 10-15-year-old age group (mean age was 12.1 ± 2.83 years). There was a female preponderance, and the male-to-female ratio was 7:10. Overall, the most common cause of ankylosis was found to be childhood trauma.

The major etiologic factor of TMJ ankylosis was found to be birth/childhood trauma. TMJ ankylosis cases were detected in significant numbers in this study. This increased prevalence may be due to the lack of knowledge about this pathological entity among the general population and health-care professionals at primary level, which leads to poor initial management.