EPA Consensus Project Paper: The Relationship Between Prosthodontic Rehabilitations and Temporomandibular Disorders

The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the relationship between prosthodontic treatment and temporomandibular disorders (TMD).

Two clinical questions have been raised. Can prosthodontic treatment be used as a strategy to manage temporomandibular disorders? Is there any causal relationship between prosthodontic rehabilitation and the onset of TMD? A systematic search was performed in four medical databases to identify Clinical Trials (CT) and Randomized Clinical Trials (RCT) that could answer the two clinical questions.

Any articles fulfilling the inclusion criteria were found. Therefore, the best available evidence on TMD management and aetiology is discussed in a scoping review with focus on the relationship with prosthodontic treatment.

Based on current scientific evidence, prosthetic rehabilitation cannot be proposed as a treatment option for TMD patients, based on the effectiveness of other more conservative options as well as the absence of association between features of dental occlusion and TMD. Thanks to the high neuro plastic adaptation skills of the stomatognathic system, prosthodontic rehabilitation cannot be identified as a direct cause of TMD, but clinicians should pay caution when performing relevant occlusal modifications.