Management of chronic closed lock

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) can lead to jaw hypomobility and trismus. There are several treatment options depending on diagnosis, however, where possible, conservative measures are preferred to surgical intervention. This paper investigates the safety and efficacy of using Restorabite^TM (Integrated Prosthetics & Reconstruction, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse), a new jaw-stretching device with regulated and incremental levels of force, to treat trismus in patients with chronic closed lock of the temporomandibular joint. Fifteen consecutively recruited participants used Restorabite^TM as their primary treatment modality. Maximum incisal opening and trismus, swallowing, and speech-related quality of life outcome measures were measured at baseline (time of diagnosis), after 10 weeks of therapy, and at 6 and 12-month follow up. At completion of the intervention mouth opening improved on average by 15.1 mm (p < 0.001). This was maintained at 6 months (average gain of 16.7 mm, p < 0.001) and 12 months (15.5 mm, p < 0.001). Trismus-related quality-of-life scores also significantly improved by 23.6 (p = 0.01). There were no treatment-related adverse events. Restorabite^TM is a safe option for the conservative management of TMD-related trismus. Restorabite™ offers a safe and effective treatment for trismus resulting from chronic TMJ closed lock in patients with TMD.