Does Combined Temporomandibular Joint Reconstruction With Patient-Fitted Total Joint Prosthesis and Orthognathic Surgery Provide Stable Skeletal and Occlusal Outcomes in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Patients?

Purpose: To determine skeletal and occlusal surgical changes and long-term stability outcomes for patients diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) after TMJ reconstruction with TMJ Concepts patient-fitted total joint prostheses (TJP) and concomitant maxillary orthognathic surgery.

Material/methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of all patients diagnosed with JIA, receiving TJP, and concomitant maxillary orthognathic surgery between 1991 and 2019, at Baylor University Medical Center treated by 1 surgeon. Patient evaluations presurgery (T1), immediate postsurgery (T2), and at longest follow-up (LFU) (T3) were analyzed using 20 cephalometric landmarks to compute 29 linear and angular measurements to determine surgical changes, long-term skeletal and occlusal stability, as well as oropharyngeal airway changes. Comparative data were tested for significance (α = 0.05) using paired and unpaired t tests.

Results: Forty-two patients met the JIA inclusion criteria, with a median age of 17.5 years and median postsurgical follow-up of 26 months. There were significant surgical changes (T1-T2) (P ≤ .05) for all parameters associated with mandibular linear and angular surgical changes, except for the horizontal position of posterior nasal spine and the vertical/horizontal position of gonion, indicating highly stable surgical outcomes. There were significant improvements in the oropharyngeal airway dimensions.

Conclusions: This study suggests that TMJ Concepts patient-fitted TJP for TMJ reconstruction in conjunction with maxillary orthognathic surgery for counterclockwise rotation of the maxillo-mandibular complex for the JIA patients provides long-term skeletal and occlusal stability as well as dimensional improvement in the oropharyngeal airway.