Key words: Ankylosis; TMJ; trauma

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the most active joint of the body.1 Limitations of the mouth opening can be caused by bony or fibrous anky-losis of the TMJ as a sequel to trauma, infection, autoimmune disease or failed surgery.2 It is a dis-abling condition of the masticatory system that alters eating habits and speech ability.3-5 Another result of the TMJ ankylosis is poor oral hygiene. Posttraumatic ankylosis can be caused by differ-ent pathogenic mechanisms such as organization and ossification of hematoma, maltreated facial fractures, systemic diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and auto-immune disease that increases the effects of micro-trauma.2 Absence of an intact disc and articular surface damage are believed to be the most important fac-tors in the development of TMJ ankylosis. It is con-firmed that the presence of the disc prevents devel-opment of fibrous intra-articular ankylosis of the TMJ.6 Various surgical techniques have been de-scribed as more or less successful for treatment.7 Objective: Posttraumatic ankylosis of the TMJ can be caused by many different pathogenic mech-anisms. Prosthetic alloplastic grafts and autogenous grafts are the options for surgical treatment. Methods: Seven patients were examined clinically and radiologically. Autogenous interposition-ers were used for treatment of TMJ ankylosis. Results: No major complications were seen after surgery. Interincisal distances have signifi-cantly widened following mouth opening exercises for one year. Conclusions: Human skulls have many structure and shape differences, so it is difficult to replace a jaw joint successfully with an artificial one. Using autogenous tissues seems an appropriate choice for treatment. (Eur J Dent 2012;6:318-323