COMPARISON BETWEEN TWO TYPES OF OCCLUSAL SPLINTS FOR TREATMENT OF ANTERIOR DISC DISPLACEMENT OF TMJ

This study was conducted to compare the final outcome of treatment of anterior disc displacement without reduction (ADDWoR) by using centric and anterior repositioning splints. Twenty patients, (16 females and 4 males) were included in this study with age ranged from 18-35 years, who were suffering from anterior disc displacement without reduction. Selected patients were divided into two equal groups; ten patients each according to the type of the occlusal splint. Group (I):  included patients treated with a centric splints. Group(II): included patients treated with anterior repositioning splints. Clinical evaluation was performed before and after 15, 30, 90, and 180 days of splint therapy. Electromyography was done before and after three and six months post-treatment. Data were collected, tabulated, calculated and statistically analyzed. The results of this study showed that there was significant improvement in clinical and electromyographic results with no statistically significant difference between two types of used splints. It could be concluded that splint therapy as a non-invasive technique improved significantly symptoms of ADDWoR, regardless the type of splint used.