Long-term results in patients with disk displacement without reduction treated conservatively

Sixty-eight patients (seven men, 61 women) treated for disk displacement without reduction with extraoral mandibular manipulation followed by splint insertion, physical and drug treatment as needed, were re-examined at the end of treatment and after a subsequent period, ranging from 18 to 147 months. Two parameters were considered: 1. degree of spontaneous mandibular opening; and 2. presence of pain (score 1-4). Mean opening was 28.78 mm before treatment, 42.85 mm after treatment and 43.5 mm at long-term (P < .001 after paired T-test and one-way ANOVA). Mean pain level dropped from 2.91 before treatment to 1.22 after treatment and 1.38 at long-term (P < .001 after Friedman non-parametric test). It was concluded, that: in the majority of cases, disk displacement without reduction can successfully be treated by conservative means.