Acrylic “lollipop” for jaw rehabilitation after release of joint ankylosis in paediatric patients

Abstract

Falls are a leading cause of injuries to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in the paediatric age group. In low- and middle-income nations, after injury to a child's chin, a careful clinical examination of the mandible and TMJ is sometimes omitted. Paediatric mandibular condylar fractures tend to shatter the relatively narrow condylar head, leading to ankylosis to the skull base, which leads to debilitating progressive deformity.1Early surgical release is then the sole modality of treatment and needs to be followed up by several weeks of active mouth-opening exercises to prevent re-ankylosis, which are crucial in the immediate post-operative period. Unfortunately, as patient cooperation is low owing to uncomfortable jaw mobilization, we fabricated a simple acrylic appliance which is easy to use.