TMJ replacement - contraindications and risks

In the wake of the Proplast/Teflon scandal of the early 1990s, which seriously discredited joint endoprostheses made from alloplastic materials, doctors have been clearly reluctant for a long time about the indications for alloplastic temporomandibular joint (TMJ) replacements (disk replacement, hemiarthroplasty, and total joint replacements). Today, with the availability of sophisticated systems - either as stock prostheses or as customized CAD-based systems - the focus of surgical interest is again on total alloplastic joint reconstruction. This article provides an overview of the contraindications, risks, and perioperative and postoperative complications associated with the total replacement of the TMJ with autologous or alloplastic materials. Colleagues who work in the field of functional diagnostics frequently assume an important part in the decision-making process for invasive surgical treatments. It is therefore important for them to know the potential complications and risks of total alloplastic TMJ replacement, as presented in this article. Keywords: alloplastic joint replacement, alloplastic materials, risks, complications, contraindications, autologous joint replacement, hemiarthroplasty, prosthesis infection, TMJ prosthesis