Page 302 - Demo

Chapter 12300disorders (TMDs) has been “better” explored, there has been far less exploration of the use of postoperative TMJ physiotherapy. As a result, the literature and research on this topic remain scarce.This systematic review aimed to provide an overview of the postoperative physiotherapeutic schedules used after open TMJ surgery to assess their effect on postoperative results. The authors hypothesized that the use of a more elaborate physiotherapeutic approach would lead to better postoperative results. Furthermore, this paper aims to achieve an “upto-date” and scientifically grounded physiotherapeutic approach for surgeons to provide to their patients after surgery.Material and methodsStudy designThe investigators performed a systematic review by conducting a computerized literature search. This search was performed up to April, 1, 2018, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The following databases were used: PubMed Central, Web of Science, Cochrane Library Plus, CINAHL, and EMBASE. The following heading was used to define the search string; (“Temporomandibular Joint” OR TMJ) AND (“Postoperative Care” OR “Physical Therapy” OR “Physical Therapy Modality” OR Exercise OR Revalidation OR Rehabilitation) AND (Arthroplasty OR Prosthesis OR “Total Joint Replacement”). Although these search terms remained largely unchanged (with the exception of the EMBASE search), the combination in which they were used was dependent on the database. Table 1 lists the specific search terms used for each database. In addition, a manual search of reference lists of the included articles and systematic reviews was performed.For an article to be included in the study sample, the patient sample had to consist of humans who underwent unilateral or bilateral open TMJ surgery. These patients had to have had postoperative physiotherapy with the aim of improving rehabilitation of the patient and TMJ function Nikolas de Meurechy NW.indd 300 05-06-2024 10:15