A team led by the stomatologist David Ângelo placed biomaterials with regenerative properties in the mandibular disk next to the jaw for the treatment of temporomandibular disfunction, a problem which affects around 30% of the Portuguese population.
According to TSF (Portuguese radio station), the researcher explains that, at the moment, “the patients with severe temporomandibular disfunction, where there is a destruction of the disk, have no other validated therapeutical option”.David Ângelo, surgeon at the Centro Hospitalar de Setúbal (Setubal Hospital Centre), also recalls that even “when the disk is extracted and the space is left void it leads to a serious degenerative process”.
Temporomandibular disfunction is the most common cause for non dental originated orofacial pain and the main symptons are joint pain, which can reach the ear, limited mouth opening and pops in the articulation.
