Effectivity of Occlusal Splint for TMD Treatment in Child and Adolescent

Temporomandibular joint disorder is a term for a group of musculoskeletal disorders and neuromuscular conditions that includes several clinical signs and symptoms involving the mastication muscles, temporomandibular joint, and related structures. The reported prevalence of temporomandibular joint disorders in infants, children, and adolescents varies widely in the literature. Occlusal splint is one type of oral splint that is often used to treat temporomandibular joint disorders. The purpose of this literature review is to analyze the effectiveness of occlusal splints for treating temporomandibular joint disorders in children and adolescents. Data collection was carried out by searching and analyzing literature from the electronic data site Pubmed, Wiley Online Library, Science Direct and manual search on the publication period from 2011 to 2021. Systematic data search using keywords: Temporomandibular joint disorders, children, adolescents, occlusal splints, treatment of temporomandibular joint disorders. The occlusal splint is an effective device for treating temporomandibular joint disorders with symptoms of myofascial pain and TMD with a history of trauma. Occlusal splints are not effective for disc displacement of the temporomandibular joint due to Class II malocclusion in adolescents.