Condylar Bone Regeneration After Wearing Stabilization Splint

A young female with post-accident malocclusion and restricted mouth opening showed improved mandibular function after stabilization splint use, with CBCT-confirmed condylar bone regeneration. A 24-year-old female sustained right facial impact trauma in a January 2024 motor vehicle accident, presenting with acute mandibular hypomobility and inability to achieve dental occlusion. In May 2024, she sought initial evaluation for progressive left TMJ pain and recurrent mouth opening restriction. At that time, CBCT revealed left condylar anterior displacement, osteolytic destruction of the anterior slope, and osteogenesis on the posterior slope, while MRI confirmed disc perforation. Stabilization splint therapy restored pain-free mandibular mobility and functional occlusion within 3 months. Follow-up CBCT demonstrated bone regeneration spanning both anterior and posteriorcondylar slopes. Conventional views attribute stabilization splints primarily to modulating masticatory muscle tension, with condylar regeneration typically linked to disc-condyle recapture (e.g., post-disc repositioning surgery or anterior repositioning splints). This case diverges: despite persistent disc tear and anterior condylar displacement (contrasting common posterior displacement patterns), pre-treatment CBCT already revealed posterior slope osteogenesis, likely due to reduced posterior intra-articular pressure from altered biomechanics. Post-splint pan-condylar bone regeneration suggests that mechanical decompression—rather than disc integrity—drives osteogenic responses. This case demonstrates that stabilization splint-mediated reduction in intra-articular pressure facilitates symptomatic relief and condylar bone regeneration in temporomandibular disorders, suggesting biomechanical modulation as a viable pathway for joint remodeling.