�LvY<?php exit; ?>a:1:{s:7:"content";O:8:"stdClass":24:{s:2:"ID";i:13;s:11:"post_author";s:1:"1";s:9:"post_date";s:19:"2017-07-12 08:27:41";s:13:"post_date_gmt";s:19:"2017-07-12 08:27:41";s:12:"post_content";s:3951:"The British Association of TMJ Surgeons (BATS) is for UK Oral &amp; Maxillofacial Surgeons with an interest in TMJ disorders and surgery, although we recognise that only a minority of patients with a TMJ disorder will benefit from surgery.  BATS has strong links with the American Society of TMJ Surgeons (ASTMJS) and the European Society of TMJ Surgeons (ESTMJS), and is recognised by the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAOMS).

For the majority of people who experience a TMJ problem, this will be no more serious than having a sprained ankle.  The most common problem affecting the TMJ is known as TMJ dysfunction, although there are a number of other names which refer to the same condition.  A common alternative name is facial arthromyalgia.   This is usually a combination of pain from around the jaw joint area, sometimes experiences earache, a feeling that mouth opening is restricted, locking of the jaw in the open or closed position and noises from the joints such as clicking or grinding noises.  In many instances, this resolves spontaneously without requiring treatment from a General Dental Practitioner or a Specialist.  If it does not it can be treated with simple non-surgical measures which might include wearing a soft bite guard for a few months, maintaining a soft diet, simple jaw exercises and/or physiotherapy, pain relieving tablets, and occasionally the jaw muscle relaxing effect of one of the older types of anti-depressant such as Amitriptyline.  When this condition does not respond to these simple measures over a period of 3-6 months, some patients will benefit from having their TMJs inspected and washed out perhaps with a telescope.  This is known as TMJ arthroscopy.  Similar rates of improvement have been reported with just a washing out of the joint, without the use of a telescope.  The telescope does however provide useful diagnostic information.  Published studies indicate that there is an approximate 75% probability that simple non-surgical treatments will help improve symptoms and a 66-75% probability that washing out the joint with or without the use of a telescope will help any residual symptoms.  Sometimes this condition can be in response to stress factors, known as stressful life events; and sometimes it can follow an injury to the jaw for example during sports, or following a road traffic accident with/without a whiplash.  A small number of people get arthritis in their TMJs.  This could be any of the common forms of arthritis including osteoarthritis, psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis, or rheumatoid arthritis.  Other conditions which affect the TMJ include infections (these are rare), injury-producing fractures of the joint, and some uncommon growth disorders where one joint grows faster than the other, producing a lop-sided appearance to the jaw, and very rarely tumours of the jaw joint.  Malignant tumours of the TMJ are extremely rare.

Very few patients require surgery.  Major surgery of the jaw joint, to replace the joint completely, is required for extensive and debilitating arthritis affecting the joint and especially when the joint has ceased up such that mouth opening is severely restricted.  Under these circumstances the joint can be replaced with an artificial joint, in a similar way to replacing hips and knees.  There are approximately ten Oral &amp; Maxillofacial Surgery Units in the UK where this type of surgery can be undertaken.

The activities of BATS have so far included the production of UK guidelines for TMJ Replacement.  We are currently setting up a national database/registry for TMJ replacement surgery at the request of the National Institute for Health &amp; Clinical Excellence (NICE).

We have held a series of annual meetings in the UK and a joint meeting with ASTMJS in Florida in 2008.

We will be developing this website as a resource for advice for both patients and clinicians";s:10:"post_title";s:5:"About";s:12:"post_excerpt";s:0:"";s:11:"post_status";s:7:"publish";s:14:"comment_status";s:6:"closed";s:11:"ping_status";s:6:"closed";s:13:"post_password";s:0:"";s:9:"post_name";s:5:"about";s:7:"to_ping";s:0:"";s:6:"pinged";s:0:"";s:13:"post_modified";s:19:"2017-07-16 16:56:43";s:17:"post_modified_gmt";s:19:"2017-07-16 16:56:43";s:21:"post_content_filtered";s:0:"";s:11:"post_parent";i:0;s:4:"guid";s:43:"http://batms.petercarlyle.co.uk/?page_id=13";s:10:"menu_order";i:0;s:9:"post_type";s:4:"page";s:14:"post_mime_type";s:0:"";s:13:"comment_count";s:1:"0";s:6:"filter";s:3:"raw";}}