The TMJR prothesis by the veterinary staff at UC Davis. (Image courtesy of UC Davis)
Veterinarians from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine have achieved patent pending standing for an implant designed to interchange the jaw joint in cats and dogs affected by end-stage temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems.1 The preliminary analysis on the TMJ substitute (TMJR) prosthesis have been revealed within the American Journal of Veterinary Research,2 and outcomes discovered that the prothesis permits for regular jaw movement and joint stability. This has the potential to remodel the therapy of pets with dysfunctional TMJs, attributable to both harm or sickness.
“About 5 years ago, I suggested the need for a TMJ replacement because we were seeing increased number of cats and dogs with fused jaws,” mentioned Boaz Arzi, DVM, DAVDC, DEVDC, FF-AVDC-OMFS, chief of the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service (DOSS) on the UC Davis veterinary hospital, in a information launch.1 “The only recourse we have for these animals is to remove all the affected structures in the jaws to enable opening the mouth. While this allows the patient to eat and drink, there is no longer functionality to the joint, and their mouth can never close properly again.”
Arzi labored on this venture with Denis Marcelin-Little, DEDV, DACVS, DECVS, DACVSMR, a UC Davis veterinary orthopedic surgeon properly versed in hip substitute and implant design and manufacturing, and Tanya Garcia, BS, MS, a biomedical engineer within the faculty’s J. D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory. The 3 of them used the FDA accredited TMJ prothesis for people as a tenet, nonetheless Arzi said that the one they have been creating for pets solely wanted to maneuver up and down and didn’t want to maneuver aspect to aspect or backwards and forwards prefer it does in people.1
Once the staff had a TMJR prothesis, the invention was examined on 16 complete cadaver skulls consisting of 8 home cats and eight medium- to large-breed dogs.2 The implant was examined with totally different chunk forces and different capabilities to evaluate its efficiency and capabilities. The testing concluded that the UC Davis staff’s TMJR was much like the native TMJ in movement and performance and due to this fact could possibly be a viable substitute for sufferers.
The staff can be at the moment testing the prothesis additional with “load to failure” and “fatigue testing” to find out the utmost drive that the joint can stand up to and its longevity, respectively. “It was a good test of the implant’s feasibility. Putting our work in front of the world’s best experts in this field, and getting good feedback, was very encouraging for the future viability of this product,” Arzi said.1
According to the UC Davis launch, the TMJR implant is made up of a milled plate hooked up to the jawbone, with a neck and head that match right into a socket mounted to the cranium. In starting levels, it should are available 3 sizes (small, medium, giant) to suit most canine and cat breeds, however custom-made implants could be an possibility later for pets with distinctive wants.1
DOSS will quickly begin deciding on sufferers for the primary trial of the TMJR implant, treating them on compassionate grounds earlier than full medical trials begin.
References
- Warren R. Patent pending on UC Davis-designed temporomandibular joint (TMJ) prosthesis for cats and dogs. News launch. UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. April 19, 2024. Accessed May 9, 2024. https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/information/patent-pending-uc-davis-designed-temporomandibular-joint-tmj-prosthesis-cats-and-dogs
- Arzi B, Weed M, Garcia TC, Goldschmidt SL, Marcellin-Little DJ. Kinematic efficiency of a novel temporomandibular joint substitute prosthesis underneath bite-force situations in dogs and cats. Am J Vet Res. Published on-line April 22, 2024. doi:10.2460/ajvr.24.01.0009
