Temporomandibular Joint Arthroplasty Using Metal-on-Metal and Acrylic-on-Metal Configurations : Wear In Laboratory Tests and In Retrievals.
In the long-term performance ofthe temporomaridibular joint (TMJ) implant, wear must be considered. Thus retrieved and laboratory test implants were examined both optically and in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In laboratory testing, the volumetric wear of metal-on-metal was about an order of magnitude less than that of acrylic-on-metal TMJ implants. This metal-on-metal wear was also about half of that reported in the literature for a laboratory test of polyethylene-on-metal TMJ implants, The retrieved TMJ implants showed some abrasive wear occurred during multi-directional articulation with smaller wear zones for the metal-on-metal compared to the acrylic-on-metal configuration. Further efforts to characterize and minimize wear were recommended as prudent in the continuing development of TMJ arthroplasty.