School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Bite splints are often used in the treatment of patients with oral parafunctions,
temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, or temporomandibular disorders. The
most common reasons for prescribing a bite splint are to protect the teeth in
patients with bruxism, to improve jaw-muscle and TMJ function, and to relieve
related pain. The risk for negative side effects is small in conservative bite
splint treatment. Complications from long-term use of splints, however, can be
severe and irreversible. The risks are especially high when mandibular
advancement splints, or splints that make contact only with parts of the
opposing dentition, are used for more than 4 to 6 weeks without appropriate
supervision. As a general rule, a dentist should not encourage a patient to use
any type of splint for more than a few months except for cases in which the
teeth need to be protected because of persistent oral parafunctions. Appropriate
record keeping, including signed consent forms, is necessary; when neglected, it
becomes difficult for the dentist to defend himself from false accusations of
malpractice.