Temporomandibular joint ankylosis as a complication of neonatal septic arthritis: Report of two cases

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis as a complication of neonatal septic arthritis is rarely reported in the literature. We report two clinical cases of unilateral TMJ ankylosis occurring in paediatric patients subsequent to neonatal septic arthritis. The first case was a 15-month-old male infant who presented to the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman, in May 2010. According to the published English scientific literature, he is the youngest person yet to be diagnosed with this condition. The second case was a five-year-old female who presented to the Al-Nahda Hospital, Muscat, Oman, in October 2011. Both cases presented with facial asymmetry and trismus. They subsequently underwent gap arthroplasty and interpositional temporalis muscle and fascia grafts which resulted in an immediate improvement in mouth opening. Postoperatively, the patients underwent active jaw physiotherapy which was initially successful. Both patients were followed up for a minimum of two years following their surgeries.