Shareef Araidy, George Batshon, Roman Mirochnik, Imad Abu El-Naaj
{"title":"The calcified Sphenomandibular ligament: case report, surgical management and literature review.","authors":"Shareef Araidy, George Batshon, Roman Mirochnik, Imad Abu El-Naaj","doi":"10.3389/froh.2025.1581583","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Calcification of the Sphenomandibular ligament (SML) is an extremely rare condition, with only three previously documented cases worldwide. This report presents the fourth known case of SML calcification in a 32-year-old male patient with a 17-year history of progressive trismus. Following a dental procedure involving a mandibular nerve block, the patient gradually developed limited mouth opening, which was resistant to conservative treatments. Imaging revealed calcification of the SML, which was confirmed intraoperatively. Surgical excision led to a significant improvement in mandibular function. This report discusses clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, surgical management, and a comprehensive literature review, emphasizing the importance of considering rare ligamentous pathologies in cases of persistent trismus.</p>","PeriodicalId":94016,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in oral health","volume":"6 ","pages":"1581583"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12060255/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Frontiers in oral health","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2025.1581583","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Calcification of the Sphenomandibular ligament (SML) is an extremely rare condition, with only three previously documented cases worldwide. This report presents the fourth known case of SML calcification in a 32-year-old male patient with a 17-year history of progressive trismus. Following a dental procedure involving a mandibular nerve block, the patient gradually developed limited mouth opening, which was resistant to conservative treatments. Imaging revealed calcification of the SML, which was confirmed intraoperatively. Surgical excision led to a significant improvement in mandibular function. This report discusses clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, surgical management, and a comprehensive literature review, emphasizing the importance of considering rare ligamentous pathologies in cases of persistent trismus.