Health Topic

Jaw Injuries and Disorders

The types of jaw injuries and disorders that can cause problems are dislocations, fractures, misaligned teeth, and more. Learn about them here.

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Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

About Jaw Injuries and Disorders

Your jaw is a set of bones that holds your teeth. It includes:

  • The maxilla, which is the upper part of your jaw. It holds your top teeth in place and doesn't move. It also supports the muscles involved in chewing and facial expressions.
  • The mandible, which is the lower part of your jaw. You move it when you talk or chew. It also holds your lower teeth in place.
  • The temporomandibular joints (TMJs), which are two joints (one on each side) that connect your mandible to your skull.

Jaw problems can include:

  • Fractures (broken bones).
  • Dislocations, which are joint injuries that force the ends of your bones out of position.
  • Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), which are conditions that affect your TMJs.
  • Osteonecrosis, which happens when the blood flow to part of your bone is disrupted. It can cause the bone to break down.
  • Jaw tumors, which can be benign (not cancer) or cancer.
  • Jaw defects, which are birth defects in which your jaw could be missing or deformed.

Diagnostic imaging tests are often used to diagnose jaw injuries and disorders. Your treatment will depend on which jaw problem you have.

It sits within Bones, Joints and Muscles, Mouth and Teeth and Injuries and Wounds.

When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.

Research on Jaw Injuries and Disorders

123 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.

What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.

Research currently under way

Research already completed

Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.

Where to read more

Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.

Diagnosis and Tests

Treatments and Therapies

Related Issues

Genetics

Clinical Trials

Medical subject headings

Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Jaw, Jaw Fractures, Jaw Diseases. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.

This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Jaw Injuries and Disorders, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.