Why a Centre of Excellence?

The treatment of the temporomandibular joint has occupied physicians for millennia. The Edwin Smith Papyrus, written approximately 5,000 years ago, already described the management of fractures of the lower jaw and the temporomandibular joint region using bandages, splints, and immobilisation.

A new era began only in the early twentieth century, when Perthes (1924) and Wassmund (1927) in Germany first advocated surgical procedures for temporomandibular joint injuries — opening a debate that continues to this day: should treatment be conservative or surgical? In 1934, Reichenbach introduced functional orthodontics as an effective treatment concept. In the decades that followed, surgical treatment steadily gained importance, as new techniques, improved instruments, and a deeper understanding of joint biomechanics significantly expanded the range of therapeutic options.

Yet despite centuries of experience and decades of scientific research, there are still no globally recognised, universally applicable standards for treating many disorders and injuries of the temporomandibular joint.

For this reason, the International Association of TMJ (IATMJ) was founded in 2026 to unite scientists, surgeons, orthodontists, radiologists, physiotherapists, and every discipline involved in the care of the temporomandibular joint. Its aim is to develop international standards grounded in scientific evidence, and to train dentists and medical practitioners accordingly — so that patients worldwide may benefit.

Within this evidence-based mission, the Centre places particular emphasis on the surgical techniques developed by Professor Chi Yang of Shanghai. He was among the first to recognise the far-reaching consequences of anterior disc displacement for the growth and development of the lower jaw and the temporomandibular joint, and he developed the necessary surgical procedures — including endoscopic surgery and the corresponding instrumentation — to treat these conditions specifically while preserving the functional development of the joint.

It was therefore the goal of the German Surgical Foundation to recruit Professor Chi Yang as Director and Course Leader of the Centre of Excellence, and we are honoured to have succeeded in doing so.