Unilateral condylar hyperplasia (UCH) is characterized by unilateral overgrowth of the mandibular condyles, causing functional and aesthetic complications (Gruca and Meisels, 1926; deBurgh Norman et al., 1980; Wolford et al., 2009; Nelke et al., 2018; Sun et al., 2019). Compensatory downward growth of the maxilla and increased loading of the contralateral temporomandibular joint (TMJ) can result in articular disc dislocation and arthritis in about 62% of the patients. The maxilla often follows the mandibular deformity and will deviate downward, causing an occlusal plane canting (Bruce and Hayward, 1968). The contralateral joint may also develop symptoms such as clicking, popping, pain and headache. UCH leads to sloping of the mouth and a rotated facial appearance. The diagnosis of condylar hyperplasia (CH) is primarily clinical; however, imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) and technetium-99m (99mTc) scintigraphy are often used to classify the disease and to compare the osteoblastic activity between the two mandibular condyles (a difference of at least 10% in 99mTc uptake can confirm the diagnosis) (Ghawsi et al., 2016; Nelke et al., 2018; Nolte et al., 2018; Vernucci et al., 2018; Sun et al., 2019). There are four types of CH according to the Wolford classification (Wolford et al., 2014b): CH type 1 is associated with a predominantly horizontal mandibular growth, which can be either bilateral (type 1A) or unilateral (type 1B), whereas CH type 2 represents a vertical mandibular growth due to osteochondroma; CH types 3 and 4 are caused by other benign and malignant tumors, respectively (Wolford et al., 2014a).

High condylar shaving and condylectomy with an extraoral approach through a periauricular skin incision are among the common surgical techniques to treat UCH (Mouallem et al., 2017; Nolte et al., 2018; Vernucci et al., 2018; Abotaleb et al., 2021). However, these techniques have potential complications such as facial nerve damage, scarring, traumatization of joint structures, and postoperative functional problems (Ferguson, 2005; Rodrigues and Castro, 2015; Eltayeb and Ahmad, 2017; Mouallem et al., 2017).

Electrocautery is a technique used to remove unwanted tissues through electrically generated heat (SV, 2008; Soon, 2010). Necrosis of different tissues can be controlled by optimizing the voltage and the time intervals. Aydin et al. investigated the degrees of rabbit tibial bone necrosis by adjusting these variables (Aydin et al., 2015).

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of using electrocautery via an intraoral approach as an alternative treatment for UCH.