Examination and treatments requiring access to the oral cavity can be limited, or in some cases impossible, due to the nature of the condition itself.

[9] Trismus is derived from the Greek word trigmos/trismos meaning "a scream; a grinding, rasping or gnashing".

Treatment: fracture reduction, removal of foreign bodies with antibiotic coverage[citation needed] Rarely, trismus is a symptom of nasopharyngeal or infratemporal tumors/ fibrosis of temporalis tendon, when patient has limited mouth opening, always premalignant conditions like oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) should also be considered in differential diagnosis.

[citation needed] Treatment requires treating the underlying condition with dental treatments, speech therapy for swallowing difficulty and mouth opening restrictions, physical therapy, and passive range of motion devices.

Additionally, control of symptoms with pain medications (NSAIDs), muscle relaxants, and warm compresses may be used.