The short-term effect of intra-articular injections of sodium hyaluronate and corticosteroid on temporomandibular joint pain and dysfunction

Abstract

The short-term effect of intra-articular injections of sodium hyaluronate and a corticosteroid (betamethasone) was compared in a sample of 33 patients who had pain and tenderness to palpation in the temporomandibular joint of at least six months duration that had not responded to previous conservative treatment. The two drugs were randomly allocated to the patients. A volume of 0.5 ml of the drug was injected twice into the superior joint compartment of the TMJ with a two-week interval between injections. The effect on subjective symptoms, clinical signs, and bite force was assessed. Both drugs reduced the symptoms and signs significantly, and no statistically significant difference in effect could be found between drugs in this regard. The results indicate that the difference between the drugs in terms of short-term therapeutic effects is small, and that sodium hyaluronate could be used as an alternative to corticosteroid for patients who have signs of TMJ inflammation, especially for those who have symptomatic osteoarthrosis.