Is dextrose prolotherapy beneficial in the management of temporomandibular joint internal derangement? A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE

To highlight the current knowledge of the efficacy of dextrose as a prolotherapy agent in managing temporomandibular joint internal derangement (TMJ-ID).

METHODS

A "Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome" (PICO) strategy was executed using an electronic search through PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane databases, and Google Scholar from their inception to August 2022. Only randomized clinical trials investigating the treatment of TMJ-ID with hypertonic dextrose prolotherapy (HDPT) were included. Two independent reviewers assessed the eligibility of the studies with subsequent data extraction.

RESULTS

The systematic search identified 392 studies, and only 8 articles were considered eligible for selection, with a total of 286 patients; 72% were females, and 28% were males. The extracted data showed positive effects of dextrose on joint pain and maximum mouth opening (MMO) with high patient satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

HDPT can be effective in relieving TMD symptoms as it reduces pain, improves joint dysfunction, and increases MMO up to 12 months.