Intra-articular injections with corticosteroids and sodium hyaluronate for treating temporomandibular joint disorders: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION

In some cases, conservative treatment of internal derangements of the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) is considered little responsive. Thus, it is necessary to accomplish treatments that aim at reducing pain and improve function in patients who present arthrogenic temporomandibular disorders.

OBJECTIVE

This study, by means of a systematic review of the literature, aimed to analyze the effectiveness of intra-articular injections with corticosteroids and sodium hyaluronate for treating internal derangements of the TMJ.

METHODS

Carry out a research in the following databases: MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, Pubmed, Lilacs, and BBO, considering publications issued between 1966 and October 2010, focusing on randomized or quasi-randomized controlled clinical trials, single or double-blind.

RESULTS

After applying the inclusion criteria we collected 9 articles, 7 of which were randomized controlled double-blind clinical trials and 2 randomized controlled single-blind clinical trials.

CONCLUSION

After analyzing the literature, it was found that intra-articular injection with corticosteroids and sodium hyaluronate seems to be an effective method for treating internal derangements of the TMJ. However, further randomized controlled clinical trials, with representative samples and longer follow-up time must be carried out in order to assess the real effectiveness of this technique.