Comparison of the Efficiacy of Intra-Articular Injection of Liquid Platelet-Rich Fibrin and Hyaluronic Acid After in Conjunction With Arthrocentesis for the Treatment of Internal Temporomandibular Joint Derangements.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of intra-articular injection of liquid platelet-rich fibrin (I-PRF) versus hyaluronic acid (HA) following arthrocentesis in patients suffering from temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain and dysfunction. A total of 69 patients with internal TMJ derangement were enrolled in this retrospective, matched cohort study. A total of 47 included patients (67 joints) were divided into 3 groups as follows 16 participants in the arthrocentesis-only group; 14 patients in the arthrocentesis plus HA injection group (A+HA); and 17 participants in the arthrocentesis plus I-PRF injection group (A+I-PRF). The 2 outcome variables were TMJ pain and maximal mouth opening (MMO) which were evaluated up to 12 months postoperatively. The data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon sign test, Fisher exact test, and the χ test. Statistically significant decreases in pain scores and increases in MMO values were observed in all 3 groups during the 12 months of follow-up. The significant decrease in pain values was shown in the A+I-PRF group as compared with the A+HA group at 9 months postoperatively. MMO values in the A+I-PRF group were significantly higher than in the A+HA group at 9 and 12 months postoperatively. All conventional treatment procedures can provide pain reduction and improvement to MMO. However, intraarticular injections of I-PRF in combination with arthrocentesis showed superior performance in terms of the gradual improvement in pain alleviation and range of mouth opening.