Corticosteroids as Additive in Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Arthrocentesis

Summary

The aim is to compare the effectiveness of corticosteroid administration (dexamethasone) with a placebo (saline), following arthrocentesis of for the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Twenty-eight participants with TMJ arthralgia, mainly related to osteoarthritis ae randomly assigned to two arms of a parallel double blind RCT. In both arms an arthrocentesis procedure is carried out, while a single dose intraarticular dexamethasone was delivered to participants in one arm. Saline was delivered in the other arm to serve as a control. Follow up visits were scheduled after 1, 3 and 24 weeks. During each visit TMJ pain (on a 100mm VAS) and joint stiffness (mouth opening in mm) are scored. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) are used for statistical analysis.

Timeline

Start

2008-12

Primary completion

2010-12

Completion

2010-12

Outcome

Missed primary endpoint

paper In conclusion, intra-articular dexamethasone following arthrocentesis did not improve the procedure's effect in patients presenting with TMJ arthralgia PMID 22157100 ↗

Publications

• Huddleston Slater JJ, Vos LM, Stroy LP, Stegenga B. Randomized trial on the effectiveness of dexamethasone in TMJ arthrocentesis. J Dent Res. 2012 Feb;91(2):173-8. doi: 10.1177/0022034511431260. Epub 2011 Dec 8.

Drugs

Indications