Bilateral platelet rich plasma injections with assisted techniques for temporomandibular joint disorders

Abstract

Objectives. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders are frequently encountered in the population. Pain isthe most common complaint. TMJ luxation needs surgical treatment which has many risks. The objective ofthis study was to treat TMJ disorders with a minimal invasive method, platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection,instead of surgery. Methods. The study included 7 female patients aged 15 to 42 years. Three ml (2 ml into thejoint capsule and 1 ml into the pericapsular region) injections were applied in both sides. Two sessions ofinjections were planned. Three months after the last injection, a questionnaire was carried out. Results. Six ofthe subjects underwent two injections, and one of them underwent only one injection. Verbal analogue scalescore was 7.66±1.3 before the injections, 5.33±2 after the first injection, and 3.33±1.2 after the second injection.Pain decreased significantly after the first and more significantly after the second injection (p=0.017 andp0.05) and four at the secondstep (p=0.017). Conclusions. Findings of our study indicate that PRP may be a useful technique for treatmentof TMJ subluxations. The significant reduction in pain after either one or two injections suggests that it mightbe reasonable to investigate the efficacy and safety of this technique in larger study populations.