Efficacy of Various Lavaging Agents and Intraarticular Injections in Temporomandibular Joint Arthrocentesis: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Arthrocentesis is a minimally invasive technique used in treating various temporomandibular disorders. There are various lavaging agents and intra-articular injections used in arthrocentesis viz., Normal Saline (NS), Ringer’s Lactate (RL), Sodium Hyaluronate (SH), Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP), Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) etc. The present review was conducted to compare the published literature about the efficacy of various lavaging agents and intra-articular injections used in arthrocentesis. It was found that NS and RL are currently the best proven agents for Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) lavage. It has been observed that lavage combined with intra-articular injections produces better outcomes than lavage alone. Patients who received treatment with arthrocentesis in conjunction with Hylauronic Acid (HA) injection, displayed faster and more noticeable improvement in their perception of pain and maximal mouth opening.

Keywords

• corticosteroids
• platelet-rich plasma
• ringer’s lactate
• saline
• sodium hyaluronate