Abstract
Arthrocentesis (AC) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), commonly referred to as joint lavage, is a minimally invasive procedure widely employed in the management of internal derangement (ID) associated pain. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of AC with and without intra-articular corticosteroid injection in alleviating IDrelated symptoms. A total of 20 patients diagnosed with TMJ internal derangement were randomly allocated into two Groups of ten each. In both Groups, AC of the upper joint space was performed under local anaesthesia using Ringer’s lactate solution. Group 1 additionally received a single intra-articular injection of triamcinolone acetonide (40 mg), while Group 2 underwent lavage alone. Clinical assessments were conducted at baseline (T0), 7 days (T1), 1 month, and 3 months (T2) post-procedure, evaluating pain severity using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), maximum mouth opening (MMO), mandibular deviation, and joint sounds. Variables such as age, sex, and skeletal maxillomandibular relationship showed no significant differences between Groups. Although no statistically significant changes were observed regarding joint clicking and deviation, a significant reduction in pain intensity was noted between the two Groups across follow-up intervals (P < 0.05). Arthrocentesis proved effective in short-term symptom relief; however, the addition of corticosteroids demonstrated earlier and superior pain reduction outcomes, supporting its enhanced therapeutic benefit in TMJ internal derangement management.
Keywords: Arthrocentesis (AC), Corticosteroids, Deviation of jaw and maximal mouth opening (MMO), Internal Derangement (ID), Pain, Ringer lactate (RL) solution, Temporomandibular joint (TMJ).