Is dextrose prolotherapy beneficial in the management of temporomandibular joint internal derangement? A systematic review

Abstract

Objective: To highlight the current knowledge of the efficacy of dextrose as a prolotherapy agent in managing temporomandibular joint internal derangement (TMJ-ID). Methods: A “Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome” (PICO) strategy was executed using an electronic search through PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane databases, and Google Scholar from their inception to August 2022. Only randomized clinical trials investigating the treatment of TMJ-ID with hypertonic dextrose prolotherapy (HDPT) were included. Two independent reviewers assessed the eligibility of the studies with subsequent data extraction. Results: The systematic search identified 392 studies, and only 8 articles were considered eligible for selection, with a total of 286 patients; 72% were females, and 28% were males. The extracted data showed positive effects of dextrose on joint pain and maximum mouth opening (MMO) with high patient satisfaction. Conclusion: HDPT can be effective in relieving TMD symptoms as it reduces pain, improves joint dysfunction, and increases MMO up to 12 months.