Ultrasound-guided Platelet-rich Plasma Prolotherapy for Temporomandibular Disorders

Abstract

Purpose: Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is one of the most common diseases causing chronic orofacial pain. Prolotherapy is called 'regenerative injection therapy' or 'growth factor stimulation injection', and it induces the functional reactivation of tissues such as ligaments and tendons. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided prolother-apy with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for the patients who had the TMD symptoms, especially in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain, restricted mouth opening, and TMJ sound. Methods: Twenty-seven patients visited Chosun University Dental Hospital with the symptoms of pain, restricted mouth opening, and TMJ sound were included in this study. When the pa-tients visited the hospital, we measured; the degree of pain, range of mouth opening (ROM), and TMJ sound, and grouped them according to their chief complaints. TMJ pain and ROM were measured both at the first visit and the fourth week after the PRP injection, and also evaluated the impact of the treatment on their daily activities. Results: After the treatment, the patients in the TMJ pain group showed some improvement (visual analogue scale [VAS] 5.6 to 3.6), and the patients in the restricted mouth opening group exhibited increased ROM (26 mm to 32 mm; p<0.05). On the other hand, the patients in the TMJ sound group had no improvement. Conclusions: PRP prolotherapy could be effective for the treatment of TMJ pain and restricted mouth opening. However, further studies are still necessary in terms of TMJ sound and long-term effect of PRP prolotherapy.