Intra-articular I-PRF Injections in Patients With Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction

The aim of the study is to analyze the results of injection treatment in patients diagnosed with temporomandibular joint dysfunction manifested by pain and/or limited jaw mobility. The analyzed treatment will consist in the administration of autologous blood products into the cavities of the temporomandibular joints. We intend to conduct a prospective study without a control group. Patients suffering from pain in the temporomandibular joints and/or limited jaw mobility, in whom injection treatment is the treatment of choice, and patients in whom first-line therapies (pharmacotherapy, physiotherapy, splint therapy) did not bring the desired results, and intra-articular injections are a generally accepted continuation of the therapeutic protocol. Qualified patients will be treated with autologous blood products (injectable platelet-rich fibrin). Data from specialist literature support the safety and effectiveness of administering the above-mentioned substance to the cavities of the temporomandibular joints. The use of blood products in the form of intra-articular injections is medically justified both in the case of pain in the temporomandibular joints and/or in clinical conditions with limited jaw mobility. Currently available scientific publications on the comparison of the effectiveness of therapy with the use of various autologous substances are not numerous and do not give a clear answer to the question of what therapeutic protocol (type of substance, dose, number of administrations, joint compartment) is the most effective in the given observation period. This study aims to clarify some of these issues in regard to the above-mentioned blood product, and thus to obtain valuable clinical data that may help clinicians in choosing the appropriate use of intra-articular injections in patients with temporomandibular joint dysfunction.

Inclusion criteria

• age over 18;
• informed consent to participate in the study;
• the possibility of discontinuing the current treatment of the temporomandibular joints;
• generally accepted indications for injection therapy.

Exclusion criteria

• bleeding diathesis;
• mental illness;
• temporomandibular joint prosthesis;
• temporomandibular joint ankylosis;
• skin disease of the preauricular area of the affected side.