ABSTRACT:
Introduction: Hyaluronic acidis known as Sodium hyaluronate or hyaluronan is an essential component of the synovial fluid. It enables the fluid to act as a lubricant, a shock absorber and a filter controlling the movement of cells and large molecules within the joint.The present study presents a case series on the efficacy of hyaluronic acid injections for the treatment of temporomandibular joint pain by providing patient evaluations. Study Design: Thirty-one temporomandibular joints in 23 patients were evaluated in this study. Six males and 17 females aged 18 to 55 years with chief complaints of limited mouth opening, TMJ pain, and clicking sounds in the TMJ. The TMJ was examined clinically and radiographically. Patients were randomly divided into two groups, were one group received only arthrocentesis and the other group received arthrocentesis plus hyaluronic acid. Both the groups contained patients with disc displacement with reduction with closed lock. Results: Descriptive analysis showed improvements which were maintained over time for all the study parameters. Permutation tests evidenced the significance of changes which occurred in many clinical parameters over three months. Differences with baseline levels remained significant at the end of the follow-up period, particularly for the jaw movements, masticatory efficiency, clicking and pain at mastication parameters. Conclusion: Data from the clinical study support findings from studies on other joints, which prove the efficacy of hyaluronic acid after arthrocentesis to reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis and to maintain improvements over time.