Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Arthrocentesis for Temporomandibular Joint Internal Derangement - A Retrospective Study

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction is a therapeutic challenge to doctors in day-to-day life due to the complex nature of the joint and the underlying mechanism of pain. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the quality of life in patients undergoing arthrocentesis for TMJ disorders in Saveetha Dental College. This hospital-based retrospective study was conducted at Saveetha Dental College, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, from July 2019 to March 2020. All consecutive case records of patients who underwent arthrocentesis for TMJ internal derangement were included in the study. Patients' data was retrieved from the hospital digital data registry which included demographic details of the patients, etiological factors, diagnosis of the disorder, pre and postoperative mouth opening, visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for pain, and type of viscosupplementation used for the arthrocentesis. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software (version 19.0; SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) and results obtained. Probabilities of P<0.05 were considered statistically significant. Our study included 19 patients who underwent TMJ arthrocentesis consisting of 9 males and 10 females. Ringer's lactate with hyaluronidase was predominantly used for TMJ arthrocentesis among males and females. Disc displacement without reduction is the most common type of TMD in both males and females. Our study showed no statistically significant relationship between the types of visco supplementation received and the mouth opening or pain scores. (p>0.05). A statistically significant association was present between frequency of TMJ arthrocentesis (p<0.05) and need for surgical intervention and a success rate of 94.7% was observed in patients undergoing Arthrocentesis. Our study reinforces the benefits of arthrocentesis in TMJ disorders by relieving pain principally and improving mouth opening and function of the joint. A long-term follow-up and repeated arthrocentesis increase the success rate drastically and almost eliminates the need of surgery in most cases. The type of viscosupplementation although did not have an influence on the outcomes of the procedure, it nevertheless establishes a need to conduct randomised controlled trials with larger sample size in this aspect.