Comparison of the effectiveness of treatment of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis between monotherapy with splints and splints in combination with platelet-rich plasma

Abstract

Today there is a tendency to increase the prevalence of Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis (TMJ) osteoarthritis, which is a chronic degenerative joint disease. According to international statistics, 28–38% of people in the age group of 9–90 years have signs of TMJ osteoarthritis. The aim of our study was to compare the effectiveness of treatment of TMJ osteoarthritis between monotherapy with splints and splinys in combination with Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP). The experiment involved 8 patients, divided into 2 level groups. The control group (4 patients) received treatment with splints, the experimental group – splits with PRP therapy. The effectiveness of treatment was assessed by measuring the radiological density of the cortical plate of the mandibular head according to the Hounsfield scale, the degree of mouth opening, filling out a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and a questionnaire at the end of treatment. According to the results of the study, the experimental group received more effective treatment, which is confirmed by the VAS, the degree of mouth opening and changes in the radiological density of the cortical plate of the articular head. At the end of the treatment, patients completed a questionnaire about the improvement of their condition, where 0 points meant no effect from the treatment, and 10 points meant a subjective feeling of complete recovery. The arithmetic mean of the improvement scores in the control group was 6.75, and in the experimental group – 9.00 points. Based on the results of the experiment, we can state that the effectiveness of treatment of TMJ osteoarthritis with splints in combination with PRP therapy is greater than that of monotherapy with occlusal splints. Therefore, if the patient has no contraindications to treatment with platelet-rich plasma, we can recommend the use of splits in combination with PRP therapy for the treatment of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis. Keywords: degenerative diseases, radiological density, articular head.