Vladimir Machon, Monika Rehorová, Jirí Šedý, René Foltán
The use of Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP) may provide a new and improved treatment option for early Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Osteoarthritis (OA). However, there are no studies on its use in TMJ arthritis in the literature. The present study compares 30 early onsets OA patients divided equally into 3 groups who had experienced no pain reduction following conservative and minimally invasive arthrocentesis and arthroscopy treatment. All patients had retrodiscitis and synovitis on arthroscopic examination and were without systemic joint disease, septic, or autoimmune arthritis. Only patients with unilateral TMJ symptoms were included in this study. Pain intensity was recorded for each patient using a 0-10 VAS scale. Maximum Interincisal Opening (MIO) was also recorded. This assessment was performed at the pretreatment and then at an examination 3 months after administration of 2 intra-articular applications of autologous PRP (Group A), 2 intra-articular injections of Hyaluronic Acid (HA) (Group B), or commencement of conservative therapy only with soft diet and analgetics (Group C). The results after 3 months revealed that intra-articular injection of autologous PRP appeared to be an effective treatment method for patients with early OA in this study. At the 3-month follow-up, patients from group A improved their mouth opening significantly. Majority of the PRP patients (Group A) showed decreased pain. The average pain score before PRP administration was 7, while 3 months after PRP administration the pain score was 3.5. In conclusion, the use of PRP is an effective treatment option for early TMJ OA.