What do systematic reviews say?

Glucosamine sulfate (oral) vs ibuprofen

Glucosamine sulfate (oral) showed no clear difference in pain-free maximum jaw opening (mm), change from baseline compared with ibuprofen (oral); GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for managing temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes

  90 days
  MD 1.75 [-4.10, 7.60]
  1 study · 45 participants
  GRADE not reported

Arthrocentesis

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for managing temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No study evaluated arthrocentesis for TMJ OA, which should be explored in future trials (Research recommendations Table 1).
  0 studies
  No studies found

Iontophoretically applied corticosteroids

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for managing temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes
  The review noted the noticeable absence of evidence for iontophoretically applied corticosteroids; no eligible RCT evaluated it (Discussion).
  0 studies
  No studies found

Intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate vs corticosteroid injection

Intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate led to lower reported pain (mm on VAS) compared with intra-articular injection of corticosteroids (betamethasone); GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for managing temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes

  6 months
  MD -17.00 [-32.60, -1.40]
  1 study · 40 participants
  GRADE not reported

Glucosamine sulfate (oral) vs ibuprofen

Glucosamine sulfate (oral) showed no clear difference in brief Pain Inventory (BPI) - pain interference, change from baseline compared with ibuprofen (oral); GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for managing temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes

  90 days
  MD -6.74 [-14.70, 1.22]
  1 study · 45 participants
  GRADE not reported

Physiotherapy modalities (physiotherapy, short-wave diathermy, ultrasound)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for managing temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes
  The review noted the noticeable absence of evidence for physiotherapy, short-wave diathermy and ultrasound; no eligible RCT evaluated these (Discussion).
  0 studies
  No studies found

Oral diclofenac sodium (NSAID) vs splint

• Interventions for managing temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes
  The study reports morphological changes assessed by CT for the entire sample without distinction of group, so extraction was not possible.
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Oral diclofenac sodium (NSAID) vs splint

• Interventions for managing temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes

  1 week and 3 months
  Data for pain on movement or pain on palpation of the affected TMJ (both at 1 week and 3 months) could not be extracted, as they are described as percentages of an unclear total number. Narratively, diclofenac sodium…
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Open TMJ surgery (arthroplasty / total joint replacement)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for managing temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No study evaluated open surgery for TMJ OA, which should be explored in future trials (Research recommendations Table 1; Discussion).
  0 studies
  No studies found

Glucosamine sulfate (oral) vs ibuprofen

Glucosamine sulfate (oral) led to lower pain during function (proportion without significant improvement) compared with ibuprofen (oral); GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for managing temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes

  90 days
  Six participants in the glucosamine group did not experience significant improvement in TMJ pain compared with seven in the ibuprofen group (Analysis 3.1); Fisher's exact test P = 0.73 (not significant, per the authors).
  1 study · 45 participants
  GRADE not reported

Arthroscopy vs open surgery

Arthroscopy showed no clear difference in tenderness on palpation in jaw muscles (clinical evaluation, 12… compared with open surgery; GRADE not reported.

• Arthroscopy for temporomandibular disorders 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes

  12 months
  Peto OR 2.00 [0.20, 19.98]
  2 studies · 40 participants
  GRADE not reported

Arthroscopy vs open surgery

Arthroscopy showed no clear difference in tenderness on palpation in TMJ (clinical evaluation, 12 months) compared with open surgery; GRADE not reported.

• Arthroscopy for temporomandibular disorders 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes

  12 months
  Peto OR 0.65 [0.10, 4.04]
  2 studies · 40 participants
  GRADE not reported

Arthroscopy vs open surgery

Arthroscopy showed no clear difference in maximum protrusion over 5 mm (clinical evaluation, 12 months) compared with open surgery; GRADE not reported.

• Arthroscopy for temporomandibular disorders 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes

  12 months
  Peto OR 0.12 [0.01, 2.09]
  2 studies · 40 participants
  GRADE not reported

Arthroscopy vs open surgery

Arthroscopy showed no clear difference in interincisal opening over 35 mm (clinical evaluation, 12 months) compared with open surgery; GRADE not reported.

• Arthroscopy for temporomandibular disorders 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes

  12 months
  Peto OR 1.31 [0.31, 5.60]
  2 studies · 40 participants
  GRADE not reported

Arthroscopy vs Arthrocentesis

Arthroscopy led to higher maximum interincisal opening (mm) after 12 months compared with arthrocentesis; GRADE not reported.

• Arthroscopy for temporomandibular disorders 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes

  12 months
  MD 5.28 [3.46, 7.10]
  2 studies · 81 participants
  GRADE not reported

Arthroscopy vs open surgery

Arthroscopy showed no clear difference in clinical evaluations 12 months after surgery (6 pooled clinical signs) compared with open surgery; GRADE not reported.

• Arthroscopy for temporomandibular disorders 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes

  12 months
  Peto OR 1.0 [0.45, 2.21]
  2 studies · 240 participants
  GRADE not reported

Arthroscopy vs Nonsurgical treatment

Arthroscopy showed no clear difference in pain after 6 months compared with nonsurgical treatment; GRADE not reported.

• Arthroscopy for temporomandibular disorders 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes

  6 months
  SMD 0.004 [-0.46, 0.55]
  2 studies · 62 participants
  GRADE not reported

Arthroscopy vs open surgery

Arthroscopy led to higher pain (VAS/SSI) after 12 months compared with open surgery; GRADE not reported.

• Arthroscopy for temporomandibular disorders 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes

  12 months
  SMD 0.45 [0.01, 0.89]
  3 studies · 81 participants
  GRADE not reported

Arthroscopy vs Arthrocentesis

Arthroscopy showed no clear difference in pain (VAS) after 12 months compared with arthrocentesis; GRADE not reported.

• Arthroscopy for temporomandibular disorders 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes

  12 months
  MD 0.10 [-1.46, 1.66]
  2 studies · 81 participants
  GRADE not reported

Arthroscopy vs open surgery

Arthroscopy showed no clear difference in crepitation (clinical evaluation, 12 months) compared with open surgery; GRADE not reported.

• Arthroscopy for temporomandibular disorders 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes

  12 months
  Peto OR 0.45 [0.08, 2.60]
  2 studies · 40 participants
  GRADE not reported