Efficacy of Arthrocentesis on pain and mouth opening in the treatment of Temporomandibular Joint -TMJ- internal derangements: a 2-year retrospective clinical evaluation

Objectives: the objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of arthrocentesis on pain and mouth opening in the treatment of tmj internal derangement (disc displacement without reduction). methods: twenty-four patients were included in this study, knowing that they have tmj derangement and treatment with tmj arthrocentesis. the study was carried out in a dental specialized private clinic in beirut, lebanon, between february 2009 and june 2011. results: twenty patients were selected. arthrocentesis showed a significant reduction in pain and an increase in maximal mouth opening at the follow-up (p<0.05). conclusion: within the limitations of this study, arthrocentesis proved to be an effective method in reducing pain and increasing maximum mouth opening (mmo) in patients with tmj internal derangement.