Evaluation of the effect of dextrose prolotherapy versus deep dry needling therapy for the treatment of temporomandibular joint anterior disc displacement with reduction: (a randomized controlled trial)

Objectiveto compare the combined effect of Prolotherapy and Deep Dry Needling (DDN) versus DDN effect on relieving the symptoms of Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) anterior disc displacement.Patients and methodsThe clinical trial randomly allocated forty patients. The (control group) patients received four intraarticular and masseteric DDN sessions, while the (study group) patients were subjected to the exact technique followed by Prolosolution injection. The baseline preoperative measurements included Maximal interincisal opening (MIO), auscultation of the presence of clicking, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), which were repeated for postoperative measurements after one, two, five, and eight months.ResultsBy the end of the study, all patients expressed apparent improvement in pain MIO and clicking. The inter- and intragroup comparison revealed that the pain score values of the control group after five and eight months were significantly higher than those of the study group. The study group demonstrated more significant MIO calibration than the control group, with insignificant differences between both groups regarding the presence of clicking at any time interval. The associations between clicking and VAS values, between clicking and MIO, and between VAS values and increased MIO were positive in the test group and negative in the control group.ConclusionsDextrose Prolotherapy and DDN were beneficial. However, Prolotherapy demonstrated more significant, sustained, and correlated long-term alleviation of symptoms and increased MIO.Clinical relevanceThe study assesses the sole effect of dextrose prolotherapy on relieving the signs of TMJ anterior disc displacement apart from the impact of the penetrating needle.Clinical trial registrationThe study was registered on www.clinicaltrials.gov (#: NCT05821985) by Ahmed Nagi Alghandour.