Hyaluronate injections may be better than corticosteroid injections for jaw osteoarthritis

Corticosteroid and hyaluronate injections both benefit people with temporomandibular (jaw) joint osteoarthritis but a new review suggests that the latter might be the better alternative. Reporting their findings in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, experts reviewed the evidence on the effects of corticosteroids on jaw osteoarthritis compared with hyaluronate injections or placebo.

“Corticosteroid injections after arthrocentesis [joint aspiration] were superior to placebo in relieving pain… in the long term but was inferior in increasing maximal mouth opening,” they report. “Although corticosteroid and hyaluronate injections without arthrocentesis decreased pain and improved maximal mouth opening, the corticosteroid group had a significantly lower success rate than the hyaluronate group in the short term.

“Corticosteroid injections after arthrocentesis are recommended for patients with [jaw osteoarthritis] to relieve joint pain rather than increase maximal mouth opening. Corticosteroid and hyaluronate have marked effectiveness on [jaw osteoarthritis]; however, hyaluronate might be the better alternative to some extent.”

Click here to read the original research.

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