Auriculotemporal Nerve Block in TMJ Disorders

Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Temporomandibular Joint Disorders; Arthralgia of TMJ

Treatments: Procedure: local anaesthetic injection

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04827784

GaziosmanpasaU2

Details and patient eligibility

About

The retrospective study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Auriculotemporal Nerve Block (ATNB) in achieving unrestricted mouth opening amount and in reducing the pain scores in those patients diagnosed with disc displacement with (DDWR) and without reduction (DDWOR) according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders, who could not benefit from noninvasive methods but did not want further invasion.

Full description

The records of 410 patients referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery with TMD symptoms were reviewed to determine the treatment modalities used and their outcomes. The subjects were examined and diagnosed according to the Turkish translation version of The Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD-Axis 1 questionnaire and examination form). The pain intensity, maximal mouth opening (MMO) amounts, and self-reported outcome variables of twenty-two patients who underwent non-invasive therapies (occlusal stabilization splints, behavioral modifications, physical therapy, pharmacotherapy) but did not benefit from them and volunteered for the ATNB instead of invasive therapies (arthrocentesis, arthroscopy, and discectomy) were also evaluated. Prior to the ATNB, written informed consent was obtained from each participant. Also, each participant was warned about complications of the ATNB before the administration, such as hematoma at the injection site, positive aspiration, and temporary anesthesia of the facial nerve.

Enrollment: 22 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Underwent non-invasive therapies (occlusal stabilization splints, behavioral modifications, physical therapy, pharmacotherapy) but did not benefit from them and volunteered for the ATNB instead of invasive therapies (arthrocentesis, arthroscopy, and discectomy).

Exclusion criteria

Patients with

• Symptoms of the diseases possibly related to TMD (e.g., fibromyalgia, hypothyroidism, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis)
• Orofacial disorders that might have been responsible for the TMD symptoms (e.g., neuralgia, migraine, myositis, trauma, neuropathic pain, infections)
• Complications due to ATNB (e.g., temporary facial nerve palsy, hematoma, positive aspiration)
• History of invasive therapies or TMJ surgeries

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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22 participants in 1 patient group

Auriculotemporal Nerve Block Administration

Experimental group

Description:

A total of 3 doses of Auriculotemporal Nerve Block (ATNB) were administered to involved participants. Local anesthetic solutions containing Articaine Hydrochloride (80 mg / 2 ml) and epinephrine bitartrate (0.02 mg / 2 ml) were used for ATNB application. The injections were repeated on follow-up visits in the first and fourth weeks. The maximal mouth opening amounts, pain intensity values (via VAS scale), and self-reported outcomes were evaluated at the pre-injection, first week, fourth week, and sixth-month follow-up controls.

Treatment:

Procedure: local anaesthetic injection