Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ-OA) is a very painful disease that disrupts the patient's comfort of life. Arthrocentesis alone or in combination with intraarticular injections is highly effective in the treatment of TMJ-OA. It reduces pain, increases mouth opening, and improves jaw movements. In intra-articular injections, hyaluronic acid, platelet-rich plasma, corticosteroids, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are used. Tenoxicam is an NSAID that is used systemically or locally in joint diseases such as acute or chronic inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. It has been reported that its long-lasting analgesic effect and anti-inflammatory effect are higher in intra-articular administration than in oral and intravenous administrations , to our knowledge, there has been no such study analysing the effectiveness of intra-articular application of tenoxicam in patients with TMJ-OA. The aim of the study is to examine the effectiveness of arthrocentesis plus tenoxicam injection and to compare it with arthrocentesis alone in patients with TMJ-OA.~Thirty patients with TMJ-OA who were treated randomly with either arthrocentesis plus tenoxicam injection (TX group) or arthrocentesis alone (control group) were examined. Maximum mouth opening (MMO), visual analog scale (VAS) pain values, and joint sounds were the outcome variables, which were evaluated at pre-treatment and at 1, 4, 12, and 24 weeks after treatment.
The aim of the study is to examine the effectiveness of arthrocentesis plus tenoxicam injection and to compare it with arthrocentesis alone in patients with TMJ-OA.~Thirty patients with TMJ-OA who were treated randomly with either arthrocentesis plus tenoxicam injection (TX group) or arthrocentesis alone (control group) were examined. Maximum mouth opening (MMO), visual analog scale (VAS) pain values, and joint sounds were the outcome variables, which were evaluated at pre-treatment and at 1, 4, 12, and 24 weeks after treatment.