Treatment of chronic recurrent dislocation of the temporomandibular joint with injection of autologous blood alone, intermaxillary fixation alone, or both together: a prospective, randomised, controlled clinical trial

Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of autologous blood injection in the treatment of chronic recurrent dislocation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in a prospective randomised controlled clinical study. Forty-eight patients (11 men and 37 women) with chronic recurrent dislocation of the TMJ were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 equally sized groups. Patients in the first group were treated with injection of autologous blood (ABI) alone into the superior joint space and the pericapsular tissues. Those in the second group were treated with intramaxillary fixation (IMF) alone for 4 weeks, and those in the third group were treated with ABI and IMF for 4 weeks. Interincisal distance, digital panoramic radiograph, incidence of recurrent dislocation, and pain in the TMJ were assessed postoperatively at 2 weeks and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. The mean (SD) reduction in interincisal distance in the group treated with both techniques was 11.0 (1.9), which was significantly higher than in either the group treated with ABI, which was 8.5 (2.4) or IMF, which was 9.1 (2.1). The results in the ABI group and the IMF group did not differ significantly. The combined group showed the biggest decrease. The ABI alone group had the most recurrences (n = 8, which were treated by repeated injections with no recurrence after the third). The IMF alone group had only 3 and there were none in the combined group. We conclude that ABI is a simple and safe technique for the treatment of dislocation of the TMJ in the outpatient clinic. Recurrence can be overcome by multiple injections. However, the best clinical results are given by a combination of ABI and IMF.