Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34287722›Full record

ArticleClinical rheumatology2021

Corticosteroid injections in the temporomandibular joint temporarily alleviate pain and improve function in rheumatoid arthritis.

Johanna Margaretha Kroese, Sigvard Kopp, Frank Lobbezoo, Per Alstergren

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical rheumatology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Johanna Margaretha KroeseDepartment of Orofacial Pain and Dysfunction, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Gustav Mahlerlaan 3004, 1081 LA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. j.m.kroese@acta.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2288-6450
Sigvard KoppKarolinska Institutet, Department of Dental Medicine, Section for Orofacial Pain and Jaw Function, Huddinge, Sweden.
Frank LobbezooDepartment of Orofacial Pain and Dysfunction, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Gustav Mahlerlaan 3004, 1081 LA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9877-7640
Per AlstergrenScandinavian Center for Orofacial Neurosciences (SCON), Malmö, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8539-7742
Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam · NLKarolinska Institutet · SEMalmö University · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo evaluate the effect of corticosteroid injections in the painful temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in relation to systemic inflammatory activity.

methodExamination of 35 patients (median age 54 years; 89% female) included maximum mouth opening capacity, degree of anterior open bite (AOB), TMJ pain intensity at rest, and crepitus. Serum levels of rheumatoid factor (RF), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), serotonin, and plasma levels of interleukine-1β (IL-1β) were determined. Out of the 70 examined joints, 53 joints received a corticosteroid (methylprednisolone) injection after the clinical examination at baseline (T0). The examination was repeated for all patients at T1 (median 3.1 weeks after T0), and for 21 patients at T2 (median 6.3 weeks after T1), of whom 20 patients received a second injection at T1.

resultsMaximum mouth opening capacity significantly increased, and TMJ pain intensity significantly decreased between T0 and T1, but these improvements were no longer present at T2. No differences were found in AOB between the time points. Of the joints that received an injection at T0, 19 joints had pretreatment crepitus, which resolved in eight joints at T1. No correlations were found between the change in mouth opening capacity or TMJ pain intensity and ESR, CRP, serotonin, or IL-1β.

conclusionsMethylprednisolone injections in the TMJ alleviate pain and improve mouth opening capacity for approximately 3 weeks, allowing patients to perform jaw exercises during this timeframe of temporary relief. It thus seems useful for the short-term management of TMJ involvement in RA. Key Points • In rheumatoid arthritis, corticosteroid injection in the temporomandibular joint alleviates pain and improves function. • The clinical improvement achieved with methylprednisolone injections lasts for approximately 3 weeks. • Corticosteroid injections could be used to facilitate and support additional noninvasive, conservative treatment options.

Indexed as

Arthritis, RheumatoidTemporomandibular Joint DisordersAdrenal Cortex HormonesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPainPain ManagementTemporomandibular JointAdrenal Cortex HormonesCorticosteroid injectionPainRheumatoid arthritisTemporomandibular joint

Identifiers

PMID34287722
PMCPMC8599240
OpenAlexW3184120201

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.