Topical Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Medications for Treatment of Temporomandibular Joint Degenerative Pain: A Systematic Review

Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) to relieve temporomandibular joint (TMJ) degenerative joint disease (DJD) pain. Methods: A search of the literature was made using electronic databases complemented with a manual search. Clinical trials comparing topical NSAID with either placebo or an alternative active treatment to treat TMJ DJD pain were identified. Outcomes evaluated were pain reduction/pain control and/or incidence of side effects. Results: A single study (double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial) with 20 patients was identified that evaluated the efficacy of a topically prepared NSAID over a 12-week duration, measuring functional pain intensity, voluntary and assisted mouth opening, pain disability index, and a brief pain inventory analysis. This study revealed a pain intensity decrease within treatment groups but no significant difference between treatment groups. Conclusion: Presently, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of topically applied NSAID medications to palliate TMJ DJD pain.

anti-inflammatories; osteoarthritis; systematic review; temporomandibular joint; topical nonsteroidal

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