Evaluation of the Effects of Polidocanol Injection in the Treatment of Temporomandibular Joint Hypermobility - A Prospective Study

INTRODUCTION: Sclerosing agents have been used for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) hypermobility since decades, some of which are ethanolamine oleate, and OK-432, sodium psylliate (sylnasol), but there are no studies on the usage of polidocanol – a well-known sclerosing agent which does not have much side effects and is inexpensive. Hence, this study evaluates the effect of polidocanol injection in the treatment of TMJ hypermobility. METHODOLOGY: This was a prospective observational study in which patients with chronic TMJ hypermobility were included. Out of the 44 patients who had symptoms of clicking and pain of the TMJ, 28 were diagnosed as internal derangement of the TMJ. The final analysis included 15 patients in whom multiple injections of polidocanol were given on the basis of post-operative parameters. The sample size was calculated based on a significance level of 0.05 and a power of 80%. RESULTS: Overall, a success rate of 86.6% (13/15) was encountered at the end of three months, with seven patients not reporting any further episodes of dislocation after one injection and six patients not reporting any episode of dislocation after two injections. DISCUSSION: Polidocanol sclerotherapy can be used as a treatment modality for chronic recurrent dislocation of the TMJ, rather than opting for more invasive procedures for the same.