Objective: Occlusal splints are commonly used in the management of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders (TMD). However, it is unclear if it should be used after a second-line therapy like arthrocentesis. We systematically reviewed the evidence on the efficacy of post-arthrocentesis splint therapy in the management of TMD.
Methods: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CENTRAL, and Google Scholar were searched for studies published until 5th August 2024. The outcomes assessed were pain and maximal mouth opening (MMO).
Results: Eight studies were included. Five studies reported data for the meta-analysis. The pooled analysis found that there was no statistically significant difference in pain scores in the arthrocentesis + splint group vs arthrocentesis group at 1 month (MD: -0.01 95% CI: -0.46, 0.44), 3 months (MD: -0.02 95% CI: -0.67, 0.63) and 6 months (MD: 0.06 95% CI: -0.25, 0.37). The pooled analysis also showed that splint therapy after arthrocentesis may not significantly improve MMO as compared to no splint therapy at 1 month (MD: 0.08 95% CI: -2.11, 2.27), 3 months (MD: 0.76 95% CI: -0.84, 2.35) and 6 months (MD: 0.56 95% CI: -0.65, 1.78). Descriptive analysis of three studies showed that two supported the use of splints while one found no added improvement in outcomes.
Conclusions: Limited evidence from low-quality studies shows that the use of splint therapy after arthrocentesis may not improve pain and MMO in patients with TMD. High-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to improve evidence.