Intra-Articular PRP Versus Dexamethasone for TMJ Internal Derangement

This was a prospective, parallel‐group, three‐arm randomised controlled trial conductedat the outpatient clinics of the Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery Division, College ofDentistry, University of Anbar, Ramadi, Iraq. Thirty temporomandibular joints (30patients) with clinically diagnosed disc displacement with reduction, per DC/TMD Axis Icriteria, were randomised 1:1:1 by an independent statistician using a computer‐generatedsequence, with allocation concealed via sequentially numbered opaque envelopes. Theoutcome assessor was blinded to treatment allocation throughout follow‐up. Patients inthe dexamethasone and saline arms were not informed of their specific assignment; fullblinding was not feasible for the PRP arm due to the visible blood draw and processingrequired. All three injections used an identical preauricular approach, injection site,needle gauge, and volume (1 mL) to standardise the procedural experience across groups.Within‐ and between‐group differences were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed‐rank testand Kruskal‐Wallis test with Dunn post‐hoc comparisons. This trial was registeredretrospectively after enrolment and follow‐up were complete.