Effect of mesenchymal stem cells on the regeneration of structures associated with temporomandibular joint: narrative review

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Temporomandibular disorders are the problems involving the masticatory muscles and/or the temporomandibular joint and, among them, the bone and joint disc degenerative processes stand out. However, an effective treatment for these cases has not yet been identified in the literature. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to evaluate the reparative potential of mesenchymal stem cells on degenerative changes in structures associated with the temporomandibular joint in humans and animal models.

CONTENTS:

This narrative review included intervention trials in humans and animals that presented as an outcome variable the repair of joint discs and/or temporomandibular joint. The following databases were used: Pubmed, LILACS, Scielo and Google Scholar. Titles and abstracts were analyzed for the pre-selection of articles potentially eligible for inclusion in this review. The information collected from each article was included in a specific spreadsheet for this purpose containing the year of publication, article title, author’s name, study location, type of study, methodology, results, and conclusions. Two human studies and four animal studies were selected to compose the narrative review. In all studies presented, the presence of stem cells was able to improve the clinical, histological, and morphological parameters of the temporomandibular joint.

CONCLUSION:

The use of stem cells seems to be effective in treating degenerative changes in temporomandibular joint associated structures in both animal and human models. However, due to the small number of studies and their heterogeneity, the results presented should be evaluated sparingly.

Keywords:
Stem cells; Temporomandibular joint disc; Temporomandibular joint disorders