To study the short-term effect of corticosteroid injection on temporomandibular joint structures.
Thirty-six female adult Wistar albino rats divided into three groups according to the number of corticosteroid injection, each group has two subgroups according to the time of scarification either after one week or two weeks after the last injection.
The most affected structure of the temporomandibular joint is condylar head and temporal bone, followed by hyaline cartilage and the fibrous layer. The articular disc and retro-discal tissue are the last structure to be affected with intra-articular corticosteroid injection. Single corticosteroid injection with the recommended dose is safe.
Single corticosteroid injection was safe with the return of joint structures to its normal cellular structure after two weeks. Double injection with six weeks apart resulted in irreversible damage to the components of the joint. Three injections with six weeks apart resulted in massive destruction to most of the temporomandibular joint structures.