Efficiency of Glucosamine in Treating Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis: A Meta-Analytic Umbrella Review

Background Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ OA) is a chronic disease that is a consequence of undue occlusal forces and is characterized by irreversible damage to the articular surfaces. Symptomatic slow-acting so-called nutraceutical drugs have been proposed as a treatment for osteoarthritis in comparison to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Oral glucosamine and chondroitin, slow-acting drugs, have been found to reduce pain and increase mouth opening in patients with TMJ OA. However, there is limited scientific evidence to confirm their clinical effectiveness.Aim This systematic review was conducted to bolster the evidence supporting the assessment of the efficacy of glucosamine in the context of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ OA).Methodology This review identified four review articles from databases like Medline (via PubMed), Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE till September 2023 after screening at the title, abstract, and full-text level. They were assessed for risk of bias with the JBI risk of bias assessment tool.Results This review with meta-analysis focused on pooled estimate mean differences, revealing non-significant but discernible effects of glucosamine on maximum mouth opening (SMD = 0.288, p = 0.15) and pain reduction (SMD = 0.217, p = 0.476) in TMJ-related disorders.Conclusion Compared to control groups with ibuprofen and tramadol, glucosamine showed slightly more favourable outcomes. However, the variability in methodology and study characteristics warrants further longitudinal studies to confirm its efficacy.