Randomized trial evaluates pain levels and osteoarthritis severity in a rat model, indicating potential diagnostic value.
Key Points
This research aimed to explore the relationship between pain levels and the severity of osteoarthritis using the Mankin scale in a rat model.
Induction of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis in 99 male Wistar rats using intra-articular chemical injections.
Pain levels assessed via head withdrawal threshold tests at specified intervals over 30 days, alongside FDG PET imaging on day 30.
Histological evaluation of osteoarthritis severity conducted using the Mankin scale after sacrificing the rats.
Head withdrawal threshold values were lower in the left TMJ compared to the right (p = 0.0001).
Mankin scores were significantly higher in the left TMJ (p = 0.0001), indicating greater severity of osteoarthritis.
A weak correlation was found between left head withdrawal threshold and left Mankin score (p = 0.007), suggesting that higher pain is linked to greater histological severity.