The clinical sign and symptom that characterize patients with acute internal temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, classically they arrived to the emergency room presenting severe limitation of mouth openning and joint pain. Arthrocentesis therapy is a well known, easy, low cost and quick procedure for pain relief and mouth opening improvement.

Objective : Evaluate the long-term outcome after TMJ arthrocentesis therapy for patients with internal TMJ derangement.

Material and methods : Arthrocentesis was performed to 87 of patients attending the service of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the West General Hospital in Caracas, Venezuela who had temporomandibular dysfunction associated with diminish mouth opening and acute pain, mouth opening improvement was quantified and pain relief using analogue visual pain scale(VAS) were records immediate.

Results : 85 patients (98%) had immediate postoperative improvement with respect to the mouth opening (>35 mm) and pain relief 0–3points that has remained in the control medium and long term, 2 patients (2%) had mouth opening <35 mm concomitant pain between 3 and 7 points on the VAS.

Conclusion : Arthrocentesis is a viable economical and simple technique which improves pathological conditions expressed in the inner joint disorders based on the change of internal articular environment and even in cases of disk displacement allowing repositioning.