Cost‐Effectiveness of Hominis Placenta Therapy for Chronic Temporomandibular Disorder: An Economic Evaluation Alongside a Pragmatic Randomised Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT Background Hominis placenta (HP) exhibits anti‐inflammatory, antiviral and nerve growth‐promoting properties; however, there are limited studies about HP therapy in the treatment of temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Objective To evaluate the cost‐effectiveness of HP therapy with that of physical therapy (PT) in patients with TMD. Methods This cost‐effectiveness analysis was conducted alongside a 26‐week multicentre pragmatic randomised controlled trial (RCT). Eighty‐two patients with chronic TMD were randomly assigned to the HP and PT groups at a ratio of 1:1. Patients with a visual analogue scale (VAS) score of ≥ 40 mm for temporomandibular joint pain and persistent pain for ≥ 3 months were included. The primary economic endpoint was the incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio, which analysed the cost per quality‐adjusted life years (QALYs) gained in the HP group. QALYs were calculated using EuroQol‐5D (EQ‐5D) and Short‐Form 6D (SF‐6D). The primary and secondary analyses were conducted from societal and healthcare perspectives. Results HP therapy was the dominant treatment option from a societal perspective owing to its higher QALY and lower cost compared with those of PT. Differences in QALYs calculated using EQ‐5D and SF‐6D between the two groups were 0.015 and 0.034, respectively, while those in cost from societal perspectives and healthcare perspectives were −3764 and 113 USD, respectively. Analysis from a healthcare perspective indicated that the incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio calculated using the EQ‐5D and SF‐6D was 7786 and 3338 USD, respectively. Conclusion HP therapy is a more cost‐effective therapeutic option than PT for patients with chronic TMD. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04087005; Clinical Research Information Service KCT0004437