The Use of Earplugs on Temporomandibular Joint

Istanbul University120 enrolled

Overview

The term temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) refers to a group of disorders affecting the temporomandibular joint and/or muscles of mastication. Typical symptoms are; joint noises, pain, and limited mouth opening. Many therapeutic modalities have been advocated for the treatment of TMD as intraoral splints, laser, ultrasound, physical therapy, surgery, and medications with inconsistent reported results due to the multifactorial etiology of this disorder. Although intraoral splints are the most widely used therapy, it has some drawbacks as being inconvenient for the patient due to their relatively large size interferes with eating and affects speech, therefore their use is mostly limited to sleeping time, which decreases its effectiveness. Recently some commercial earplugs that claim to treat TMD have been introduced, however, there is no validated data regarding these appliances. Thus, this study aimss to evaluate the possible effect of earplugs on myogenous TMD.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

120

Conditions

Ear Protective Devices Temporomandibular Joint Disorders Physical Therapy Modalities

Interventions

EarplugDEVICE

Using earplugs to reduce the symptoms of temporomandibular disorder

occlusal splintDEVICE

Using occlusal splints to reduce the symptoms of temporomandibular disorder

exerciseOTHER

Applying exercise to reduce the symptoms of temporomandibular disorder

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 65 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Pain in masticatory muscles for at least 3 months according to the DC/TMD * Having a stable medication regimen for at least 1 month * Age of 18-65 years * Minimum pain intensity of 50 mm on a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS) * No concomitant systemic disease * Natural posterior occlusion. Exclusion Criteria: * Undergoing physical therapy * Using muscle relaxants and/or NSAIDs * Previous TMD treatment more recently than one year * Major psychosocial problems * Undergoing orthodontic treatment * Wearing removable prosthesis * Pregnancy * History of facial trauma.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Values of maximal mouth opening(millimeter)

Evaluating mouth opening by using digital caliper

Time frame: 2 months

Secondary Outcomes

Pain perception

Evaluating pain perception of the patients by using visual analogue scale and measuring pain response with self-evaluation and reporting (Minimum value: 0; maximum value:10)