The present study was designed to evaluate different conservative therapies in patients with temporomandibular disorders. A total of 160 patients will be selected after the diagnosis of TMD according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorder (DC/TMD), axis I. Patients will be randomly divided into five groups: OD group (n=32): treated with an occlusal device; LLLT group (n=32): treated with infrared low-level laser; ODL group (n=32): treated with OD + LLLT; LAT group (n=32): treated with laser acupuncture and ODLAT group (n=32): treated with both OD and LAT. Patients undergoing therapy with a stabilizing plate (made using the simplified technique) will be instructed to use the device every night while sleeping for four weeks. In both the LLLT and LAT groups, the protocol involved five applications: one at baseline, followed by four subsequent weekly sessions. The intensity of pain will be classified using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Mandible function will be assessed by maximum unassisted mouth opening. The impact of therapies on oral health will also be evaluated using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) instrument in a simplified form.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
160
Occlusion Splint
Laser Therapy
Acupuncture Laser Therapy
Universidade Federal de Alfenas
Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Pain in the Temporomandibular Joint and/or masticatory muscles
The visual analog scale (VAS) will be used to quantify spontaneous pain in the Temporomandibular Joint and/or masticatory muscles at rest or during palpation. The VAS is a line (ruler) 10 cm long, with a left end point indicating a pain-free state and a right end point indicating the greatest imaginable pain.
Time frame: Change from baseline pain at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 12 weeks.
Mouth opening
Pain-free opening is defined as the maximum amount a patient can achieve when opening their mouth without experiencing pain and will be measured as the distance between the incisal edges of the upper and lower central incisors. Maximum unassisted mouth opening will be measured as the distance between the upper and lower central incisors and defined as the greatest amount of opening a patient can achieve regardless of pain and discomfort.
Time frame: Change from baseline mouth opening at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 12 weeks.
Oral Health Impact Profile
The impact of oral health-related quality of life will be analyzed using the Oral Health Impact Profile - Short form (OHIP-14) questionnaire.
Time frame: Change from baseline Oral Health Impact Profile at 0, 5 and 12 weeks.
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