Long-term efficacy of resilient appliance therapy in TMD pain patients: a randomised, controlled trial

• Published in: Journal of oral rehabilitation 2011-10, Vol.38 (10), p.713-721
• Main Authors: NILSSON, H., VALLON, D., EKBERG, E. C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Arthralgia - physiopathology; Arthralgia - psychology; Arthralgia - therapy; Dentistry; Depression - etiology; Depression - prevention & control; Facial Pain - physiopathology; Facial Pain - psychology; Facial Pain - therapy; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Headache - etiology; Headache - prevention & control; Humans; Jaw - physiopathology; Male; Occlusal Splints; orofacial pain; Orthodontic Appliance Design; Pain Measurement; randomised controlled trial; resilient appliance; temporomandibular disorders; Temporomandibular Joint - physiopathology; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders - physiopathology; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders - psychology; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders - therapy; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 0305-182X; 1365-2842; 1365-2842
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2842.2011.02210.x

Summary  The aim was to investigate long‐term efficacy of a resilient appliance in patients with pain due to temporomandibular disorders (TMD). A randomised, controlled trial was performed in 80 recruited TMD pain patients. They were randomly allocated to one of two groups: treatment with a resilient appliance or treatment with a hard, palatal, non‐occluding appliance. The primary treatment outcome was judged positive when patients’ characteristic pain intensity decreased by at least 30%. Additional treatment outcomes were physical functioning, emotional functioning and headache. At the 12‐month follow‐up 50% of the patients in the treatment group and 42% in the control group had a 30% reduction of characteristic pain intensity, when calculated in an intent‐to‐treat analysis. Jaw function improved in both groups at the 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐up. Emotional functioning improved in both groups at the 6‐month follow‐up; an improvement concerning grade of depression was found in the control group at 12 months. Headache decreased in both groups at both follow‐ups. There were no statistically significant differences found regarding primary and additional outcomes between groups at the 6‐ and 12‐months follow‐up. There was no statistically significant difference between the resilient appliance and the non‐occluding control appliance in reducing TMD pain, physical functioning, emotional functioning and headache in a 12 months perspective.