Temporomandibular disorders and the use of traditional and laser acupuncture: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate current studies to establish and compare the efficacy of traditional and laser acupuncture in reducing the signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). METHODS: PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched. Clinical, controlled, and randomized trials written in English and having used traditional or laser acupuncture as therapy for TMD and RDC/TMD or DC/TMD as a diagnostic criterion for TMD were included. RESULTS: Six studies that evaluated the intensity of pain and the level of mouth opening of the patients submitted to acupuncture were selected, and all showed improvement. However, similar results were also observed in the groups treated with occlusal splint and placebo acupuncture. Only one study evaluated laser acupuncture and showed a higher proportion of patients with remission of symptoms in the experimental group. CONCLUSION: The traditional acupuncture seems to relieve the signs and symptoms of TMD, as well as laser acupuncture when associated with occlusal splint. However, more rigorous and high-quality clinical trials are needed.

Short-Term Effect of Scalp Acupuncture on Pain, Sleep Disorders, and Quality of Life in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders: A A Randomized Clinical Trial.

OBJETIVE: To evaluate the effects of Chinese scalp acupuncture in patients diagnosed with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) on pain, sleep, and quality of life (QOL), and compare these results with the results from traditional therapies. METHODS: Sixty patients diagnosed with TMD using the research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (RDC/TMD) were allocated into four treatment groups: counseling (C = 15), occlusal splint (OS = 15), scalp acupuncture (SA = 15), and manual therapy (MT = 15). Participants were re-evaluated within 1 month. Three questionnaires were used to access sleep disorders, QOL, and pain: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-bref), and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), respectively. The data obtained were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science program (SPSS 22.0). RESULTS: The SA group significantly improved pain (P = .015), as well as the OS (P = .01) and MT groups (P = .014). Only the OS (P = .002) and MT (P = .029) groups improved sleep. MT group significantly improved QOL in terms of the physical domain of the WHOQOL-bref (P = .011) and the OS group in the psychological domain (P = .012). CONCLUSIONS: The scalp acupuncture proved to be another alternative for pain relief in patients with TMD, demonstrating positive results in the short term. However, it was not as effective in improving quality of life and sleep.

Manual Therapy in the Treatment of Myofascial Pain Related to Temporomandibular Disorders: A Systematic Review.

AIMS: To evaluate the effectiveness of manual therapy in the treatment of myofascial pain related to temporomandibular disorders. METHODS: Randomized clinical trials were searched in the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, LILACS, and SciELO databases using the following keywords: temporomandibular joint disorders; craniomandibular disorders; myofascial pain syndromes; myofascial pain; exercise therapy; myofunctional therapy; physical therapy modalities; clinical trial; prospective studies; and longitudinal studies. Studies using the RDC/TMD and manual therapy for myofascial pain were included. All studies were evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. RESULTS: Five studies were included in the present review. Of 279 total patients, 156 were treated with manual therapy only or manual therapy with counseling. Manual therapy was efficient for pain relief in all studies evaluated; however, manual therapy was not better than counseling or botulinum toxin. CONCLUSION: Manual therapy was better than no treatment in one study and better than counseling in another study; however, manual therapy combined with counseling was not statistically better than counseling alone, and manual therapy alone was not better than botulinum toxin. Manual therapy combined with home therapy was better than home therapy alone in one study. Further studies are required due to the inconclusive data and poor homogeneity found in this review.

Acupuncture in Temporomandibular Disorder Myofascial Pain Treatment: A Systematic Review.

AIMS: To carry out a systematic review of clinical trials published up to 2015 to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating myofascial pain in temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients. METHODS: The databases used were the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science; the dates of the articles surveyed ranged from 1990 to May 2015. The inclusion criteria were: (1) publications in English, Portuguese, or Spanish; (2) controlled clinical trials; (3) patients with TMD of muscular origin; and (4) studies that used acupuncture or laser acupuncture only for treatment. Reference lists of the included articles were hand searched. RESULTS: A total of four randomized clinical trials using acupuncture (traditional, trigger point, and laser) for TMD treatment met the eligibility criteria and were included. Although the studies featured small sample sizes and short-term follow-up periods, acupuncture yielded results similar to those observed in groups treated with occlusal splints and were significantly superior than those obtained from placebo acupuncture-treated groups. CONCLUSION: Despite the weak scientific evidence supporting its efficacy, acupuncture treatment appears to relieve the signs and symptoms of pain in myofascial TMD. More controlled and randomized clinical trials with larger sample sizes are needed in this field of research to verify these initial findings.

Effect of Watsu therapy on psychological aspects and quality of life of patients with temporomandibular disorder: case report / Efeito da terapia Watsu sobre os aspectos psicológicos e a qualidade de vida em pacientes com disfunções temporo-mandibulares: relato de caso

Watsu therapy is a water relaxation intervention technique performed individually in a warm pool with music and peaceful settings involving harmonious rotational movements, stretching, tractions on the joints and pressures at the points of muscle tension. This study evaluated the effect of Watsu therapy on psychological aspects (anxiety and minor psychiatric disorders) and on the quality of life of a patient with temporomandibular disorders. The patient answered three questionnaires: STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and GHQ (Goldberg Health Questionnaire) to assess anxiety and psychiatric disorders respectively, and WHOQOL- Brief (World Health Organization Quality of Life) to assess quality of life. Watsu therapy has been used in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) such as myofascial pain diagnosed by RDC/TMD (Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders). Psychological aspects and quality of life were assessed before and after Watsu therapy. The results after treatment showed relevant and significant improvement on all indices evaluated. Therefore, it was shown that Watsu therapy was effective in reducing anxiety and minor psychiatric disorders, as well as improved quality of life of patients with temporomandibular disorder.

A terapia Watsu é uma técnica de terapia aquática para relaxamento realizada individualmente em piscina aquecida com música em ambiente tranquilo e harmonioso, envolvendo movimentos rotacionais, alongamento, trações nas articulações e pressões em pontos de tensão muscular. Este estudo avaliou o efeito da terapia Watsu nos aspectos psicológicos (ansiedade e distúrbios psiquiátricos menores) e a qualidade de vida de uma paciente com disfunção temporo-mandibular. A paciente respondeu a três questionários: Inventário de Ansiedade - Resumido - Estado e Questionário de Saúde Geral para avaliar ansiedade e distúrbios psiquiátricos menores, respectivamente e; o Questionário de Qualidade de Vida da Organização Mundial de Saúde. A terapia Watsu foi usada em paciente com disfunção temporo-mandibular, como dor miofascial diagnosticada pelos Critérios de diagnóstico em pesquisa para Disfunção Temporo-mandibular. Os aspectos psicológicos e qualidade de vida foram avaliados antes e após a terapia Watsu. Os resultados após o tratamento mostraram melhora relevante e significativa em todos os índices avaliados. Portanto, pode-se concluir que a terapia Watsu foi eficaz na redução de ansiedade e distúrbios psiquiátricos menores, bem como melhora da qualidade de vida em paciente com disfunção temporo-mandibular.

Recursos fisioterápicos disponíveis para o tratamento das difunções temporomandibulares / Physiotherapeutic resources available to the treatment of temporomandibular dysfunctions

A Disfunção Temporomandibular (DTM) inclui qualquer desarmonia das articulações temporomandibulares, dos músculos do aparelho estomatognático e dos suprimentos vascular e nervoso destes tecidos. Estas disfunções são caracterizadas por dor nos músculos da mastigação, da cabeça e do pescoço, dor nas articulações, limitação dos movimentos mandibulares, ruídos articulares e deformidades faciais. Tais disfunções apresentam uma etiologia multifatorial. Este caráter multifatorial pode, por vezes, dificultar tanto o seu diagnóstico quanto o seu tratamento, devendo o profissional estar atento e ciente dos recursos disponíveis para o tratamento destas disfunções. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo abordar os recursos fisioterápicos, tais como agentes térmicos, ultra-som e estimulador elétrico transcutâneo do nervo (TENS), disponível para a aplicação como adjuvantes no tratamento das disfunções temporomandibulares