The efficacy of appliance therapy in patients with temporomandibular disorders of mainly myogenous origin. A randomized, controlled, short-term trial.

AIMS To compare the short-term efficacy of treatment with a stabilization appliance compared with that of a non-occlusal, control appliance in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) of mainly myogenous origin. METHODS A randomized, controlled trial was performed with 60 patients suffering from myofascial pain. Patients were randomly assigned to a treatment or a control group. The treatment group was treated by means of a stabilization appliance and the control group by means of a non-occlusal appliance. Symptoms and signs were registered before and after 10 weeks of treatment. RESULTS Improvement of overall subjective symptoms was reported in both groups, but significantly more often in the treatment group than in the control group (P = .000). The prevalence of daily or constant pain showed a significant reduction in the treatment group (P = .028) compared with the control group. There was a significant decrease in the number of tender masticatory muscles in the treatment group (P = .018) compared with the control group. CONCLUSION The results of this short-term evaluation suggest that the stabilization appliance is more effective in alleviating symptoms and signs in patients with TMD of mainly myogenous origin than a control, non-occlusal appliance. The stabilization appliance can therefore be recommended for the therapy of these patients.