Immediate changes in temporomandibular joint opening and pain following vibration therapy: a feasibility pilot study.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the scientific and process feasibility in an effort to direct future larger trials. METHODS Scientific Feasibility: Twelve subjects were randomly allocated to an intervention and a control group. The intervention protocol consisted of intraoral vibration therapy on the muscles of mastication bilaterally for a period of 1 minute per muscle. Process Feasibility: Several feasibility outcomes were examined including recruitment and retention rates and consent. RESULTS Scientific Feasibility: Large effect sizes were generated for both mouth opening and VAS in favour of the intervention group. Process Feasibility: a recruitment ratio of 2.3 respondents to 1 participant was determined, along with a retention to loss ratio of 13:1 and a consent to loss ratio of 12:0. CONCLUSION Scientific Feasibility: The scientific results should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample sizes employed. The study seems to support the scientific feasibility of a future larger single treatment trial. Process Feasibility: Recruitment and retention rates and ratios seem to support future studies. Utilizing the feasibility results of the current study to direct a future larger multiple treatment trial consistent with other comparable TMD studies however is limited.