Evaluation of the effect of different kinds of treatment modalities for temporomandibular joint pain and its relevance to chronic cervical pain: A randomized controlled trial.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different treatment modalities for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain and their relevance to chronic cervical pain after 12 months.

Settings and design: This was a randomized controlled trial.

Materials and methods: Forty-eight participants with chronic cervical and TMJ pain were selected using research diagnostic criteria and randomized into four groups (n = 12), which included control, soft splints, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and low-level laser (LLL). The cervical and TMJ pain was recorded using visual analog scale (VAS) scores at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. Occlusal equilibration was done for all groups except for the control.

Statistical analysis used: The mean pain scores were statistically analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and posthoc test.

Results: The mean VAS scores in TMJ pain patients between the four groups at baseline and at final follow-up were 7.27 ± 1.29 in Group 1, 7.53 ± 0.70 in Group 2, 7.76 ± 0.80 in Group 3, and 7.61 ± 0.61 in Group 4. The mean difference between Groups 1 and 3, Groups 1 and 4, and Groups 2 and 3 was statistically significant (P < 0.00). Pearson correlation test yielded a mild and negative correlation between TMJ and cervical pain.

Conclusion: TENS and LLL were found to be equally effective in reducing pain in the jaw joint region, followed by soft splints, and there was no correlation between TMJ and cervical pain.