Combining occlusal device therapy and laser acupuncture resulted in superior improvements in treating temporomandibular dysfunction, compared to these therapies used separately.
A total of 104 participants, diagnosed with temporomandibular dysfunction of muscular origin, were divided into three groups: those who received occlusal device treatment, those who received laser acupuncture, and those who received a combination of both. The study assessed parameters such as pain intensity, mandibular mobility and oral health-related quality of life, prior to treatment and then again at 0, 2, 4 and 12 weeks intervals.
In discussing the results, all three treatment methods showed reductions in self-reported pain and an increase in voluntary mouth opening over the course of 12 weeks. The group that received the combination treatment of occlusal device and laser acupuncture experienced less pain and demonstrated greater mouth opening than the group that only received the occlusal device. The combination group as well as the laser acupuncture group displayed significant improvements in pain reduction post-treatment. Overall, the combination treatment resulted in superior mouth opening responses and remarkably lower quality of life disruption scores at post-treatment evaluation, demonstrating its effectiveness over the isolated treatments.
