Pain Assessment during Gnathological Treatment of Temporomandibular Myofascial Pain through Mandibular Repositioning Splints Designed after a Posture-Stabilometric Evaluation

Abstract

The aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of two complementary mandibular repositioning splints (SVED and MORA) designed after a preliminary patients’ posture-stabilometric evaluation in treatment for temporomandibular myofascial pain (TMP) using the Pain-Intensity Numeric Rating Scale (PI-NRS) assessment. Eighty-six consecutive sportive non-agonistic subjects with TMP were randomly divided in two groups. Forty-two wear mandibular repositioning splints designed by a posture-stabilometric evaluation, thus constituting the test group. The other 44 subjects were not subjected to any treatment, thus represented the control group. To record pain intensity, subjects in both groups were asked to fill in a PI-NRS which ranged from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). In the test group, PI-NRS was assessed three times: before starting therapy (t0), after 4 months (t1) and after 8 months (t2) of treatment. Instead, in the control group PI-NRS was recorded during the first visit (t0) and after 8 months (t2). The Friedman test showed a statistically significant decrease in PI-NRS mean scores after 4 (t1) and 8 (t2) months from the start of the gnathological therapy with mandibular repositioning splints, (p < 0.001) in test group. There is enough evidence to assess that occlusal splint therapy for mandibular repositioning (MORA and SVED) designed through a posture-stabilometric evaluation could be considered in the treatment of temporomandibular myofascial pain.