Abstract
Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are primarily characterized by pain as well as disorders concerning the proper functioning of individual elements of the stomatognathic system (SS). The aim of the study was to compare the degree of relaxation of the anterior part of the temporal muscles and the masseter muscles, achieved through the use of post-isometric relaxation and myofascial release methods in patients requiring prosthetic treatment due to temporomandibular joint disorders with a dominant muscular component. Sixty patients who met the inclusion criteria were alternately assigned to one of the two study groups, either group I—patients received post-isometric relaxation treatment (PIR), or group II—patients received myofascial release treatment (MR). The series of ten treatments were performed in both groups. The comparative assessment was based on physiotherapeutic examination, a surface electromyography (sEMG) of the anterior temporal and masseter muscles and the intensity of spontaneous masticatory muscle pain, assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). We observed a significant decrease in the electrical activity of examined muscles and a significant drop in the intensity of spontaneous pain in the masticatory muscles both in group I and II. There were no significant differences between groups. Both therapeutic methods may be used as successful forms of adjunctive therapy in the prosthetic treatment of TMD. The trial was registered with an international clinical trials register.
Highlights
Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) have recently become one of the most common dental diseases, and at the same time constitute a serious social problem
Before the therapy there was found to be no difference between the groups in the distribution of sex, age, electromyographic tension of the anterior part of the temporal and masseter muscles, and the intensity of spontaneous pain in the masticatory muscles (Table 1)
In both group I and group II, significantly higher values of the intensity of spontaneous pain in the masticatory muscles were declared by the participants of the study for measurement 1, compared to measurement 2 and measurement 3 (Table 6)
Summary
Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) have recently become one of the most common dental diseases, and at the same time constitute a serious social problem. Epidemiological data indicate that approximately 40–60% of the population has at least one symptom of stomatognathic system (SS) dysfunction [1] This high prevalence is related to its multidimensional etiology [1,2,3,4,5], diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties [6], and the lack of knowledge even among dentist on TMD management [7].TMD are primarily characterized by pain in the pre-aural area as well as disorders concerning the proper functioning of particular elements of the SS.
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