Treatment outcome of appliance therapy in temporomandibular disorder patients with myofascial pain after 6 and 12 months

Aim: To compare the long‐term effect of treatment with a stabilization appliance (group T) and treatment with a control appliance (group C) in temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients with myofascial pain. Methods: In this controlled trial, 60 patients (mean age 29 years) with myofascial pain were evaluated after 10 weeks of treatment with either a stabilization appliance or a control appliance. All 60 patients were then assigned to 1 of 3 groups according to demand for treatment. Seventeen patients from group C requested another appliance and were given a stabilization appliance, thus creating a mixed group (group M). Results: A significant difference in improvement of overall subjective symptoms in an intent‐to‐treat analysis between groups T and C was found at the follow‐ups. In a survival analysis of treatment compliance, a significant difference was found between groups T and C. At the 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐ups, a significant reduction in myofascial pain, as measured on a visual analog scale, was found in all three groups. A significant decrease in frequency and intensity of myofascial pain was found in group T at the follow‐ups. A significant decrease in number of tender sites on the masticatory muscles was found in group T at the follow‐ups. Conclusion: The results support the conclusion that the positive treatment outcome obtained by use of a stabilization appliance to alleviate the signs and symptoms in patients with myofascial pain persisted after 6 and 12 months. Most patients in groups T and M reported positive changes in overall subjective symptoms in this trial. We therefore recommend use of the stabilization appliance in the treatment of TMD patients with myofascial pain.