Efficacy of Occlusal Splints and Low-Level Laser Therapy on the Mandibular Range of Motion in Subjects with Temporomandibular Joint Disc Displacement with Reduction.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The study was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of four conservative therapeutic modalities on the mandibular range of motion (MRM) in subjects with anterior disc displacement with reduction (ADDwR) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

One hundred patients (64 women and 36 men) were selected, and randomly distributed into four groups. Group I: Subjects receiving behavioral therapy (BT). Group II: Subjects receiving low-level laser therapy (LLLT). Group III: Subjects receiving maxillary anterior repositioning splint (MARS). Group IV: Subjects receiving stabilization splint (SS). The MRM was evaluated for each patient before treatment and after 6 months. Paired test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were used for statistical analysis followed by a Tukey test ( ≤ 0.05).

RESULTS

All groups showed significant improvement in MRM after 6 months of treatment ( ≤ 0.05) except for BT. There was a significant improvement for SS and MARS on the different movements of MRM, more than for LLLT and BT ( ≤ 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The MARS and the SS are effective in increasing the MRM for patients with ADDwR.