Comparative evaluation of clinical performance of different kind of occlusal splint in management of myofascial pain

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of hard, liquid, and soft splints in the management of myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome.

Materials and methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 45 patients with myofascial pain were diagnosed and were randomly assigned into three groups of 15 patients each. Group 1 - subjects were given hard splint, Group 2 - soft splint, and Group 3 - liquid oral splint for 3 months. Subjective pain analysis using Modified Symptom Severity Index (Mod-SSI) and objective pain analysis muscle palpation was performed at 7 days, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months after splint insertion. The changes in mean pain value by both methods, in all three groups, were analyzed with Tukey test and Kruskal-Wallis H-test, respectively (P < 0.05).

Results: Both Mod-SSI and palpation scores showed statistically significant reduction in pain for all three groups at the end of 3 months. However, the hard splints proved to be very effective in a shorter period of time, followed by liquid splints and finally soft splints.

Conclusion: The result of this study advocates the use of any one of the three types of the occlusal splints in the therapeutic management of myofascial pain due to temporomandibular disorders.

Keywords: Myofascial pain; occlusal splints; temporomandibular disorders.

Figure 1

Hard splint inserted in patient's mouth

Figure 2

Soft splint inserted in patient's mouth

Figure 3

Liquid supported splint inserted in patient's mouth

Figure 4

Mean of Modified Symptom Severity Index scores at each intervals for all three groups

Figure 5

Mean of Digital Palpation scores of all muscles at each intervals for all three groups