Effectiveness of a Mandibular Exercise Program in Temporomandibular Disorders Patients

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of a mandibular exercise program in the treatment of patients complaining of temporomandibular disorders (TMD).
Methods: The study design consisted of a blind, randomized, parallel-group controlled trial conducted with patients diagnosed with TMD at the Dental Prosthetic Service of the Federal University of Ceará, Brazil. Nineteen eligible patients were randomly allocated into two groups: G1 (experimental group), submitted to a supervised program of mandibular exercises, and G2 (control group), treated with counseling and occlusal splint. Various parameters according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria of TMD (RDC/TMD) such as muscular and articular pain, buccal opening degree with and without interference, presence of joint noise, lateral and protrusive excursions were evaluated by a blind operator before and after 3 months of treatment. Data were statistically analyzed by Mann-Whitney test and the significance level was set at p<0.05.
Results: In each group, all parameters showed a decrease in the symptom intensity; however, a non-statistically significant difference was observed (p>0.05). Comparing both treatments, the experimental group showed a higher decrease of pain in the left posterior mandibular region (p=0.043).
Conclusions: Based on the conditions of this study, the results suggest that the mandibular exercise program has efficiency similar to the conventional treatment in patients with TMD.