Effects of the Use of Occlusal Splint on the Postural Balance of Individuals With Temporomandibular Disorder
Condition: Temporomandibular Disorders
MeSH terms: Temporomandibular Joint Disorders; Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 3

Summary: 
      To investigate the effects of the use of occlusal splint over postural balance in individuals
      with signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorder. The research group consists of 49
      patients (36 getting occlusal splints and 13 as control group) between 18 and 75 years old,
      both genders, diagnosed as temporomandibular disorder (TMD) by RDC/TMD questionnaire and
      magnetic resonance imaging of the temporomandibular joints. The research is a randomized,
      controlled, prospective clinical study with intervention. Postural equilibrium will be
      evaluated by means of a force plate. In the randomization, the splinted group was under an
      occlusal-stability criterion as well as advised under therapeutic exercises while the control
      group got only orientation about therapeutic exercises. After 12 weeks, the groups were
      re-evaluated. The results will be analyzed by categorical data using absolute and relative
      frequencies as well as continuous data using average, median, standard deviation, 25 and 75
      percentiles, besides minimum and maximum values; comparison between the times by
      non-parametric Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney and ANOVA tests with a threshold of significance of
      0.05.
    

Detailed description: 
      approved 06/29/2011
    

Intervention name(s): occlusal plate; therapeutic exercises
Intervention type(s): Procedure; Procedure
Intervention description(s): In the plate group arm, the patients used the occlusal splints for all night plus 4 hours during the day and they made therapeutic exercises 15 repetitions 3 times a day.
The orientation for therapeutic exercises seek to correctly position the jaw in the resting position (maxillary teeth approximately 2mm away from the mandibular teeth and the tip of the tongue accommodated on top of the incisive papilla on the hard palate, beyond an exercise that consisted of repeated opening and closing movements paying close attention to the position of the tongue, the point of which being accommodated on the incisive papilla during the exercises. The patient was instructed to perform 15 repetitions 3 times a day.; The orientation for therapeutic exercises seek to correctly position the jaw in the resting position (maxillary teeth approximately 2mm away from the mandibular teeth and the tip of the tongue accommodated on top of the incisive papilla on the hard palate, beyond an exercise that consisted of repeated opening and closing movements paying close attention to the position of the tongue, the point of which being accommodated on the incisive papilla during the exercises. The patient was instructed to perform 15 repetitions 3 times a day.
Intervention MeSH terms: Salicylic Acid
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Postural balance; Temporomandibular disorders; splints