Can Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy Be Effective in Temporomandibular Joint Disease
Condition: Temporomandibular Joint Disc Displacement, With Reduction; Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy
MeSH terms: Shock
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Extracorporeal Shock Wave
      Therapy (ESWT) in patients with Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) with Reduced Disc Displacement,
      by comparing it with standard treatment.

      Scientific Basis and Validity of Medical Research: Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMR)
      are disorders that can cause pain in the head and neck region, limitation in mouth opening,
      and difficulties even in daily activities (eating, speaking, chewing, yawning, etc.). These
      disorders have various causes such as malocclusion, emotional stress, parafunctional habits,
      synovitis, capsulitis, osteoarthritis and intra-articular irregularities. Almost 25% of the
      world's population has TMJ intra-articular irregularities and these are usually treated with
      non-surgical methods. If these methods are not successful, surgical treatments are generally
      used. These non-surgical treatments include many physical therapy interventions such as
      occlusal splints, medical treatments, bite plates, ultrasound and subcutaneous electrical
      nerve stimulation, and low-level laser therapies. With these intraorally used occlusal
      splints, a balanced occlusal contact is achieved without applying any force to the mandible
      in the resting position. Occlusal splints are available in different designs and different
      construction materials. The stabilization splint, which is one of the most commonly used
      occlusal splints, and the modified Hawley splint are appliances produced from hard materials.
      However, some researchers have commented that soft spints produced from resilient materials
      may also be useful in the distribution of excessive force formed in parafunctional habits.
      While there are studies stating that hard splints provide more successful results than soft
      splints in the functional problems of the chewing system, there are also studies reporting
      that they have similar efficacy on muscle pain after short-term use.

      Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), another physical therapy modality, used in the
      treatment of various joint and muscle pains; it is an advantageous treatment modality that is
      non-invasive, well tolerated by patients and has few side effects. This modality is also used
      in diseases of the TMJ and masticatory muscles in various sources. The availability of
      different non-standard treatment regimens and the few studies on the short-term results of
      ESWT applications make the use of ESWT in the treatment of TMJ diseases still unclear and new
      studies are needed.
    


Intervention name(s): Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy
Intervention type(s): Device
Intervention description(s): Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is an expedient remedy that is used in various joint and non-invasive muscle pain treatments
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment