Mandibular kinesiographic pattern of women with chronic TMD after management with educational and self-care therapies: A double-blind, randomized clinical trial

Statement of problem. Limited mandibular movements are one of the most important signs of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) and may cause functional difficulties. Purpose. The purpose of this double-blind, randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the effect of treatment with only educational or education associated with self-care therapies on the pattern of mandibular movements of women with chronic painful TMDs. Material and methods. Forty-two women were selected and randomly divided into 3 groups, control group (CG, n=13), education group (EG, n=16), and education and self-care group (ESG, n=13), according to the sequence of treatment they received. A kinesiograph device recorded mandibular movements during maximum mouth opening and mastication at baseline (TO) and at 30-day (T1) and 60-day (T2) follow-up. Kinesiographic data were statistically analyzed using 1-way ANOVA, followed by the Bonferroni test for multiple comparisons of means (alpha=.05). Results. The ESG group demonstrated an improvement in the maximum vertical opening (MVO= 5.1 +/- 3.4 mm; P=.012) and anteroposterior mandibular mbvement (MAM) during maximum opening (7.4 +/- 9.5; P=.019), significantly higher than that of the EG (MVO=1.8 +/- 3.5 mm; MAM=0.8 +/- 5.0 mm) and the CG (MVO=0.9 +/- 3.8 mm; MAM=0.8 +/- 4.4 mm) after 30 days of follow-up. Moreover, at T1, vertical mandibular movement during mastication was significantly higher in the ESG group (17.4 +/- 1.7 mm) than in the EG group (15.0 +/- 2.8, P=.027). No significant differences were found between the women who received treatment with educational and self-care therapies for 60 days and the women who received this treatment for 30 days. Conclusions. In the short-term, education and self-care treatment positively influenced the mandibular movement pattern of women with chronic painful TMDs.