Pressure Pain Threshold of Jaw Muscles in TMD Patients Submitted to a Conservative Treatment
Pressure Pain Threshold of Jaw Muscles in TMD Patients Submitted to a Conservative Treatment
Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience that is one of the main symptoms of
 temporomandibular disorder (TMD). One way to assess pain is through algometry. The aim of
 this study was to evaluate, by the pressure pain threshold measurements, the efficacy of a
 short-term conservative treatment for the management of temporomandibular disorders. This
 study is a randomized controlled clinical trial where 84 participants were diagnosed with
 myofascial pain according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders
 (RDC/TMD), with a mean age of 44 years old ranging from 18 to 76 years old. These individuals
 were asked about parafunctional habits and the treatment was applied by providing an
 explanation concerning the role of pain, possible aetiological factors of the patient's TMD,
 the relationship between chronic pain and psychosocial distress, and its benign character.
 They also had to perform once daily application of hot packs on both sides of the face for 20
 minutes and after that they must perform active free therapeutic exercise of mouth opening
 for 10 times. The pressure pain threshold of the masseter and temporalis muscles and the
 lateral pole of the condyle were obtained at baseline (T0), between 15 and 30 days after (T1)
 and at 75 to 90 days after (T2) representing the end of the treatment. Two groups of subjects
 were obtained. The first was considered the study group (SG) and included those who underwent
 the treatment proposed. The control group (CG) consisted of participants who did not undergo
 treatment because they did not believe in it.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  more than 18 years old have diagnosis of myofascial pain according RDC/TMD signed the
 informed consent

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  people under 18 years old