Aim:  In a randomized controlled trial investigate the short‐term effect of treatment with stabilization appliance compared with a control appliance in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) of mainly myogenous pain. Material and methods:  Out of 926 referrals to the Department of Stomatognathic Physiology in Malmö for treatment of TMD during 2 years, 338 patients were clinically screened for possible participation in the study. Patients with mainly myogenous pain were selected from the original group of 926 patients. Sixty TMD patients with mainly myogenous pain were allocated at random into two equally sized groups: (T) treatment group given a stabilization appliance; (C) control group given a control appliance. The study was performed as a randomized controlled trial and comprised four visits. At the last visit, after 10 weeks of treatment with occlusal appliance, the treatment outcome was evaluated. Results:  There was a significant reduction of changes in overall severity of pain, reported pain during mandibular movements and reduction of changes in severity of headache in the treatment group compared with the control group. There was also a significant decreased number of tender masticatory muscles in the treatment group compared with the control group. Conclusion:  The results of this short‐term evaluation suggest that the stabilization appliance is effective in the alleviation of symptoms and signs in TMD patients of mainly myogenous pain. The stabilization appliance can therefore be recommended for TMD patients of mainly myogenous pain.

Stabilization appliances are commonly used in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMD), although the treatment effects are not fully understood. This study evaluated the short-term efficacy of a stabilization appliance in patients with TMD of arthrogeneous origin, using a randomized, controlled, and double-blind design. Sixty patients were assigned to two equally sized groups: a treatment group given a stabilization appliance and a control group given a control appliance. Improvement of overall subjective symptoms was reported in both groups but significantly more often in the treatment group than in the control group (P = 0.006). Frequency of daily or constant pain showed a significant reduction in the treatment group (P = 0.02) compared with the control group. The results of this short-term evaluation showed that both the stabilization appliance and the control appliance had an effect on temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain. It is improbable that the difference observed between the groups is due to chance alone.

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The results support the conclusion that the positive treatment outcome obtained by use of a stabilization appliance to alleviate the signs and symptoms in patients with myofascial pain persisted after 6 and 12 months. Most patients in groups T and M reported positive changes in overall subjective symptoms in this trial. We therefore recommend use of the stabilization appliance in the treatment of TMD patients with myofascial pain.