Treatment for temporomandibular disorders in South Korea: A 9‐year trend using cluster analysis

Abstract

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are a broad range of clinical problems involving the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), including its surrounding musculature, osseous tissues and soft tissues. 1 TMD symptoms include muscular pain, TMJ clicking, decrease in the range of motion in opening and closing the mouth, pain at mouth opening and jaw locking. 1,2 Some of the common comorbidities are tinnitus, 3 depressive disorders, 4,5 fibromyalgia 5,6 and migraine. 5,7 The annual incidence rate of TMD is approximately 4%, 8 and 1.78 million

Diagnosis and Treatment of Myogenous Temporomandibular Disorders: A Clinical Update

“…The most commonly used pharmacological agents are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), muscles relaxants and anti-depressants. Despite carrying some well-known adverse effects, especially gastrointestinal disturbance, the anti-inflammatory and analgesics properties of NSAIDs, for example, ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac etc., render them popular among clinicians in the management of TMD, and these are sometimes considered as the first-line drugs of choice [ 46 , 47 , 48 ]. Besides, NSAID topical ointments are available as an alternative to lessen systemic absorption [ 40 ].…”

“…Physiotherapy, also termed physical therapy or exercise therapy, has been proposed to play a vital role, especially in the management of myofascial pain complaints for patients with TMD [ 8 , 48 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 ]. It can be subdivided into self-exercise conducted by patients at home or manual therapy by a trained practitioner [ 73 ].…”

“…Another distinguishing difference is that during DN, TrPs are repeatedly perforated internally and externally with the needle, such that a local twitch response might sometimes be observed [ 117 ]. Whilst insufficient data are available to compare the efficacy of these two needling techniques [ 118 ], they have been useful aids to manage pain and restore motions in some patients with muscle-originated TMD [ 48 , 114 , 119 , 120 ], despite the lack of clarity regarding the mechanism they are based upon [ 114 ]. However, due to the low quality of evidence and heterogenicity of the studies conducted, needling therapies have not been regarded as a first-line treatment for M-TMD [ 116 , 118 ].…”

Therapeutic challenges in temporomandibular disorders

“…One of the most frequently prescribed therapeutic approaches for treating TMDs are nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and while opioids, anxiolytics, and antidepressants are recommended less frequently [37]. In the current study, both muscle and joint pain were treated with medication, giving more support for the muscular component of joint pain.…”