Lasers in medical science
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Lasers in medical science · Nov 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialLaser acupuncture in patients with temporomandibular dysfunction: a randomized controlled trial.
A prospective, double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled trial was conducted in patients with chronic temporomandibular disorder (TMD) to check the analgesic efficacy of infrared low-power GaAlAs diode laser applied to acupuncture points. Forty female subjects, ranging in age from 20 to 40 years, with diagnoses of chronic myofascial pain and arthralgia were randomly allocated to two groups: an experimental group (EG) who received the laser acupuncture as adjunct to reversible occlusal splint therapy and a control group (CG) who received a placebo laser associated with occlusal splint therapy. Both approaches were applied once a week for 3 months. ⋯ The symptom reduction was significant in both groups (EG: VAS = 0, n = 20; CG: VAS between 2 and 4, n = 18). The measurements showed significantly faster and lower pain intensity values in the EG (p ≤ 0.002), where there was a higher proportion of patients with remission of symptoms related to the action of laser acupuncture. For patients in whom conservative treatment was adopted, the laser acupuncture is a secure, noninvasive, and effective treatment modality because it improves the chronic pain associated with TMD and has no side effects.