Pain Management in Temporomandibular Joint Disorders by Active and Placebo Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation: A Comparative Study

Objective: To determine and compare the effectiveness of active TENS and placebo therapy in the management of pain in TMD patients. Methods and Material: Total 40 patients, 20 received active TENS therapy and 20 received placebo TENS therapy. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to measure the change in pain and tenderness in muscles of mastication & Temporomandibular joint, during and after TENS therapy along with mouth opening. Results: Active TENS therapies have shown significant improvements in the intensity of pain, muscles and TMJs tenderness and interincisal distance. Placebo TENS therapy also showed same results but to the lesser extent. Conclusions: Both the therapies effective in reducing intensity of pain in TMDs, especially the active TENS therapy, in the musculoskeletal and chronic pain along with improvement in the range of mandibular movement/mouth opening/interincisal distance.