Source
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria. Ruediger_Emshoff@hotmail.com
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in the management of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain in a random and double-blind research design.
STUDY DESIGN:
TMJ pain patients, randomly assigned, received 2 to 3 treatments per week for 8 weeks of active LLLT (Helium Neon, 632.8 nm, 30 mW) (n = 26) or sham LLLT (n = 26). Measures of TMJ pain during function were evaluated at baseline and weeks 2, 4, and 8 after the first laser therapy.
RESULTS:
At the 8-week point, within-group improvements were present for TMJ pain during function, for both the active and sham LLLT groups (P = .000). Between-group differences were not highly evident (P > .05).
CONCLUSION:
The study suggests that LLLT is not better than placebo at reducing TMJ pain during function.