Abstract:

Objective To evaluate effectiveness of low-level laser therapy（LLLT） on temporomandibular joint（TMJ） pain. Methods The patients with TMJ pain were randomly assigned laser group（n=21） or control group（n=21）, once a day for 6 consecutive days of treatment. TMJ pain and function were measured at baseline, just after treatment course, 1 month and 2 months after the treatment. Results The changes of visual analogue scale（VAS） were app earing over time in both groups but presented statistically significant differences between groups（P<0.001）. VAS of laser group decreased faster than that of control group. The same tendency occurred for painless maximum vertical opening （MVO）, left lateral excursion（LLE） and right lateral excursion（RLE）, which increased faster in laser group. There were no statistically significant differences between groups and evaluation times for protrusion excursion（PE）, but an interaction between group and evaluation times existed and should be explored further. Conclusion LLLT is an appropriate treatment for TMJ pain.

Key words: temporomandibular joint, arthralgia, laser therapy, randomized controlled trial