Trigger point injection therapy in the management of myofascial temporomandibular pain

Objectives: Myofascial pain is the most common temporomandibular disorder. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of combined treatment modalities in the management of myofascial temporomandibular pain. Methods: Fifty patients (44 female, 6 male) clinically and radiologically diagnosed with myofascial temporomandibular disorder (TMD) were selected for the study and randomly assigned to two groups of 25 patients. Group 1 patients were treated with stabilization splint (SS) and Group 2 patients were treated with trigger point injection combined with SS therapy. Results: Positive improvement in overall signs and symptoms with statistically significant differences was observed in both groups. Group 2 showed significant reduction in visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, and statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between the VAS scores of Group 1 and Group 2 at the 4th and 12th weeks of treatment follow-up (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our results indicate that trigger point injection therapy combined with splint therapy is effective in the management of myofascial TMD pain. Further research, especially randomized controlled trials, should be carried out to ascertain its effectiveness over other treatment modalities.