Oral appliances in the management of temporomandibular disorders.

Full Abstract

Various types of oral appliances (OAs) have been used for over half a century to treat temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), but there has been considerable debate about how OAs should be designed, how they should be used, and what they actually do therapeutically. However, there is enough information in the scientific literature at this time to reach some evidence-based conclusions about these issues. The main focus of this review is on the materials and designs of various OAs in terms of their proposed mechanisms of action and their claimed clinical objectives. Based on current scientific evidence, an analysis is presented regarding the role that OAs can or cannot play in the management of TMDs. Finally, the concept that OAs may be an effective treatment modality for some TMDs owing to their potential for acting as an elaborate placebo rather than any specific therapeutic mechanism is considered.

Author information

Author/s: Klasser, Gary D (GD); Greene, Charles S (CS);

Affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 801 South Paulina Street, Chicago, IL 60612-7213, USA. gklasser(-atsign-)uic.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Review

Journal: Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology, and endodontics (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Feb; vol 107 (issue 2) : pp 212-23

Dates: Created 2009/01/13; Completed 2009/04/06;

PMID: 19138639, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 4/6/2009, IMS Date: 06 Apr 2009 00:00:00)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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