| Head, neck, and face pain and muscle hypertonicity are often signs and symptoms reported in temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD). Vertical dimension of occlusion can be increased in attempts to alleviate these symptoms. This investigation examined the effects of a hydrostatic oral appliance on head, neck, and face pain and muscle hypertonicity in subjects with TMD. Subjects included twenty male and female volunteers between the ages of 29 and 79, who served as their own controls. Surface electromyography (sEMG) measurements were taken under four different conditions: (1) sEMG series #1 prior to hydrostatic insertion (control); (2) sEMG series #2 with hydrostatic appliance; (3) sEMG series # 3 with hydrostatic appliance; and (4) sEMG series #4 with hydrostatic appliance. Pain scores were taken during the rest periods of the four conditions. Subjects were tested during one session only. A repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the pain data, and a multifactor repeated measures mixed ANOVA design was utilized to analyze the sEMG data. The statistical analysis revealed that the appliance decreased pain in the muscles of the craniomandibular region, while it had no effect on muscle hypertonicity of the same muscles. |
