Abstract :Background: Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMD) is a painful condition that affects a significant portion of the population. TMD is generally considered to have a Myofascial component. Dry needling is a technique used by some physical therapists in treating neuromuscular and Myofascial pain conditions. It is not known whether dry needling is effective in treating TMD.
Objective: The purpose of this systematic review is to examine the effects of dry needling on TMD.
Methods: This systematic review indexed the following databases: Medline, CINAHL, Sports Discus, Cochrane and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro). Articles were included if they examined the clinical effects of dry needling in TMD disorders. Acupuncture- based treatment, or studies utilizing non-biomedical paradigms were not included in this systematic review. Methodological quality was graded by the PEDro scale.
Results: Four studies satisfied the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. Methodological scores based on the PEDro scale were 5 to 8 out of 10. All of the included studies (100%) scored 4 or higher on the PEDro scale. DN had a significant effect on increasing pain pressure threshold (p<0.05) and decreasing pain levels (p<0.05). DN also increased pain free jaw opening (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Moderate evidence suggest that DN may be an effective and well-tolerated, short term intervention for decreasing pain and increasing function in patients with TMD. Larger studies are needed to further substantiate the effects of DN in patients with TMD.