ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
In temporomandibular disorder, the pain is a very present and striking symptom, with a tendency to chronicity, through mechanisms of maladaptive neuroplasticity. In the face of this, transcranial direct current stimulation appears as a possible strategy for the treatment of chronic pain in the temporomandibular disorder. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation in the pain symptoms and anxiety levels in individuals with chronic myofascial temporomandibular disorder.
METHODS:
The participants received three different types of intervention in a randomized order: anodic in the primary motor cortex, in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and sham stimulation.
RESULTS:
There were significant improvements in clinical pain in all stimulation protocols, with a relief of approximately 40% (p=0.001). There was no significant difference in the effect of the transcranial direct current stimulation between the different types of stimulation (p=0.14). There was a positive impact on anxiety symptoms, leading to a significant decrease in state anxiety levels (p=0.035) and trait (p=0.009).
CONCLUSION:
The use of the transcranial direct current stimulation improved the health status of patients with chronic myofascial temporomandibular disorder, promoting pain relief, decreased level of anxiety, and quality of life.
Keywords:
Orofacial pain; Rehabilitation; Transcranial stimulation by continuous current
