Effect of occlusal splint and transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation on the signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in patients with bruxism

A crossed-design experimental study has been made involving simple blind paired data and random assignment to treatment, with the aim of evaluating the action of an occlusal splint with transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) upon the manifestations of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in patients with bruxism. The prevalence of TMD in the 24 patients with bruxism was 62.5%%; the corresponding severity, as determined by the pantographic reproducibility index (PRI), was mild (mean value: 20.71). Clicking and pain in the lateral pterygoid muscle were the most frequent clinical manifestations. The occlusal splint and TENS did not significantly improve the signs and symptoms of TMD in these patients with bruxism.