Comparative study between psychiatric therapy and occlusal therapy in MPDs

"Objectives:"

Myofacial pain Dysfunction (of masticatory muscles and their tendons) Syndrome MPDS, is a disorder which primarily disturbs the masticatory muscles

The present study deals with the comparative examination study of the effect of psychiatric as well as non-pharmacologic treatment including splint therapy and occlusal adjusting on treating the suffering Myofacial pain Dysfunction .

" Methods:"

57 patients suffering MPD were assessed. The data including the patient's quality and quantity variables was gathered through interview, observation and their register questionnaire forms. In the first phase of the study all patients were interviewed by a psychiatrist. They were then divided randomly in to three therapeutic groups.In the next phase the patients of the first group received psychotherapy: they were controlled by a psychologist, fortnightly for a period of two months, and afterwards observed monthly for a period of six months. The second group received splint therapy, firstly after 48 hours. then fortnightly for two months. They too, were controlled and after occlusal adjustment, were observed for six months. The third group of patients received a combination of both methods, namely psychotherapy, splint therapy, and occlusal adjusting (occlusive treatment). Not only were they controlled fortnightly for two months, they were also observed for a period of six months afterwards. In each session, the patients were examined closely .

"Results:"

In the three therapeutic of this study, a significant decrease was detected in pain severity after treatment (p<0.01); yet there we measured a greater decrease in the severity of pain in the first group of psychotherapy (p=0.013). the maximum rate of mouth opening increased in the patients after treatment, but there was no significant difference among the three groups (p=0.612).

"Conclusion:"

The results indicate an effective treatment in the patients suffering MPD through psychiatric treatment.