Comparison of Low-Level Laser Therapy and Drug Therapy in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Non-surgical treatment is the first step in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders. Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) was compared with drug therapy in these patients. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was done on 72 patients at the school of dentistry, Rafsanjan, Iran in 2015. The patients were randomly divided into two groups of drug therapy (Naproxen 500mg capsules twice a day for 10days and Diazepam 2 mg twice a day for 10days) and LLLT (Azor-2k, Moscow, Russia) and were studied by laser parameters at wavelength of 808 nm, output power of 50 mW, energy per point of 4 Joules, power density of 1.78 W/cm2, laser beam of 0.028 cm2, and energy density of (144 J/cm2) twice a week for four weeks. Data were evaluated by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Active Range of Motion (AROM). SPSS (Version 18.0. Chicago: SPSS Inc.) was used to analyze the data. Comparison of average changes in VAS and AROM after treatment in both groups was carried out by independent two-sample t-test. Finally, chi-square test was used to compare tenderness and clicking frequency after the treatment. P-value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Both methods showed a decreasing trend in pain, clicking and tenderness. Decline in VAS immediately after treatment was significantly lower in drug therapy (P<0.01). Regarding AROM index, a significant increase was observed in laser therapy (P<0.01). Conclusion: Our study showed that both laser and drug therapy methods were effective in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders. However, LLLT showed a significant decrease in the recovery process, so it is more sensible to consider it an appropriate therapy.