Protocolo de Biofeedback para pacientes com dor muscular na região orofacial por apertamento dental parafuncional

Abstract

Parafunctional dental clenching or bruxism may be related to clinical cases of Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD), an etiological factor which sustains the disease of paramount importance. The aim of this study was to develop a protocol of myofeedback therapy and evaluate its application in patients with orofacial pain of muscular origin triggered by parafunctional dental clenching. A total of 10 female patients were submitted to the anamnesis and the intra and extra oral clinical exam, followed by filling in a Clinical Index of Fonseca (1994), which classified 50% of patients with moderate dysfunction and 50% severe. It was applied the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) to measure pain intensity and performed the evaluation of electromyographic activity of masseter muscle during clenching (maximum voluntary contraction), at dental contact and at rest, in an initial period, after therapy by myofeedback and 30 days of follow-up. The results obtained at the end of treatment and after 30 days of monitoring demonstrated that the patients had reduced levels of pain in 100% of the individuals and an increase in electromyographic activity of masseter muscle in 80% of the cases. Therefore, it was shown that the miofeedback therapy can reduce the painful symptoms and also interfere with muscle activity, contributing to an improvement in the overall clinical picture presented by patients with orofacial pain occasioned by dental clenching.