Effectiveness of Botox, Dry Needling, Pharmacological Treatment, and Manual Therapy for Bruxism-Induced Myalgia

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Botox, Dry Needling, Pharmacological Treatment, and Manual Therapy for Bruxism-Induced Myalgia: a Prospective Randomized Study

Eighty individuals (44 female, 36 male), which were randomly divided into 4 groups of 20 patients each, due to the treatment type: Botulinum toxin (BTX); Dry needling (DN); Pharmacological therapy (PT) and Manual therapy (MT). All treatments were carried out by the same maxillofacial surgeon. An informed consent form was obtained from all participants.

The study aimed to assess and compare the effectiveness of 4 different methods in the management bruxism: Botulinum toxin (BTX-A), dry needling (DN), pharmacological therapy (PT), and manual therapy (MT). 80 bruxist patients (44 female, 36 male) were randomly divided into 4 groups of 20 patients each. Botulinum toxin, dry needling, pharmacological therapy and manual therapy were carried out by the same maxillofacial surgeon in all patients. The following measurements were recorded by another investigator in each group, at baseline (before treatment) and at post-treatment intervals of 2nd, 4th, and 12th weeks; Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain, maximum painless mouth opening (mm), Oral Health Impact Profile14 (OHIP-14).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult patients aged 18 to 65 years with complete dentition,
• Patients classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status ASA I or ASA II
• Patients experiencing moderate to severe pain in the masticatory muscles related to bruxism,
• Patients who had not previously been treated for bruxism
• Patients who were diagnosed with bruxism were excluded from the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of temporomandibular joint disorder
• Known allergy to botulinum toxin
• Pregnancy
• Presence of neuromuscular disease
• Chronic use of muscle relaxant medication within the last 3 months.