The effect of specially designed and managed occlusal devices on patient symptoms and pain: a cohort study.

There is limited data regarding the benefit of using an occlusal device to help patients resolve a variety of symptoms involving temporomandibular disorder, as well as head, neck, and shoulder pain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a carefully adjusted occlusal device on 12 symptoms to determine if there was enough evidence to justify a randomized control trial of this methodology. Splints were designed to ensure a stable, reproducible, mandibular position in a cohort of 157 dental patients with mixed histories of the following 12 symptoms: temporomandibular joint "pop," "click," and lock; jaw, neck, shoulder, and mouth-opening pain; headache; earache; tinnitus; and clenching and grinding of teeth. The results showed significant improvement (P < 0.001) in 11 of the 12 symptoms.