Effects of photobiomodulation on auriculotherapy points for sleep disorders, anxiety, and temporomandibular dysfunctions

Psychological Outcomes on Anxiety and Depression after Interventions for Temporomandibular Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Many studies have shown mutual interaction between temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and psychological distress. However, evidence on the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions for TMD on psychological outcomes is scarce. This review aimed to summarise the best evidence on the association between interventions for TMD and psychological outcomes regarding symptoms of anxiety and depression. Electronic search was carried out in databases, including Pubmed, Web of Science, Medline, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. All eligible studies were included for narrative synthesis. Eligible randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were included for the meta-analysis. The overall effect size of interventions for TMD was analysed in standardised mean difference (SMD) in levels of anxiety and depression. Ten studies were included in the systematic review. Of these, nine were included in the narrative analysis and four were included in the meta-analysis. All included studies and the result of the narrative analysis showed a statistically significant beneficial effect of interventions for TMD on improving symptoms of anxiety and depression (p < 0.0001); however, a statistically significant overall effect was not found in the meta-analyses. Current evidence is in favour of the interventions for TMD in improving symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, the effect is statistically uncertain and warrants future studies to enable the best synthesis of the evidence.

Mechanical performance of 3-dimensionally printed resins compared with conventional and milled resins for the manufacture of occlusal devices: A systematic review

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Digital methods for manufacturing occlusal devices provide advantages over conventional techniques, but information about the mechanical properties of 3-dimensionally (3D) printed resins is scarce.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the literature to determine whether 3D-printed resins for occlusal devices present satisfactory mechanical performance when compared with milled and conventional heat polymerized and autopolymerized resins.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This systematic review followed the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol and was registered in the Open Science Framework. The search strategy was applied without restriction of time and language to Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases, and to the nonpeer-reviewed literature in ProQuest and Google Scholar. The selection process was conducted independently in 2 stages by 2 reviewers according to the eligibility criteria. The risk of bias was analyzed by using a checklist of important parameters to be considered. The systematic review considered the population, intervention, comparison, outcome, studies (PICOS) format, where population was resins for 3D printing of occlusal devices, intervention was inherent characteristics of the resin, comparison was conventional heat polymerized, autopolymerized, and milled resins, outcome was mechanical performance, and studies were in vitro experimental studies.

RESULTS

A total of 1430 articles were found with the search strategy. After removing 182 duplicates found in Rayyan, the title and abstract of 1248 articles were evaluated, of which 37 articles were screened from the databases, 23 were selected for full reading, and 6 met the eligibility criteria and were included in this review; 1 had a low risk of bias and 5 had a moderate risk. An additional search of the reference list of included articles did not result in the inclusion of any articles. A quantitative meta-analysis could not be performed because of the heterogeneity of the included studies regarding the type of resin used and the method for evaluating mechanical performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Resins for 3D printing had satisfactory mechanical performance for interocclusal devices when compared with conventional heat polymerized and autopolymerized resins, except for hardness. Milled resins were better than 3D-printed resins in hardness, wear resistance, flexural strength, flexural modulus, and fracture resistance when printing angle and thickness were not considered. Further development is needed in terms of printing techniques and chemical composition, as they are important for optimal mechanical properties and clinical performance.

Effect of photobiomodulation treatment on pain control in patients with temporomandibular dysfunction disorder: systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To critically evaluate the literature and answer the question, "How effective is photobiomodulation treatment on pain control in patients with TMJ disorder?".

METHODS

PRISMA, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase databases were used for the personalized search strategy. For risk of bias, Rob 2.0 for randomized clinical trials and ROBINS-I for non-randomized clinical trials were used.

RESULTS

Eighty-four articles were found and, after removing duplicates, seventy one studies were included for titles and abstracts. For a full reading, 30 articles were selected and, according to the eligibility criteria, 24 remained for qualitative analysis. The studies showed a low risk of bias. Due to the heterogeneity of the studies, it was not possible to perform a meta-analysis.

CONCLUSION

Photobiomodulation is an effective adjunct for the treatment of temporomandibular disorders, being a less invasive approach, safe, low-cost, and without side effects.