Trial reportJournal of applied oral science : revista FOB
Short-term transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation reduces pain and improves the masticatory muscle activity in temporomandibular disorder patients: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Journal of applied oral science : revista FOB. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 86 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative effectiveness of nonpharmacological therapies for adult myogenic temporomandibular disorders: a network meta-analysis of randomized trials.BMC oral health · 2026Pooled it
- Advanced, pharmacological and complementary interventions for chronic or recurrent orofacial pain conditions: a systematic evidence map with selective meta-analyses.The journal of headache and pain · 2026Pooled it
- Application of facial neuromuscular electrical stimulation (fNMES) in psychophysiological research: Practical recommendations based on a systematic review of the literature.Behavior research methods · 2024Guideline
- Characterising the Features of 381 Clinical Studies Evaluating Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for Pain Relief: A Secondary Analysis of the Meta-TENS Study to Improve Future Research.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2022Pooled it
- The Usefulness of the Pressure Algometer in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Orofacial Pain Patients: A Systematic Review.Occupational therapy international · 2020Pooled it
- Interferential current stimulation during dental facial treatment improves masticatory function.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Comparison of the effectiveness of three different conservative methods in myogenous temporomandibular disorders.Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992) · 2025Trial
- Effects of adding electro-massage to manual therapy for the treatment of individuals with myofascial temporomandibular pain: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of applied oral science : revista FOB · 2024Trial
- Evaluation of the efficacy of manual soft tissue therapy and therapeutic exercises in patients with pain and limited mobility TMJ: a randomized control trial (RCT).Head & face medicine · 2023Trial
- Effects of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Synchronized with Chewing Exercises on Bite Force and Masseter Muscle Thickness in Community-Dwelling Older Adults in South Korea: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Trial
- Effect of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Masseter Muscle Thickness and Maximal Bite Force Among Healthy Community-Dwelling Persons Aged 65 Years and Older: A Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Trial
- A meta-analysis of pain intensity changes after placebo interventions in facial pain.Pain reports · 2026Review
- Diagnosis-based pathways for conservative and minimally invasive management of temporomandibular disorders: a scoping review.Journal of oral & facial pain and headache · 2026Article
- Proposing an Optimal Occlusal Angle for Minimizing Masticatory and Cervical Muscle Activity in the Supine Position: A Resting EMG and Mixed-Effects Modeling Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- Article
- Is there a relationship between the presence of external root resorption in second molars adjacent to impacted mandibular third molars with awake bruxism and masticatory muscle activity?Clinical oral investigations · 2024Article
- Unraveling the Potential of Electroanalgesia: A Literature Review of Current Therapeutics.Cureus · 2024Review
- Use of Surface Electromyography to Evaluate Effects of Therapeutic Methods on Masticatory Muscle Activity in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders: A Narrative Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Exploring the Rules of Related Parameters in Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Cancer Pain Based on Data Mining.Pain and therapy · 2023Article
- Efficacy of the transcutaneous electrostimulation in treatment dysfunctions of the TMJ associated with occlusion distortions.BMC oral health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo investigate the short-term effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) by examining pain intensity, pressure pain threshold (PPT) and electromyography (EMG) activity in patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD). MATERIAL AND
methodsForty patients with myofascial TMD were enrolled in this randomized placebo-controlled trial and were divided into two groups: active (n=20) and placebo (n=20) TENS. Outcome variables assessed at baseline (T0), immediately after (T2) and 48 hours after treatment (T1) were: pain intensity with the aid of a visual analogue scale (VAS); PPT of masticatory and cervical structures; EMG activity during mandibular rest position (MR), maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and habitual chewing (HC). Two-way ANOVA for repeated measures was applied to the data and the significance level was set at 5%.
resultsThere was a decrease in the VAS values at T1 and T2 when compared with T0 values in the active TENS group (p<0.050). The PPT between-group differences were significant at T1 assessment of the anterior temporalis and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) and T2 for the masseter and the SCM (p<0.050). A significant EMG activity reduction of the masseter and anterior temporalis was presented in the active TENS during MR at T1 assessment when compared with T0 (p<0.050). The EMG activity of the anterior temporalis was significantly higher in the active TENS during MVC at T1 and T2 when compared with placebo (p<0.050). The EMG activity of the masseter and anterior temporalis muscle was significantly higher in the active TENS during HC at T1 when compared with placebo (p<0.050).
conclusionsThe short-term therapeutic effects of TENS are superior to those of the placebo, because of reported facial pain, deep pain sensitivity and masticatory muscle EMG activity improvement.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.