SynthesisPloS one2019
The efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation for chronic orofacial pain: A systematic review.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 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.
Efficacy of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Chronic Pain in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders.
Evaluation of the Efficacy of Neuromodulation in the Control of Chronic Orofacial Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with different frequencies on neuropathic orofacial pain: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.Journal of oral & facial pain and headache · 2024Pooled it
- Systematic Review of the Impact of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on the Neuromechanical Management of Foot and Ankle Physical Performance in Healthy Adults.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2020Pooled it
- Non-invasive brain stimulation for neuropathic orofacial pain: a mini-review.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on pain and pain-related outcomes: an umbrella review.The Korean journal of pain · 2025Article
- Deciphering pain: molecular mechanisms and neurochemical pathways-challenges and future opportunities.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2024Review
- Neuromodulation Techniques in Children with Super-Refractory Status Epilepticus.Brain sciences · 2023Review
- Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the Primary Motor Cortex beyond Motor Rehabilitation: A Review of the Current Evidence.Brain sciences · 2022Review
- The roles of the LpSTS and DLPFC in self-prioritization: A transcranial magnetic stimulation study.Human brain mapping · 2022Article
- A Preliminary Study of the Efficacy of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Trigeminal Neuralgia.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2022Article
- Suppression of neuropathic pain and comorbidities by recurrent cycles of repetitive transcranial direct current motor cortex stimulation in mice.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Difference in Analgesic Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation According to the Site of Pain.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTranscranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) have been described as promising alternatives to treat different pain syndromes. This study evaluated the effects of TMS and tDCS in the treatment of chronic orofacial pain, through a systematic review.
methodsAn electronic search was performed in major databases: MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, Embase, LILACS, BBO, Open Gray and CINAHL. The eligibility criteria comprised randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that applied TMS or tDCS to treat chronic orofacial pain. The variables analyzed were pain, functional limitation, quality of life, tolerance to treatment, somatosensory changes, and adverse effects. The risk of bias was assessed through the Cochrane Collaboration tool, and the certainty of evidence was evaluated through GRADE. The protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42018090774).
resultsThe electronic search resulted in 636 studies. Thereafter, the eligibility criteria were applied and the duplicates removed, resulting in eight RCTs (four TMS and four tDCS). The findings of these studies suggest that rTMS applied to the Motor cortex (M1), the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) provide adequate orofacial pain relief. Two studies reported significant pain improvement with tDCS applied over M1 while the other two failed to demonstrate significant effects compared to placebo.
conclusionsrTMS, applied to M1, DLPFC or S2, is a promising approach for the treatment of chronic orofacial pain. Moreover, tDCS targeting M1 seems to be also effective in chronic orofacial pain treatment. The included studies used a wide variety of therapeutic protocols. In addition, most of them used small sample sizes, with a high risk of biases in their methodologies, thus producing a low quality of evidence. The results indicate that further research should be carried out with caution and with better-standardized therapeutic protocols.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.