Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32981059›Full record

ArticleInternational dental journal2020

Use of a modified mandibular splint to reduce nocturnal symptoms in persons with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Donald B Giddon, Donald R Moeller, Curtis K Deutsch

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International dental journal, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Observational
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Donald B GiddonDevelopmental Biology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
Donald R MoellerMoeller Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, US Army Dental Corps (Ret.), Columbus, GA, USA.
Curtis K DeutschPsychobiology Program, Department of Psychiatry, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
Harvard University · USUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical School · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveBased on a series of clinical observations that a thicker mandibular splint than that commonly used to treat bruxism and related craniomandibular myofascial pain reduced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) nocturnal symptomatology (sleep disruptions, headaches, and nightmares), this study of 100 PTSD participants was undertaken to systematically establish 'proof of concept' of the therapeutic effectiveness of this modified splinting procedure.

methodsFollowing the fabrication of splints thicker than those conventionally used, the effectiveness of this new procedure used by dentists was determined by comparing the self-reported frequency and intensity/severity of PTSD symptomatology during a seven-night pretreatment baseline period without the splint with a second seven-night period in which the modified splint was inserted. The scoring for the three dependent measures (sleep disruptions, headaches, and nightmares) was based on the frequencies on a scale from 0-7 multiplied by the intensity/severity on a scale of 1-10.

resultsCompared with the pre-splint baseline period, the insertion of the thickened splint resulted in a highly significant reduction of sleep disruption, nocturnal headaches, and nightmares. A second seven-night control period without the splint was followed by a second seven-night period with the splint, reproducing the effectiveness of the first splinting period.

conclusionThe results of this study provide the first systematic, documented proof of concept of the effectiveness of a modified splinting procedure in reducing key nocturnal symptoms in PTSD patients.

Indexed as

dyssomniasheadachenightmaresPost-traumatic stress disordersplint

Identifiers

PMID32981059
PMCPMC9275324
OpenAlexW3088114270

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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.