Comparative efficacy of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) to TENS and therapeutic ultrasound in management of TMDs: a systematic review & meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the reduction in pain, muscle tenderness, joint clicking, and improvement in mouth opening (MO) after low-level laser therapy (LLLT) compared to transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and therapeutic ultrasound (US) among temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) patients.

METHODS

A systematic search of online sources of electronic databases was undertaken. The quality of the study was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool for randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

RESULTS

Twelve RCTs were included in the systematic review, and 9 were included in the meta-analysis. For reduction in pain between LLLT and TENS, LLLT was found to be better than TENS, at 95% CI. LLLT was also proven to be better in reducing pain than therapeutic US, at 81% CI.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review and meta-analysis compared the effectiveness of LLLT, TENS, and therapeutic US in TMD. LLLT provided relatively more effective pain relief and improvement in MO.