As per a study published in ‘European Journal of Dentistry’, the use of a developed comprehensive method to prosthodontic rehabilitation planning can most likely improve the treatment results at the expense of pain reduction indicators in maxillofacial muscles and pain sensations linked with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) working.

This single-site prospective, open nonrandomized study was executed to improve the efficacy and safety of prosthodontic therapy in patients suffering from dental deformities. A comprehensive evaluation of the dentofacial system ailments, comprising the examination of the features of pain indicators is significant. The efficiency of prosthodontic rehabilitation of patients with complete dental reconstruction as per the evaluation of the acuteness of orofacial pain indicators has been encouraged in this study.

Overall, 452 patients (aged 44.3 ± 15.2 years; 282 men and 170 women) with incomplete or total edentulism were included. These patients were divided as: Control group or group 1 comprising of 218 patients using standard prosthodontic treatment method and; Study group or group 2 comprising of 234 patients using the proposed interdisciplinary method to prosthodontic rehabilitation.

In this new method, Fatima Dzalaeva et al. considered individual anatomical and physiological features of the patient, offering a thorough clinical examination via an extensive range of methods, involving palpation of the head and neck muscles, subjective evaluation of pain, and the usage of instrumental methods to measure the state of the TMJ, especially, condylography and computed tomography.

Higher safety and clinical efficiency of the planned interdisciplinary method was found. Statistically significant reduction in pain in muscles of the maxillofacial area on palpation, pain, and spasms in the neck region (Table 1); statistically significantly less common pains in the TMJ during chewing, pain during the opening and closing the mouth was confirmed from the patients undergoing full-mouth reconstruction with interdisciplinary method usage.

Table 1: Pains and spasms in the neck

After 3 years, the severity of pain decreased in both groups of patients as per the VAS score (Table 2).

Table 2: Variations in the 10-point visual analog scale (VAS) assessment

This study confirms the requirement to assess local pain in the muscles by using myofascial trigger points and also evaluate the severity of central indirect myositis.