Effects of Different Occlusal Splints on Joint Vibrations in Bruxers

<i>Background and Objectives</i>: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of hard, soft, and semi-soft splints on TMJ vibrations in bruxers with JVA and to compare them with data obtained from asymptomatic individuals. <i>Materials and Methods</i>: A total of 64 individuals...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bora Akat, Ayşe Cavidan Akören, Evşen Tamam
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Medicina
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/61/6/1083
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:<i>Background and Objectives</i>: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of hard, soft, and semi-soft splints on TMJ vibrations in bruxers with JVA and to compare them with data obtained from asymptomatic individuals. <i>Materials and Methods</i>: A total of 64 individuals were divided into four subgroups: control (<i>n</i> = 15); and hard (<i>n</i> = 17), soft (<i>n</i> = 16), and semi-soft (<i>n</i> = 16) splints. Electrovibratography records from all individuals included in the study before and after the 3-month splint treatment were obtained with the Biopak<sup>®</sup> System. Joint vibration analysis was used to evaluate TMJ sounds. Data normality was examined with the Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Levene tests. The significance of the differences was investigated by One-Way ANOVA and by the Kruskal–Wallis test. Conover’s multiple comparison test was used in post hoc tests. (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06893744, on 24 March 2025, titled; Effects of Different Occlusal Splints). <i>Results</i>: After 3 months of treatment, for I < 300 Hz right opening, the control group was statistically lower than both semi-soft (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and hard (<i>p</i> < 0.001) splint groups. The difference between semi-soft and hard splints in post-treatment I < 300 Hz right opening is not statistically significant. After 3 months of treatment compared with the beginning, the increases in left-opening Ti (<i>p</i> = 0.004), I < 300 Hz (<i>p</i> = 0.004), and PA (<i>p</i> = 0.007) values in the soft splint group were statistically significant. <i>Conclusions</i>: All three kinds of splints improved clinical symptoms and complaints of bruxers. For joint vibrations in bruxers, hard and semi-soft splints are more beneficial than soft splints.
ISSN:1010-660X
1648-9144