***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation ( TENS ) with the flat occlusal splint in the treatment of temporom and ibular joint ( TMJ ) disk displacement without reduction . Thirty-one patients were included and r and omly selected to be treated 6 weeks with either TENS ( 90 Hz , 30 min , three times/day ) or with a flat occlusal splint ( 24 h/day . Those selected for the TENS group had one electrode placed over the painful TMJ and another electrode over the anterior temporal muscle . The splint group used a conventional flat occlusal splint with cuspid guidance . Both treatment groups visited the clinic once a week . Symptoms and signs were registered before and after treatment . The intensity of pain was recorded with a visual analogue scale ( VAS ) and with an electronic pocket-sized recorder ( Pain-Track ) carried 1 week before and also the last week of treatment for continuous registration of pain . Measured with the VAS , half of the patients treated with splints became pain-free or their TMJ pain improved at least 50 % both at rest and with jaw function compared with only 6 % in the TENS-treated group . With regard to strictly chewing pain , the VAS-registered pain improved in two-thirds of the splint group , compared with 50 % of the TENS group . With the Pain-Track device it was found that in most individuals pain was aggrevated at mealtimes . The conclusion was that flat occlusal splints in several respects are better than TENS in the treatment of symptoms associated with TMJ disk displacement without reduction BACKGROUND The authors compared the efficacy of bilateral balanced and canine guidance ( occlusal ) splints in the treatment of temporom and ibular joint ( TMJ ) pain in subjects who experienced joint clicking with a nonoccluding splint in a double-blind , controlled r and omized clinical trial . METHODS The authors r and omly assigned 57 people with signs of disk displacement and TMJ pain into three groups according to the type of splint : bilateral balanced , canine guidance and nonoccluding . The authors followed the groups for six months using analysis of a visual analog scale ( VAS ) , palpation of the TMJ and masticatory muscles , m and ibular movements and joint sounds . They used repeated analysis of variance and a chi(2 ) test to test the hypothesis . RESULTS The type of guidance used did not influence the pain reduction , yet both occlusal splints were superior to the nonoccluding splint , on the basis of the VAS . Despite similar outcomes in relation to opening , left lateral and protrusive movements , TMJ and muscle pain on palpation , subjects who used the occlusal splints had improved clinical outcomes . The frequency of joint noises decreased over time , with no significant differences among groups . Subjects in the groups using the occlusal splints reported more comfort . CONCLUSION The type of lateral guidance did not influence the subjects ' improvement . All of the subjects had a general improvement on the VAS , though subjects in the occlusal splint groups had better results that did subjects in the nonoccluding splint group AIMS To compare the short-term efficacy of treatment with a stabilization appliance compared with that of a non-occlusal , control appliance in patients with temporom and ibular disorders ( TMD ) of mainly myogenous origin . METHODS A r and omized , controlled trial was performed with 60 patients suffering from myofascial pain . Patients were r and omly assigned to a treatment or a control group . The treatment group was treated by means of a stabilization appliance and the control group by means of a non-occlusal appliance . Symptoms and signs were registered before and after 10 weeks of treatment . RESULTS Improvement of overall subjective symptoms was reported in both groups , but significantly more often in the treatment group than in the control group ( P = .000 ) . The prevalence of daily or constant pain showed a significant reduction in the treatment group ( P = .028 ) compared with the control group . There was a significant decrease in the number of tender masticatory muscles in the treatment group ( P = .018 ) compared with the control group . CONCLUSION The results of this short-term evaluation suggest that the stabilization appliance is more effective in alleviating symptoms and signs in patients with TMD of mainly myogenous origin than a control , non-occlusal appliance . The stabilization appliance can therefore be recommended for the therapy of these patients PURPOSE We performed a comparative evaluation of different types of splint therapy for anterior disc displacement without reduction ( ADDWR ) of the temporom and ibular joint . PATIENTS AND METHODS Seventy-four patients agreed to participate ( 65 females and 9 males ) . All patients were examined using a clinical temporom and ibular joint disorder examination protocol , including muscle palpation , m and ibular range-of-motion measurement , and joint sound detection . Additionally , the patients marked their pain ( during chewing , m and ibular movements , and rest position ) and limitation levels on a visual analog scale . Bilateral magnetic resonance images were acquired , confirming ADDWR in at least one joint . After clinical examination and imaging , r and omized splint therapy was provided : 38 patients received a centric splint , while 36 received a distraction splint . After 1 , 3 , and 6 months of therapy , outcome was evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed rank test for matched pairs . Success after 6 months was defined as improvement in active mouth opening of greater than 20 % and pain reduction ( on chewing ) of at least 50 % . Success was statistically verified using logistic regression test . RESULTS The improvements in mouth opening were significant in both groups . The improvements in pain on chewing , pain during other functions , pain at rest , functional limitation on chewing , and other functions were also comparable in both groups . However , the logistic regression test suggested that patients using centric splints were treated more successfully than the others ( confidence interval , 1.014 to 8.741 , odds ratio = 2.785 ) . CONCLUSIONS Centric splints seem to be more effective than distraction splints . Therefore , before the surgical treatment of ADDWR , centric splints should be used instead of distraction splints In order to evaluate and compare the effects of biofeedback and occlusal splint therapy on m and ibular dysfunction , 30 patients were r and omly divided into two treatment groups . The patients were women aged 20 - -40 years without any obvious organic reasons for their symptoms . There were no significant differences between the two groups before the start of treatment in respect of signs and symptoms of m and ibular dysfunction . One group used full coverage splints at night for 6 weeks . The other group received biofeedback training up to six times , 30 min per session . One month after completion of the therapy the patients were re-examined . Both groups showed a significant reduction in symptoms , both subjectively and clinical ly . No significant differences between the groups were found . The two treatments were thus equally effective in the short-term perspective in patients with signs and symptoms of m and ibular dysfunction Sixty-three patients with an arthrographic diagnosis of disk displacement with reduction were r and omly assigned to three treatment groups : ( I ) onlays to maintain disk repositioning , ( II ) flat occlusal splint , or ( III ) untreated controls .  Guidance for construction of the disk-repositioning onlays was established during arthrography to obtain a recaptured disk position relative to the condyle . The onlays were cemented to the teeth and maintained the new intercuspal position anteriorly and inferiorly . The flat occlusal splint was used at night only and was adjusted to maintain a maximal occlusal contact in centric relation and centric occlusion . Clinical examinations were performed before and after 6 months of treatment . The disk-repositioning onlays  improved joint function and reduced joint and muscle pain when compared with the flat occlusal splint and with nontreatment . The signs and symptoms in the flat occlusal splint group were no different from those in the control group . It is concluded that disk-repositioning onlays are effective in reducing pain and dysfunction associated with disk displacement with reduction in patients in whom the disk can be maintained in a normal relationship to the condyle with the aid of such onlays . The symptoms , however , returned when the onlays were removed after 6 months ; this raises the question of whether a permanent change in the intercuspal position is necessary for long-term success Forty-five individuals with long-st and ing facial pain or headache of muscular origin were r and omly allocated into three groups . The first group was treated with acupuncture , the second group received an occlusal splint , and the third group served as controls . Both acupuncture and occlusal splint therapy significantly reduced subjective symptoms and clinical signs from the stomatognathic system . No differences between these two groups were found with regard to treatment effects . It is concluded that acupuncture is an alternative method to conventional stomatognathic treatment for individuals with craniom and ibular disorders of muscular origin To assess the differential efficacy of two commonly used treatments for temporom and ibular disorders ( TMD ) , intraoral appliances ( IAs ) and biofeedback ( BF ) , separately and in combination , two studies were conducted . The first study directly compared IA treatment , a combination of biofeedback and stress management ( BF/SM ) , and a waiting list control group in a sample of 80 TMD patients . Both treatments were determined to be equally credible to patients , ruling out this potential threat to the validity of the results obtained . The results demonstrated that the IA treatment was more effective than the BF/SM treatment in reducing pain after treatment , but at a 6-month follow-up the IA group significantly relapsed , especially in depression , whereas the BF/SM maintained improvements on both pain and depression and continued to improve . The second study examined the combination of IA and BF/SM in a sample of 30 TMD patients . The results of this study demonstrated that the combined treatment approach was more effective than either of the single treatments alone , particularly in pain reduction , at the 6-month follow-up . These results support the importance of using both dental and psychologic treatments to successfully treat TMD patients if treatment gains are to be maintained BACKGROUND Treatment recommendations for patients with painful temporom and ibular disorders ( TMDs ) range from conservative treatments such as physiotherapy to aggressive and irreversible treatments such as restorative reconstruction and joint surgery . METHODS The authors r and omized 200 subjects diagnosed with TMD into three groups : usual conservative , dentist-prescribed self-care treatment without any intraoral splint appliance ( UT ) ; UT plus a conventional flat-plane hard acrylic splint ( HS ) ; and UT plus a soft vinyl ( a low-cost athletic mouth guard ) splint ( SS ) . Subjects completed question naires and clinical examinations at three , six and 12 months . RESULTS The authors observed no significant differences among the groups in TMD-related pain levels or other common signs and symptoms of TMD at baseline ( BL ) or at any follow-up . The changes from BL were comparable for all three groups . The authors did not note any significant differences at any follow-up for compliance with study protocol s or for occurrences of adverse effects from either splint type . For HS versus SS , there were significant differences in rates of splint use , but these differences were not accompanied by differences in either self-reported symptoms or in clinical findings . CONCLUSIONS All patients improved over time , and traditional splint therapy offered no benefit over the SS splint therapy . Neither splint therapy provided a greater benefit than did self-care treatment without splint therapy . CLINICAL IMPLICATION S These findings suggest that clinicians who treat patients with TMD should consider prescribing low-cost nonsplint self-care therapy for most patients The aim of this study was to investigate if the difference in treatment outcome between patients provided with a stabilisation appliance and a control appliance  was due to the treatment and /or other factors in patients with temporom and ibular disorders ( TMD ) of arthrogeneous origin . Sixty patients were assigned to two equally sized groups : a treatment group , treated with a stabilisation appliance , and a control group given a control appliance . Thirteen possible background variables for the treatment outcome were correlated to changes in severity of temporom and ibular joint ( TMJ ) pain on a verbal scale in the two patient groups . The logistic regression analyses revealed that , after correcting for the background variables , stabilisation appliance treatment was a strong explanatory factor for a positive treatment outcome , with a significance of P = 0.0013 compared to patients belonging to the control group . Background variables of significant importance for the treatment outcome were male sex ( positive ) ( P = 0.0268 ) , and severe or very severe TMJ pain ( negative ) ( P = 0.0034 ) . These findings indicate that not only the treatment with a stabilisation appliance but also sex and the intensity of the TMJ pain before treatment might influence the treatment outcome in patients with TMD of arthrogeneous origin The aim of the investigation was to compare the effect on signs and symptoms of temporom and ibular disorders ( TMD ) of two different interocclusal appliances . Thirty patients with signs and symptoms of TMD received either a stabilisation splint or a new kind of splint based on the concept of nociceptive trigeminal inhibition ( NTI ) . A clinical examination was performed and subjective symptoms were registered before start of treatment and after 3 and 6 months . All participants were offered to change to the other type of splint at the 3-month follow-up in case of no improvement or impairment of their symptoms . One subject in each group was lost early during the investigation . The mean time for taking impressions , to make inter-occlusal recording and to adjust the stabilisation splints was 17 minutes . The mean time to fit and adjust the NTI splints was 27 minutes . At the 3-month follow-up , 4 patients that had received NTI splints accepted the offer to change to stabilisation splints due to no improvement or impairment of their symptoms . These treatments were judged as failures . No one in the stabilisation splint group utilised the offer to change treatment . At the 6-month follow-up , 7 of the remaining 10 subjects with NTI splints reported some ( n = 1 ) or significant ( n = 6 ) improvement 
    Output:
    
Hard stabilization appliances , when adjusted properly , have good evidence of modest efficacy in the treatment of TMJD pain compared to non-occluding appliances and no treatment .
Other types of appliances , including soft stabilization appliances , anterior positioning appliances , and anterior bite appliances , have some RCT evidence of efficacy in reducing TMJD pain .