Comparison Between Sensory and Motor Transcutaneous Electrical Nervous Stimulation on Electromyographic and Kinesiographic Activity of Patients With Temporomandibular Disorder: a Controlled Clinical Trial

Background The purpose of the present controlled clinical trial was to assess the effect of a single 60 min application of transcutaneous electrical nervous stimulation (TENS) at sensory stimulation threshold (STS), compared to the application of motor stimulation threshold (MTS) as well as to untreatment, on the surface electromyographic (sEMG) and kinesiographic activity of patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Methods Sixty female subjects, selected according to the inclusion/exclusion criteria, suffering from unilateral TMD in remission were assigned to MTS, STS or untreatment. Pre- and post-treatment differences in the sEMG activity of temporalis anterior (TA), masseter (MM), digastric (DA) and sternocleidomastoid muscles (SCM), as well in the interocclusal distance (ID), within group were tested using the Wilcoxon test, while differences among groups were assessed by Kruskal-Wallis test; the level of significance was set at p ≤ 0.01.