Evaluation of TENS and Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) in patients with Temporomandibular joint disorder - A Pilot study

Temporomandibular joint disorder is a common presenting condition in the dental clinic. There are various treatment modalities for the management of TMD. No specific therapy has proven its superiority over other therapies. Hence, we compared the effectiveness of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) and Low level laser therapy (LLLT) in this study.  The aim of the study is to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) and Low level laser therapy (LLLT) in the treatment of TMD. Ten patients with temporomandibular joint disorder are included in the study. The study will be done based on split mouth technique, in that TENS will be performed in one side of the TMJ (ACUTENS- frequency of 75 Hz and pulse width of 200 ms, and the intensity ranges between 20 to 25 watt/ m² for 20 minutes )and the LLLT will be performed in the another side of the TMJ (DENLASE- wavelength of 980 nm, energy ranges between 50 to 105 J/ cm², frequency of 10 KHz, power of 1.5 watt was used). Both the therapies will be planned to perform in total of 9 sessions in alternative days. Pain intensity was measured using VAS for each session and recorded.