Is low dose of botulinum toxin effective in controlling chronic pain in sleep bruxism, awake bruxism, and temporomandibular disorder?

ABSTRACT

Objective

To evaluate the effects of low doses of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) to control pain in patients with sleep bruxism (SB), awake bruxism (AB), and temporomandibular disorder (TMD) during 180 days.

Methods

Overall sample of thirty-five patients with chronic pain related to TMD, SB, and AB received a single dose of 20 U of BoNT-A in masseter and temporalis muscles. The pain was assessed with a visual analog scale (VAS) before and after 15, 30, 60, 90, and 180 days of the application.

Results

The three clinical conditions experienced decrease in pain after 15 days of treatment (p < 0.0001); the maximum pain relief persisted for up to 90 days after BoNT-A application in patients with SB and AB and 15 days for patients with TMD.

Conclusion

A low dose of BoNT-A may be effective for controlling chronic pain related to SB and AB, but TMD pain reduction was short-lived.

KEYWORDS:

• Botulinum toxin
• myofascial pain
• temporomandibular joint disorders
• bruxism
• pain management
• visual analog scale

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES)-Finance Code 001;“This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES)” [Code 001];