Abstract

Background and objective: The object of this study was to analyze the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) who were treated simultaneously with ultrasound (US) and photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT). Materials and methods: This study included 13 patients of both genders, with diagnosis of TMD according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders. The patients were treated with equipment consisting of US and PBMT in the same system. The treatment was applied to the left and right sides of the face in the masseter muscle, anterior temporalis muscle, and temporomandibular joint, two sessions per week for a total of eight sessions. The OHRQoL was assessed by the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) at three moments: pretreatment (T-0), after the eight treatment sessions (T-1), and 30 days after termination of treatment (T-2). The Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskall-Wallis, and Spearman's correlation coefficient tests were applied, with a significance threshold of 5%. Results: Psychological discomfort, physical pain, and psychological limitation were the domains where the highest scores were obtained at T-0. The total OHIP-14 scores at T-1 and T-2 were significantly lower than at T-0. No statistical differences were observed between T-1 and T-2. Conclusions: We conclude that synergistic treatment was effective in improving the OHRQoL of patients with TMDs, and that its beneficial effects persisted at 1 month after termination of treatment.