Effect of a Thick Palatal Appliance on Muscular Symptoms in Craniomandibular Disorders: A Preliminary Study

Several treatment modalities for myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome (MPD) are being used at present. However, from the standpoint of patients' quality of life, it would be reasonable to seek a more effective treatment modality. This study aimed to show clinical data of a preliminary study regarding the effect of a thick palatal appliance, designed to fill the palatal concavity with a thick resin base, on muscular symptoms in eighteen MPD patients. Shown here are the clinical results of two volunteer patients using palatal appliances of two different thicknesses. In this study, MPD patients were divided into the three following groups: 1. no-treatment group; 2. thick palatal appliance group; and 3. medication group. Based on the results of this study, it was suggested that the thick palatal appliance could bring about early improvement of MPD syndrome. It is suggested that the thickness of the palatal plate was an important factor in obtaining the clinical effect.