Efficacy of conservative approaches on pain relief in patients with temporomandibular joint disorders: a systematic review with network meta-analysis.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of conservative interventions in pain relief in patients with intracapsular temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were systematically searched until January 1^st, 2022 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) presenting patients with diagnosis of intracapsular TMD according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD), conservative approaches as interventions, and pain intensity as outcome. Results: Out of 3372 papers, 13 RCTs were included, with 844 study participants. Most of them (n = 7) investigated the efficacy of splint appliance. Meta-analysis revealed that rehabilitative interventions had a significant overall effect size of 0.75 [0.17, 1.34], reporting splint appliance and laser therapy as significantly effective treatments. Conclusion: Findings of this systematic review with network meta-analysis suggested that conservative approaches might be effective in pain relief of intracapsular TMD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]