Effectiveness of laser in the treatment of patients with pain syndrome temporomandibular joint dysfunction

Introduction: temporomandibular dysfunction syndrome is an alteration that includes a set of signs and symptoms related to the structures of the stomatognathic system. Objective: to determine the effectiveness of the joint treatment of laser and drug support therapy, applied to patients with pain syndrome temporomandibular joint dysfunction. Method: a therapeutic intervention was carried out in 84 patients who attended the prosthesis consultation of the "Julio Antonio Mella" Stomatology Clinic in Guantánamo, in the period from September 2014 to the same month of 2015. Two therapeutic groups were formed: one received laser and drug support therapy and, the other, drug support therapy, each group with 42 patients who were evaluated at 5, 10 and 15 days. General and clinical variables were taken into account: age, degree of severity, pain behavior and evaluation criteria. Results: the combination therapy of laser and drug therapy proved to be more effective than drug therapy, as the symptoms disappear in a shorter period of time. Conclusions: it was validated that the combined treatment of laser and drug support therapy was more effective as the symptomatology progressively disappeared in a shorter period of time, in relation to those that were treated with conventional treatment and therefore its application is feasible.