Efficacy of hard and soft occlusal splint therapy in the management of temporomandibular disorders: a comparative study

Background: A consensus regarding the effectiveness of soft and hard occlusal splint therapy for Temporomandibular Disorders (TMDs) is lacking. Different studies have reported contradictory results. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of hard and soft occlusal splints in the management of temporomandibular disorders. Materials & Methods: A comparative study was conducted at the Prosthodontics Department, Rawal Dental Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan, from November 2022 to March 2024 on 94 patients who were evaluated to reach the diagnosis of temporomandibular disorder. Patients were given a hard or a soft stabilization splint by random sampling. Each patient was reviewed after 3 weeks interval for a duration of 6 months. The modified Fonseca’s questionnaire was filled on each subsequent visit to record the effect of the occlusal splint on the existing condition and compare it from baseline data. SPSS 25 was used for data analysis; comparison between the groups were made using the Chi square test, and a p≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Results: In terms of comparing Group A and B at 6-month follow up, there was no significant difference reported while comparing most of the outcome variables. A significantly smaller number of participants reported clicking at 6-months who underwent hard-splint therapy as compared to those who underwent soft-splint therapy (2.1% vs 21.2% respectively, p=0.013). Conclusion: Significant improvement in TMJ pain, joint sounds, muscle tenderness and mouth opening was observed with hard occlusal splints following 3 months of therapy.