Effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and amitriptyline in patients with chronic temporomandibular disorders: a pilot study

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and use of amitriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant, in patients with chronic temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Forty-seven women (mean age = 35.4 years old) with chronic TMD were enrolled in the study and divided into 4 groups: amitriptyline; amitriptyline and CBT; placebo and CBT; and placebo only (control). Patients were managed for 7 consecutive weeks. Follow-up evaluations were done at the 1st, 7th and 11th weeks of treatment. The presence and severity of pain, levels of depression, and quality of life and sleep were measured. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, Chi-square and Cochran tests, considering a significance level of 5%. Improvements were found for all factors considered in the intragroup analysis, although no significant differences were detected among groups. However, at the end of the treatment (11 weeks of follow-up), these positive outcomes persisted only for the women treated with amitriptyline and CBT. The obtained results suggest that the combination of amitriptyline and CBT may be effective in reducing pain and depression levels as well as in improving the quality of life and sleep in patients with chronic TMD.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Calderon,Patrícia dos Santos, Tabaquim,Maria de Lourdes Merighi, Oliveira,Luiz Carlos de, Camargo,Ana Paula Afonso, Ramos Netto,Tatiana de Cássia, Conti,Paulo César Rodrigues
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Fundação Odontológica de Ribeirão Preto 2011
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-64402011000500012
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!