BROCH, Juliana; ZANETTI, Franciele; FILTER, Vanessa Paola    SILVA, Tatiana Bernardon. Assessment with pain scales before and after three and six months of occlusal splint use. RFO UPF []. 2012, 17, 3, pp. 309-313. ISSN 1413-4012.

Objective: To analyze the effect of the use of acrylic occlusal splint in patients with Temporomandibular Dysfunction (TMD) through three subjective pain scales: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), and McGill Pain Questionnaire (MGPQ), before and after 3 and 6 months using the device. Methods: The sample comprised 24 patients assisted in the Occlusion Clinic of the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), RS, Brazil, appropriate to the inclusion criteria. The subjective pain scales were applied before and after 3 and 6 months of occlusal splint use. The values of pain recorded by each of the scales were analyzed by descriptive statistics in the program SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 18.0). Regularity of distribution was verified through the Shapiro-Wilk test. The values of pain before and after 3 and 6 months of use were compared using the nonparametric Wilcoxon test (a = 0,05). Results: Statistically significant values of improvement in pain symptoms for patients with TMD were found in all scales evaluated, except for the VAS (baseline x 3 months) and MGPQ sensorial subdivision (baseline x 6 months). Conclusion: It is suggested that the use of occlusal splint contributes to the amendment of pain symptoms after 3 months of treatment, using the NRS and MGPQ scales as method of pain assessment, giving credibility to this type of treatment.

: Pain measurement.; Occlusal splints.; Scales.; Temporomandibular joint disorders..