In recent years, the number of patients applying for prosthetic treatment due to temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) has been increasing. The main methods for treating disorders are the use of occlusal splints and physiotherapeutic rehabilitation as supportive treatment. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves with radiation frequency between 3 Hz and 3 THz, used for physiotherapeutic treatment of skeletal muscle relaxation in the range of 3 to 6 MHz. The rehabilitation effect of these waves is based on diathermy by means of high-voltage quick alternating current. Aim. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of radiofrequency waves on the pain of the masticatory muscles in the course of TMD and the usefulness of these procedures in the supporting treatment of these disorders. Materials and Methods. Patients aged 19 to 45 years, of both sexes, reported to the Consulting Room of TMD at the Institute of Dentistry in Krakow to undertake prosthetic treatment of TMD (I a—according to RDC/TMD). Study group (SG) consists of 20 patients who had 10 supportive treatments with radiofrequency currents. In the case of application of radiation to the muscle area, the energy was 20 J to the area of the masticatory muscles, the frequency was 3 MHz, bipolar technique, the duration of the procedure was 10 minutes, and the coupling substance was a gel for ultrasound examinations. The control group (CG) consisted of 20 patients who had 10 supportive treatments with sonophoresis procedures. For the area of masticatory muscles, 0.9 W/cm² treatments were applied, the duty factor was 80%, the treatment time was 10 minutes, and the medical substance was 25% Voltaren gel. Results. Analysis of the results of the first clinical examinations (axis I) conducted in both groups shows a homogeneous clinical material and similar results. The second clinical examination revealed improved clinical parameters, but it showed a greater improvement in the SG. In the SG, the mean level of VAS was 6.25, and the extreme values were 5.9–0.14, the median was 2.15, and the standard deviation was 1.54. In the CG, the average value of VAS was 6.20 (peak of 5.2–0.7), the median was 2.4, and the standard deviation was 1.87. Summary. The search for new methods of supportive treatment of TMD is an important research direction due to the complex etiology of this disease and the lack of an explicit treatment algorithm. Conclusion. The results of our own research clearly indicate that the use of the radiofrequency waves brings pain relief and improvement of clinical parameters to a greater extent than in sonophoresis. It can be a very important new method in supportive treatment of TMD. Research needs to be continued.

中文翻译：

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射频波在颞下颌疾病支持治疗中的应用

近年来，由于颞下颌关节疾病（TMD）而申请假体治疗的患者数量一直在增加。治疗疾病的主要方法是使用咬合夹板和理疗康复作为支持治疗。无线电波是辐射频率在3 Hz至3 THz之间的电磁波，用于物理疗法治疗3至6 MHz范围内的骨骼肌松弛。这些波的康复效果是基于高压快速交流电的透热疗法。目标。该研究的目的是评估射频波对TMD过程中咀嚼肌疼痛的影响以及这些程序在支持这些疾病中的作用。材料和方法。年龄在19至45岁之间的男女患者都向克拉科夫牙科研究所的TMD咨询室报告，接受了TMD的假体治疗（根据RDC / TMD，I a）。研究组（SG）由20位患者组成，他们接受了10种射频电流的辅助治疗。在向肌肉区域施加辐射的情况下，咀嚼肌区域的能量为20 J，频率为3 MHz，采用双极技术，操作时间为10分钟，偶联物质为凝胶用于超声波检查。对照组（CG）由20位患者组成，他们接受了10种支持超声疗法的支持疗法。对于咀嚼肌区域，0.9 W / cm ²进行处理，占空因数为80％，处理时间为10分钟，药物为25％Voltaren gel。结果。两组首次临床检查结果（第I轴）的分析表明，临床材料均一且结果相似。第二次临床检查显示临床参数有所改善，但SG改善更大。在SG，VAS的平均水平为6.25，极限值为5.9-0.14，中位数为2.15，标准偏差为1.54。在CG中，VAS的平均值为6.20（峰值为5.2-0.7），中位数为2.4，标准偏差为1.87。概要。由于该病的病因复杂且缺乏明确的治疗算法，寻找支持TMD的新方法是重要的研究方向。结论。我们自己的研究结果清楚地表明，与超声波治疗相比，射频波的使用在很大程度上减轻了疼痛并改善了临床参数。它可能是TMD支持治疗中非常重要的新方法。研究需要继续。