Biofeedback and TMJ

Investigators from the Department of Psychology at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts conducted a review and meta-analysis of 14 evaluations of biofeedback-based treatments for temporomandibular disorders (TMJ etc), published since 1978.

The literature included two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of each of three types of biofeedback treatment: (1) surface electromyographic (SEMG) training of the masticatory muscles, (2) SEMG training combined with adjunctive cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques, and (3) biofeedback-assisted relaxation training (BART).

A detailed review of these six trials, supplemented with information from non-RCT findings, was conducted to determine the extent to which each type of intervention met treatment efficacy criteria put forth by the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB).

The researchers concluded that SEMG (surface electromyographic) training with adjunctive CBT is an efficacious treatment for temporomandibular disorders and that both SEMG training as the sole intervention and BART (biofeedback-assisted relaxation training) are probably efficacious treatments. This article also discusses guidelines for designing and reporting research in this area, suggesting possible directions for future studies.

Citation: Crider A, Glaros AG, Gevirtz RN. Efficacy of biofeedback-based treatments for temporomandibular disorders. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. 2005 Dec; 30 (4): pages 333-45. acrider@williams.edu .