Clinical Evaluation of Tizanidine on Masticatory Myofascial Pain and Temporomandibular Dysfunction

Abstract

The study was conducted to examine the clinical efficacy of Tizanidine to reduce the masticatory myofascial pain and dysfunction in patients with temporomandibular dysfunction. Twenty-three patients were involved in this study. Inclusion criteria for diagnosis was masticatory myofascial pain and dysfunctions. The diagnostic group with internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint and degenerative joint disease were excluded from this study. There were 6 male and 17 female patients, and the age ranged from 15 to 79 years old. One tablet of Ternelin (1 mg of Tizanidine per tablet) were orally administrated after each meal by three times a day for 2-4 weeks. In order to assess the efficacy of Tizanidine, the visual analogue scale and jaw pain dysfunction score were recorded by questionnaire in pre- and post-examination patients. The interincisal opening degree and the masticatory muscle tenderness were also recorded.
The effective rate was 60.9% based upon subjective impression by patients, and the usefulness was also judged as 60.9% by the examiner.
It was suspected that side effect had occurred in two patients as mild stomachache and stomatitis but recovered uneventfully. The study concluded that Tizanidine was an effective and safe oral drug relieving masticatory myofascial pain and temporomandibular dysfunction.