Complementary and Alternative Medicine may be Effective for Reducing TMD Pain

Article Title and Bibliographic Information

A pilot whole systems clinical trial of traditional Chinese medicine and naturopathic medicine for the treatment of temporomandibular disorders.

Ritenbaugh C, Hammerschlag R, Calabrese C, Mist S, Aickin M, Sutherland E, Leben J, Debar L, Elder C, Dworkin SF.

J Altern Complement Med 2008;14(5):475-87.

Level of Evidence

Level 2: limited-quality, patient-oriented evidence.

Strength of Recommendation Grade

Not applicable.

Purpose/Question

In patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) pain, does whole system traditional Chinese medicine or naturopathic medicine decrease pain intensity more than state-of-the-art specialty care at 3 months posttreatment?

Source of Funding

Government–National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Grant Number P50AT00076 to Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Portland OR, 1999-2005.

Type of Study/Design

Randomized controlled trial.