Clinical Comparison of the Effects of Low Level Laser and Naproxen on Patients with Myofascial Pain Disorder Syndrome

Myofascial Pain Dysfunction Syndrome (MPDS) is an important facial disorder. MPDS patients complain of pain, tenderness of one or more muscles of mastication and suffer from limited function of affected muscles. The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic effect of low level laser with naproxen for treatment of MPDS.

This clinical trial was conducted through analytical parallel-groups design on 40 patients referred to the occupational medicine center of Yazd Province. Patients were divided into 2 groups of 20 cases who then were treated for 2 weeks with naproxen or low level laser. Clinical examinations were performed before treatment and 2 weeks after treatment by an oral medicine specialist.

This study showed that both laser and naproxen were almost equally effective in the treatment of MPDS.

All clinical symptoms such as masticatory muscle tenderness and pain improved in both groups; however mouth opening ability improved much better in laser treated group.