Evaluation of Postural Exercises in the Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders

January 18, 2026 updated by: Berk Bilgen, Istanbul University

Determination of the Effectiveness of Postural Exercises Combined With Occlusal Splint Therapy in Internal Temporomandibular Derangements

Fifty-seven patients diagnosed with internal temporomandibular derangement will be included in the study and divided into three groups. All patients will be treated with a proven-effective occlusal splint. The first group will receive only occlusal splint therapy and will serve as the control group. The second group will receive occlusal splint therapy combined with Rocabado exercises, while the third group will receive occlusal splint therapy combined with postural exercises.

Before the treatment process, all patients will complete the Temporomandibular Disorders Diagnostic Criteria (TMD-DC) form. Pain intensity will be measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), pain thresholds will be assessed using an algometer, and the following evaluations will be performed: Cervical Posture Assessment (Craniovertebral Angle with Goniometer)-Cervical Range of Motion Assessment (C-ROM)-Cervical Deep Flexor Muscle Endurance Test-Neck Disability Assessment (NDI - Neck Disability Index)-Psychiatric Assessment (HADS - Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale).

After two months, patients will be recalled, and all tests will be repeated. The effectiveness of the three treatment protocols will then be evaluated.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

57

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Being diagnosed with internal temporomandibular disarrangement
  • aged 18 years or older
  • Willingness to participate in the study
  • Ability to speak and understand Turkish, with no communication difficulties severe enough to impede understanding of the exercises

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of acute trauma in the TMJ or surrounding area
  • TMJ dysfunction caused by a neurological condition
  • History of surgical/invasive procedures or treatments on the TMJ
  • Presence of infection or tumoral structures within intraoral structures
  • History of tooth loss or use of dental prostheses
  • History of surgical procedures in the cervical region

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: nineteen patients with internal temporomandibular disarrangement-group 1
Nineteen randomly selected patients with internal temporomandibular disarrangement
Other: occlusal splints combined with rocabado exercise
Nineteen patients diagnosed with internal temporomandibular derangement will be provided with Rocabado exercises in addition to the proven-effective treatment method of occlusal splint therapy. This approach aims to evaluate whether Rocabado exercises have a positive effect on the treatment process.
Active Comparator: nineteen patients with internal temporomandibular disarrangement-group 2
nineteen randomly selected patients with internal temporomanidbular disarrangement
Other: occlusal splint
nineteen patients diagnosed with internal temporomandibular derangement will receive occlusal splint therapy, a treatment method with proven effectiveness.
Experimental: nineteen patients with internal temporomandibular disarrangement-group 3
nineteen selected patients with internal temporomandibular disarrangements
Other: occlusal splint combined with posture exercise
Nineteen patients diagnosed with internal temporomandibular derangement will be provided with posture exercises in addition to the proven-effective treatment method of occlusal splint therapy. This approach aims to evaluate whether posture exercises have a positive effect on the treatment process.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Investigation of the Effect of Postural Exercises and Rocabado Exercises on Pain Reduction
Time Frame: 2 months
Three different treatment protocols will be applied to patients with internal temporomandibular derangement, and the results obtained after a 2-month treatment period will be compared to determine which method is the most effective. To evaluate treatment outcomes, the patients' pre- and post-treatment Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores will be assessed, with a decrease in the mean VAS score indicating a reduction in pain. Additionally, the pain threshold in various facial regions will be measured with an algometer before and after treatment to identify which treatment protocol is more effective in reducing pain. By combining both outcomes, the most effective method for pain reduction will be determined.
2 months
Investigation of the Effect of Postural Exercises and Rocabado Exercises on Physiological Movements
Time Frame: 2 months
Changes in cervical range of motion (C-ROM) and the craniovertebral angle will also be evaluated to determine the impact of the treatment methods on these parameters. In this way, the method that is more effective in improving physiological movements will be identified.
2 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Investigation of the Secondary Effects of Postural Exercises and Rocabado Exercises on Patient's Psychology
Time Frame: 2 months
The effect of the treatment protocols applied to the three different groups on the general psychology of the patients will be measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). In this test, a higher score indicates a higher level of depressive symptoms, and a successful treatment is expected to result in a decrease in the test score.
2 months
Investigation of the Effect of Postural Exercises and Rocabado Exercises on the Mobility of the Neck and Jaw
Time Frame: 2 month
The patient's neck movements will be assessed, and the range of jaw movements will be evaluated. The study aims to identify which treatment protocol leads to the most significant improvement in jaw and neck mobility.
2 month

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Istanbul University

Collaborators

Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University

Investigators

  • Study Director: Ebru K Mutlu, Clinical Prof., Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

November 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 21, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 23, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

November 27, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 21, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 18, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2023-186

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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