Speech therapy in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction: a literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction is recognized as a group of altered musculoskeletal and neuromuscular conditions that encompass temporomandibular joints (TMJ), masticatory muscles and all associated tissues, with multiple etiologies and specific treatments. Objective: The objective of this paper is to review the literature on the therapeutic proposals of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunctions and to verify what therapeutic procedures are used in speech therapy. Methods: Articles were included that added to their objectives the description of proposals for speech therapy intervention, published in Portuguese and English, with the abstracts available in the LILACS, PUBMED and SCIELO databases and published between 2008 and 2018. The descriptors used were: “síndrome da disfunção da articulação temporomandibular”, “tratamento”, “fonoaudiologia”, “transtornos da articulação temporomandibular’’, “temporomandibular joint dysfunction syndrome”, “treatment”, “speech therapy”. Results: Of the 83 selected articles, 10 were considered for study analysis because they met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 3 were without available access and 2 were repeated, thus remaining 5 articles for analysis. Articles were found that addressed techniques with low-intensity laser, traditional orofacial myofunctional therapy, and therapeutic bandage. Conclusion: It is concluded that in studies in the field of speech therapy, treatments bring, in addition to the reduction of pain, the need for rehabilitation of orofacial functions. Studies are still scarce within this pathology, and new research on TMJ dysfunction is very important because speech therapy can bring a beneficial variation of treatments, aiming at the restoration of stomatognathic functions.