Botulinum Toxin-A for the Treatment of Myogenous Temporomandibular Disorders: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews

Giancarlo De la Torre Canales, Mariana Barbosa Câmara-Souza, Malin Ernberg, Essam Ahmed Al-Moraissi, Anastasios Grigoriadis, Rodrigo Lorenzi Poluha, Maria Christidis, Hajer Jasim, Anna Lövgren, Nikolaos Christidis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) encompass several conditions that cause pain and impair function of the masticatory muscles (M-TMDs) and temporomandibular joints. There is a large interest among clinicians and researchers in the use of botulinum toxin-A (BoNT-A) as a treatment for M-TMD. However, due to the lack of consistent evidence regarding the efficacy as well as adverse events of BoNT-A, clinical decision making is challenging. Therefore, this umbrella review aimed to systematically assess systematic reviews (SRs) evaluating BoNT-A treatment effects on pain intensity, mandibular movements, and adverse events in patients with M-TMDs. Method: An electronic search was undertaken in the databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science, Epistemonikos, ClinicalTrials.gov, and ICTRP to identify SRs investigating BoNT-A effects on M-TMDs, published from the inception of each database until 6 December 2023. The quality of evidence was rated according to the critical appraisal checklist developed by the umbrella review methodology working group. Only high-quality SRs were included. Results: In total, 18 SRs were included. BoNT-A was shown to be more effective than placebo to reduce pain intensity, but not compared to standard treatments. Additionally, BoNT-A was not superior to placebo or standard treatments regarding improvement of mandibular movements. BoNT-A was considered to have a higher risk for adverse events on muscle and bony tissue compared with other treatments. Conclusion: The synthesis in this umbrella review provides the highest level of evidence present. Taken together, there are indications of effectiveness of BoNT-A for treatment of M-TMDs, supported by moderate evidence. However, considering the risk of causing serious adverse events, treatment with BoNT-A is recommended to be the last treatment alternative.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)779-809
Number of pages31
JournalDrugs
Volume84
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2024

Keywords

  • Botulinum Toxins, Type A/therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Masticatory Muscles/drug effects
  • Neuromuscular Agents/therapeutic use
  • Systematic Reviews as Topic
  • Temporomandibular Joint Disorders/drug therapy

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