THE EVALUATION OF PAIN RELIEF AFTER MASSETER BOTILINUM TOXIN INJECTION ON BRUXISM

¹Liv Hospital, KBB, Ankara, Turkey Bruxism is defined as abnormal maxillomandibular activity, characterized by grinding and clenching of the teeth, which can lead to wear on tooth surface, sensitivity, pain in the teeth, jaw, masticatory muscle and temporomandibular joint (TMJ), headache, ear pain, oral and facial pain, prostheses/implant failure and even tooth loss. Although it is known to be mainly during sleep, but in case of patients" anxiety, it may also occur during daily life. There are various treatment modalities of bruxism such as oral splint, behavioral approaches, medications but none is widely accepted. Botox is widely used and accepted both in cosmetic purposes and also noncosmetic conditions such as cervical dystonia, severe hyperhidrosis, TMJ dysfunction, bruxism and headache. Bruxism related referred otalgia is known to be a common symptom to ENT clinics. The purpose of this study is to investigate the performance of BTX-A injection to masseter muscle on bruxism by comparing the pain scores and frequency before the injection and following 2nd and 4th weeks after BTX-A injection. The reduction of the pain significantly improves the quality of life and botox injection to masseter has found to be quite effective. Although several limiting factors such as high cost and the probable necessity of repeated injections, in cases with insufficient response to conservative treatment methods, botulinum toxin may be an alternative and effective treatment for nocturnal bruxism and TMJ oriented otalgia. Keywords : Bruxism, Temporomandibular joint, otalgia, botulinum toxin