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Can acupuncture ease jaw pain that splints cannot fix?

NCT ID NCT07820488

Symptom relief Sponsor: Universidade do Porto Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 15, 2026 · Last updated Sep 16, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers at the University of Porto studied 30 adults with myofascial temporomandibular disorder who still had jaw muscle pain after using a stabilization splint for at least five years. All participants kept using their splints and received four weekly 30-minute acupuncture sessions. The team measured pain intensity, jaw muscle pressure thresholds, maximum mouth opening, and muscle electrical activity before and after the sessions. Because everyone received acupuncture and there was no comparison group, the study describes short-term changes within participants rather than proving acupuncture caused them.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
acupuncture added to ongoing occlusal splint therapy
What this could lead to
If acupuncture helps, it could offer a low-risk add-on for people whose jaw pain persists despite years of splint use.
What could go wrong
The study has no control group and only 30 participants, so any changes may reflect time, placebo, or natural fluctuation rather than acupuncture. Results would need larger controlled trials to confirm.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

30 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jul 2025

Finished

Mar 2026

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older. * Ability to understand the study procedures and provide written informed consent. * Diagnosis of myalgia according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) Axis I. * Persistent or recurrent pain in the masseter and/or temporalis muscles for more than 12 months, including pain during the 30 days before enrollment, with muscular pain confirmed by clinical examination. * Use of a maxillary full-arch stabilization splint for at least five consecutive years before enrollment. * Persistence of temporomandibular disorder-related muscular pain despite ongoing occlusal splint use. Exclusion Criteria: * History of significant trauma to the temporomandibular joint. * Poorly controlled systemic metabolic disease. * Active cancer. * Pregnancy. * Significant neurological disorder. * Use of medications affecting neuromuscular function during the 30 days before enrollment. * Needle phobia. * Inability to comply with the intervention and assessment schedule.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

temporomandibular joint disorder temporomandibular joint dysfunction syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Myofascial pain - dysfunction syndrome of TMJ Temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Faculty of Dental Medicine, university of Porto

    Porto, Porto District, 4200-393, Portugal

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