Could a few needles ease your jaw pain?
NCT ID NCT07321483
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 12, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether adding dry needling to standard physical therapy helps people with jaw pain (TMJ dysfunction). One hundred adults will either get standard rehab alone or rehab plus dry needling. Researchers will measure pain, jaw movement, and quality of life to see if the combination works better.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- dry needling
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free option to ease jaw pain and improve chewing and speaking for people with TMJ disorders.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early pilot study with only 100 participants. The results may not apply to everyone, and dry needling can cause temporary soreness or bruising.
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
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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
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About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * Diagnosed with functional temporomandibular pain syndrome without structural temporomandibular joint damage. * Aged ≥18 years. * Stable health condition suitable for outpatient rehabilitation. * Willingness to participate and ability to follow the therapeutic protocol. Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of degenerative, post-traumatic, or inflammatory changes in the temporomandibular joint. * Cognitive or psychiatric disorders limiting cooperation. * Lack of informed consent or non-compliance during treatment
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Faculty of Health Sciences, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic
RECRUITINGOlomouc, 77900, Czechia