Can massage beat mouthguards for teeth grinding pain?
NCT ID NCT07567183
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study will test whether different massage techniques can reduce jaw pain and muscle stiffness in people with sleep bruxism (teeth grinding). Forty-two participants will receive either connective tissue massage, another massage method, or a standard mouthguard (occlusal splint). Researchers will measure pain, muscle tone, jaw function, and sleep quality to see which approach works best.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- connective tissue massage
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a non-drug, non-surgical way to ease jaw pain and improve sleep for people who grind their teeth.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 42 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The benefits of massage may be modest and temporary.
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 42 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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May 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2026
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 to 45 years
- 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: * Possible diagnosis of sleep bruxism, * Reporting jaw or chewing muscle pain within the last 3 months Exclusion Criteria: * Having any orthopedic, neurological, or psychiatric diagnosis, * Having systemic and/or degenerative disorders, * Neurological or psychiatric disorders (excluding anxiety and depression), * Using medications that affect sleep or motor behavior, * Having arthrogenic or mixed temporomandibular disorders, * Using an intraoral prosthesis, * Having a history of direct trauma or previous surgery in the orofacial region, * Using muscle relaxants and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, * Using a removable prosthesis, * Receiving any treatment for bruxism within the last 4 weeks.
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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 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.
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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