CBD reduces TMJ disorder symptoms

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are non-dental pain issues in the region of the human jaw, or temporomandibular joint (TMJ). This double-blind, placebo controlled study wanted to determine the effects of an oral topical CBD gel on the symptoms of TMD. It was published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine in March 2024.

This was a parallel-group, three-arm, randomized, double-blind clinical trial focused on determining if CBD isolate had any effect on some of the most common symptoms of TMD. They assessed its muscle-relaxing, pain-relieving, and bruxism-reducing effects on 60 patients split into 3 groups. Bruxism is when you grind, gnash or clench your teeth; it is considered a movement disorder.

The three different arms, or groups of patients in the trial received:

 

The patients were seen by researchers four times: at screening, at baseline, after 14 days of treatment, and after 30 days of treatment. The CBD gel was delivered in special containers that ensured patients used the same metered dose amount each day.

The gel was applied inside the mouth to the right and left masseter muscles before sleep each night, so that each side received half of the total daily CBD dose.

Results:

The reduction in pain, as measured by the visual analogue scale (VAS), among patients using the 10% CBD formulation was 57.4%

individuals using the 5% CBD formulation experienced a 40.8% decrease in pain

Sleep bruxism index, users of the 10% CBD formulation saw the highest reduction of 51% 

 

The authors also reported that their surface electromyography (sEMG) measurements of muscle tension decreased by 42% in the 10% CBD groups (1a).

Authors' conclusions:

These findings underscore the efficacy of the proposed treatment in both experimental groups, with a notable advantage observed in Group 1a [10% CBD group].

The intraoral use of CBD formulations in patients with TMDs have proven to be a successful treatment for reducing pain, muscle tension, and bruxing activity in individuals with sleep bruxism and muscle-related TMDs.

 

 

The full text article is here at PubMed Central.

 

Source:

Walczyńska-Dragon K, Kurek-Górecka A, Niemczyk W, Nowak Z, Baron S, Olczyk P, Nitecka-Buchta A, Kempa WM. Cannabidiol Intervention for Muscular Tension, Pain, and Sleep Bruxism Intensity-A Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial. J Clin Med. 2024 Feb 29;13(5):1417. doi: 10.3390/jcm13051417. PMID: 38592260; PMCID: PMC10932451.