The aim of this review was to assess the contribution of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT)  to the management of temporomandibular disorders (TMD).

The authors searched  the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trial (CENTRAL), Pubmed and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Data for randomised and semi-randomised controlled trials (RCTs), comparing CBT with any control group receiving other dental treatments. Two authors independently retrieved, extracted and assessed the quality of included studies.

Five studies met the inclusion criteria, three RCTs and two semi-RCTs. Meta-analysis was not performed because of the apparent heterogeneity.

They found that the effect of CBT on patients with TMD was inconsistent among the studies, so no firm conclusion could be drawn.

They concluded

there is insufficient evidence either for or against the use of CBT over other intervention for the treatment of TMD.

Liu HX, Liang QJ, Xiao P, Jiao HX, Gao Y, Ahmetjiang A. The effectiveness of cognitive- behavioural therapy for temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review. J Oral Rehabil. 2011 Aug 9. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2842.2011.02239.x. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: