EFFICACY OF A SELF-TREATMENT PROTOCOL FOR FACE AND TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINTS REHABILITATION IN SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS

Background: In SSc, skin involvement of the face is frequent and extremely disabling, resulting in limited mouth opening, an altered dentition, difficulty in teeth care, as well as having a strong impact on the emotional and psychological well-being, thus impairing quality of life. Objectives: to evaluate the efficacy of a self-treatment protocol (created by AMURR A Multidisciplinary Association of Rheumatological Rehabilitation) for face and tempomandibular joints (TMJs) rehabilitation with two devices used in the dental field. Methods: 40 SSc patients (37 female and 3 male) with a mouth opening ≤ 40mm, were recruited and randomized in two groups of treatment: Group 1 (20 patients: mean age 50,650 yrs ± 13,937 SD, mean disease duraton 10,45 yrs ± 7,877 SD, opening mouth 32,250mm ± 5,590 SD) treated with a home self-treatment protocol consisting of 23 exercises carried out at home in front of a mirror, 22/23 exercises were performed once a day, one of these using a device to obtain uniform stretching of the buccal rhyme, another one usingused three times a day to reduce tension of muscles of the TMJs, facilitating the mouth opening; group 2 (20 patients: mean age 58,05 yrs ± 18,103 SD, mean disease duration 17,4 yrs ± 15,017 SD, opening mouth 34,950mm ± 5,753) without physical rehabilitation, only drugs as treatments of SSc and its complications. All patients underwent a baseline (T0) and 45 days (T1) clinimetric assessment by self-assessment of quality of life with SF-36 (Short-Form 36 Health Survey), of the degree of disability of the mouth with MHISS (of the Mouth Handicap in Systemic Sclerosis scale), Muscle pain evaluated by numerical rating scale (NRS) of the temporomandibular joint with TMD (Temporo mandibular Disorders), evaluation of mouth opening and ROM of the cervical spine. Statistical analysis was performed using the t-test or the Mann-Whitney test for assessing changes in all measurement scales between treatment groups. Results: The protocol of home physiotherapy exercises resulted in a statistically significant improvement in the treated group compared to group 2 both for mouth opening (T0: 32,250 ± 5,590, T1: 35,650 ± 6,046) vs (T0: 34,950 ± 5,753 T1: 34,300 ± 6,001) (p<0.001), cervical flexion (T0: 2,950 ± 1,939 T1: 1.700 ± 1,525) vs (T0: 4,450 ± 2,282 T1:4,075 ± 2,238) (p<0.01), cervical extension (T0: 17,025 ± 1,895 T1: 17,625 ± 1,605) vs (T0: 17,050 ± 2,089 T1: 16,525 ± 3,110) (p<0.05), cervical right lateral flexion (T0: 14,075 ± 2,386 T1:13,400 ± 2,431) vs (T0: 14,200 ± 1,765 T1: 14,425 ± 1,742) (p<0.01), cervical right rotation (T0: 14,200 ± 3,416 T1:13,750 ± 3,206) vs (T0: 14,900 ± 1,683 T1: 15,550 ± 2,188) (p<0.01), cervical left rotation (T0: 14,725 ±3,640 T1:14,450 ± 3,710) vs (T0: 15,900 ± 2,614 T1: 16,450 ± 2,964) (p<0.05), mouth disability at MHISS (T0: 19,100 ± 10,356 T1: 16,000 ± 9,989) vs (T0: 20,950 ± 9,950, T1: 21,100 ± 10,775) (p<0.01). Conclusion: The use of the home exercises protocol associated with the two devices has shown a significant improvement of the disability linked to skin involvement of the face. This highlights the fundamental role that home rehabilitation self therapy has in practice. These data will need to be confirmed in a larger cohort of patients