Biofeedback-Based Therapy in Patients With Myofascial Orofacial Pain and Bruxism: An Umbrella Review.
Biofeedback consistently reduced jaw-muscle activity across the reviewed evidence, but pain improvement was inconsistent. Confidence is limited because the underlying reviews were low quality.
Beriger C, Kohout K, Zumbrunn A, Ruales-Carrera E, Eyüboğlu TF, Özcan M.
Journal of oral rehabilitation · Publication date: 2026-09-09
Added to site: 2026-09-10
DOI: 10.1111/joor.70303
First-publication date from the authoritative indexed record.
- Modalities
- Biofeedback
- Clinical focus
- Pain, Bruxism
- Population
- Patients with myofascial orofacial pain or bruxism represented in systematic reviews
- Sample
- 11 systematic reviews
- Intervention / method
- Biofeedback-based therapies across the included reviews
- Comparator
- Varied across the included systematic reviews
Clinician summary
Nine reviews were rated critically low and two low by AMSTAR 2. Muscle-activity outcomes were consistently favorable, while pain outcomes varied; only five reviews used GRADE.
How to interpret the findings
This umbrella review inherits heterogeneity and weaknesses from its source reviews. Low review quality, limited certainty assessment and variable pain findings prevent firm clinical conclusions.
Equipment and disclosures
Biofeedback equipment varied across the included reviews and was not resolved from the reviewed abstract.
Funding and competing-interest disclosures were not verified from the reviewed abstract.
Related evidence
Compare findings from the same clinical area, including mixed results.
- A safety and feasibility randomized placebo controlled trial exploring electroencephalographic effective connectivity neurofeedback treatment for fibromyalgia. · Mixed
- Pain Outcomes and Exercise Data from the EXERT-Stroke Pilot Clinical Trial on Post-Stroke Headaches. · Mixed
- Non-invasive brain stimulation in chronic pelvic pain: a systematic review. · Mixed
- Photobiomodulation Irradiation Protocols for Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Protocol-Level Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials. · Positive with limitations
Summary prepared with AI assistance. Source verification does not imply an independent replication or a clinician's endorsement. Read our review method.