Table 1. Characteristics and quality assessment of included studies   .

***low risk of bias

** moderate risk of bias

Study	Design	Intervention	Outcome	Quality assessment
Cigerim, and Kaplan (2023) [8].	Randomized, double-blind, controlled trial	Naproxen-codeine, naproxen, dexamethasone, and naproxen	Significant reduction in pain intensity in all three groups Both naproxen-codeine and naproxen-dexamethasone demonstrated efficacy in treating myofascial pain.	***
Jayadev et al. (2014) [9].	Observational study	Analgesics	High prevalence of antibiotic and non-narcotic analgesic prescription for pulpal and periapical pathologies	***
Şermet et al. (2012) [10].	Observational study	Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)	High prevalence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) prescription for dental pain	**
Annaswamy et al. (2011) [11].	Review	Medications, topical agents, and modalities	Most interventions for myofascial pain lack adequate evidence, while certain medications, topical agents, and modalities show moderate to strong support.	N/A
Malanga et al. (2002) [12].	Randomized, double-blind, controlled trial	Tizanidine	Tizanidine showed significant reduction in pain intensity and improvement in function in myofascial pain.	***
Micó et al. (2006) [13].	Review	antidepressants	Pain and depression share common biochemical mechanisms, implying that antidepressants possess a legitimate analgesic effect.	N/A
Bendtsen and Jensen (2000) [14].	Randomized, controlled trial	Amitriptyline	Amitriptyline was effective in significant reduction in myofascial tenderness	**
Plesh et al. (2000) [15].	Case series	Amitriptyline	Amitriptyline Improved the pain and function in patients with temporomandibular disorders	**
Desai et al. (2013) [16].	Review	Physical therapy and self-care measures.	Myofascial pain can be effectively addressed through diverse treatments, encompassing medications, physical therapy, and self-care measures.	N/A
von Lindern et al. (2003) [17].	Case series	Botulinum toxin	Botulinum toxin showed improvement in pain and function in patients with chronic facial pain associated with masticatory hyperactivity.	**
Chaurand  et al. (2017) [18].	Randomized, controlled trial	Botulinum toxin	Botulinum toxin demonstrated effectiveness in reducing pain and enhancing jaw function in individuals with myofascial pain.	***
Galasso et al. (2020) [21].	Review	Lidocaine	The efficacy of a lidocaine injection and that of a lidocaine patch equally successful in reducing pain.	N/A
Bogart et al. (2007) [22].	Randomized, controlled trial	Group cognitive behavior therapy	Significant reduction in pain intensity and improvement in function.	***
Michelotti et al. (2004) [23].	Randomized, controlled trial	Home physical therapy regimen	A home-based physical therapy routine proved more effective than sole patient education in alleviating pain and enhancing jaw function in individuals with myofascial jaw muscle pain.	**
Kietrys et al. (2013) [25].	Systematic review and meta-analysis	Dry needling	Dry needling is an effective treatment for upper-quarter myofascial pain.	***
Koole et al. (2020) [26].	Randomized, controlled trial	Spray and stretch technique	The spray and stretch technique resulted in a notable increase in maximal mouth opening, particularly in individuals with orofacial pain, and the effect was more pronounced in women than in men.	***
Xia et al. (2017) [27].	Systematic review and meta-analysis	Ultrasound therapy	Current evidence indicates a notable impact of ultrasound therapy on pain in patients with myofascial pain, although it does not appear to have a significant effect on range of motion.	***
Werenski (2011) [28].	Review	Myofascial release techniques	Myofascial release treatments, characterized by diverse applications, show notable effectiveness when addressing injuries related to myofascial tissue. The treatments vary in factors such as pressure, duration, motion, and tension, leading to varied results and outcomes.	N/A
Hou et al. (2002) [29].	Randomized, controlled trial	Various physical therapeutic modalities: hot pack, transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS), stretch with spray.	Various physical therapeutic modalities, such as massage, stretching, and heat, prove effective in alleviating cervical myofascial pain and reducing sensitivity in trigger points and improvement in function.	***
Rai, Ranjan, Misra, Panjwani (2016) [30].	Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)	Therapeutic ultrasound and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation	Therapeutic ultrasound and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation effective for myofascial pain management.	**
Melis, Di Giosia , Zawawi (2022) [31].	Systematic Review	Oral myofunctional therapy	Oral myofunctional therapy beneficial for treating temporomandibular disorders (TMD).	***
de Felício, Melchior, da Silva (2010) [32].	Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)	Orofacial myofunctional therapy	Orofacial myofunctional therapy shows positive effects on temporomandibular disorders compared to control group	***
Truelove, Huggins, Mancl, Dworkin (2006) [33].	Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)	Traditional, low-cost, and splint therapies	Traditional, low-cost, and splint therapies effective in randomized controlled trial for temporomandibular disorder.	***
Wassell, Adams, Kelly (2006) [34].	Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)	Stabilizing splints in general dental practice	Stabilizing splints show positive outcomes in treating temporomandibular disorders over a one-year follow-up.	***
Scopel, Alves da Costa, Urias (2005) [35].	Observational study	Electromyographic study of Masseter and anterior temporalis muscles in extra-articular myogenous TMJ pain patients compared to asymptomatic and normal population	Electromyographic study reveals differences in masseter and anterior temporalis muscles in TMJ pain patients compared to asymptomatic individuals.	***
Türp, Komine, Hugger (2004) [36].	Systematic Review	Efficacy of stabilization splints for masticatory muscle pain	Stabilization splints efficacy examined through qualitative systematic review for managing masticatory muscle pain.	***
Kreiner, Betancor, Clark (2001) [37].	Review	Occlusal stabilization appliances	Evidence supports efficacy of occlusal stabilization appliances in the management of temporomandibular disorders.	***
Alencar Jr, Becker (2009) [39].	Double-blind controlled clinical trial	Evaluation of different occlusal splints and counseling in the management of myofascial pain dysfunction	The findings indicated that all three types of appliances (hard, soft, or non-occluding occlusal splints) paired with counseling demonstrated equal effectiveness in reducing both the Modified Symptom Severity Index (Mod-SSI) and tenderness to palpation.	***
Munguia, Jang, Salem, Clark, Enciso (2018) [40].	Systematic Review and Meta-analysis	Low-level laser therapy (LLLT)	The results of this systematic review indicate that Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) appears to be efficacious in alleviating pain among individuals with myofascial pain associated with temporomandibular disorders, supported by evidence of moderate quality.	.***