Table 1.

Details of the TEA Treatment According to the STRICTA 2010 Checklist

Item	Detail
1. Acupuncture rationale	1a. Style of acupuncture: TEA
	1b. Reasoning for treatment provided: due to the consensus of a group of clinical experts and literature supporting the usefulness of TEA for TMJ disorders.
	1c. Extent to which treatment was varied: No variation.
2. Details of needling	2a. Number of needle insertions per subject per session: 14
	2b and 2c. Names of points used and depth of insertion, based on a specified unit of measurement, or on a particular tissue level: 1. ST5→ST6: Transverse insertion from ST5 to ST6. 2. Near ST5→ST6: Transverse insertion on the horizontal line 5–10 mm from the ST5→ST6 line. 3. ST6→ST7: Transverse insertion from ST6 to ST7. 4. TE20→GB8: Transverse insertion from ST6 to ST7. 5. GB3→GB7: Transverse insertion from ST6 to ST7. 6. TE16→TE17: Transverse insertion from ST6 to ST7. 7. ST7: Oblique insertion from ST7 to the space between the zygomatic arch and mandibular notch.
	2d. Response sought: De qi
	2e. Needle stimulation: Thread-embedding
	2f. Needle retention time: No retention time
	2g. Needle type: TEA (29-gauge x 25 mm needle [30 mm thread] Dongbang Medical, Sungnam, South Korea)
3. Treatment regimen	3a. Number of treatment sessions: Four
	3b. Frequency and duration of treatment sessions: Once weekly for 4 weeks
4. Other components of treatment	4a. Details of other interventions administered to the acupuncture group: No other interventions for TMJ disorder, including moxibustion, cupping, electronic acupuncture, and administration of herbal medicine were permitted during the 4-week treatment phase.
	4b. Setting and context of treatment, including instructions to practitioners, and information and explanations to patients: Minimal conversations between practitioner and participant
5. Practitioner background	5. Description of participating acupuncturists: Licensed acupuncture and moxibustion specialists
6. Control or comparator interventions	6a. Rationale for the control or comparator in the context of the research question, with sources that justify this choice: Physical therapy will be used as a comparator. TENS is commonly used for the treatment of TMD.31–33
	6b. Precise description of the control or comparator. If sham acupuncture or any other type of acupuncture-like control is used: Sham acupuncture and any other type of acupuncture-like control are not used in this study.

Abbreviations: STRICTA, Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture; TEA, thread-embedding acupuncture; TMJ, temporomandibular joint; TENS, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.