Telerehabilitation for TMD

NCT05318313 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: DENT-2022-30141
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 207
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will compare after physical therapy for Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) performed either in-person or virtually using telerehabilitation. Comparing diagnostic reliability and quality-of-life outcomes in each group will determine (based on a 10% margin) whether delivering physical therapy via telerehabilitation is as good as standard in-person care for these individuals. Long term outcomes including patient satisfaction, cost-effectiveness analysis, and functional status will describe the feasibility of telerehabilitation as a management intervention for this population.

Conditions

TMJ Disc Displacement Without Reduction; Masticatory Myofascial Pain; TMJ Arthralgia; TMD Headache; Temporomandibular Disorder; TMJ Disc Displacement With Reduction

Keywords

Temporomandibular Disorders; TMD; telerehabilitation; telehealth; physical therapy; PT

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Specialist diagnosis

  Diagnosis will be determined by putting clinical assessment results into the Brief Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (Brief DC/TMD) algorithm and getting one or more of 7 possible diagnoses: TMJ arthralgia (joint), Masticatory myofascial pain (muscle), TMJ disc displacement with reduction (joint), TMJ disc displacement without reduction (joint), TMJ arthritis (joint), TMD headache (muscle), other (neither). The diagnosis will be measured as one of four options: 1. joint; 2. muscle; 3. both; or 4. neither.

  Measured directly after the PT evaluation (Day 1)

• Diagnostic agreement

  Agreement data for each subject will be collected comparing two specialist diagnoses: dentist and physical therapist. Agreement about the diagnostic category will be recorded as a binary "yes/no" measure.

  Measured directly after the PT evaluation (Day 1)

• The Oral Health Impact Profile for TMD summary score

  The OHIP-TMD is a condition-specific quality-of-life scale with 22 items and a 0-4 scoring option for each item. A higher score means lower quality-of life. The summary score after 6 weeks will be compared to the baseline summary score, and a score decrease ≥6.9 units will be considered evidence of therapy success. The proportion of therapy success in each group will be used for non-inferiority comparison.

  6 weeks after intervention onset

Study Arms (4)

Telerehabilitation only

Participants choose to have all of their physical therapy provided virtually throughout the length of the study

Other: Telerehabilitation

In-person only

Participants choose to have all of their physical therapy provided in-person throughout the length of the study

Hybrid 1

The TR PT evaluation and follow-up visits in the initial 6 weeks will be performed via Zoom software and subsequent follow-up visits will switch to in person after 6 weeks

Other: Telerehabilitation

Hybrid 2

The PT evaluation and follow-up visits in the initial 6 weeks will be performed in person and will switch to TR via Zoom software after 6 weeks

Other: Telerehabilitation

Interventions

Telerehabilitation OTHER

The TR PT evaluation and follow-up visits will be performed via Zoom software

Hybrid 1; Hybrid 2; Telerehabilitation only

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 70 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Individuals diagnosed with at least one subtype of temporomandibular disorders by a TMD specialist at the University of Minnesota TMD, Orofacial Pain and Dental Sleep Medicine Clinic and referred for physical therapy at the same clinic.

You may qualify if:

• years old
• Referred to PT with ≥1 TMD subtype diagnosis
• PI has no previous knowledge of the participant's diagnosis
• Email access
• Possession of any device that can be positioned for hands-free TR visits (TR group only)
• Willingness and ability to comply with all study requirements and PT program
• Able to provide informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Non-English speakers
• Permanent residence outside of the state of Minnesota (TR group only)
• Women in the last trimester of pregnancy
• Referred for post-surgical rehabilitation
• Severe chronic pain as identified by level 4 classification on the GCPS
• Current diagnosis or existence of the following conditions that can limit response to PT and participation in study activities:
• Neuropathic pain
• Fibromyalgia and/or generalized widespread pain on both sides of the body in ≥3 areas above and below the waist
• Rheumatoid arthritis or juvenile idiopathic arthritis
• Dystonia or other movement disorder
• Fractures and/or recent jaw or facial trauma
• Malignancies
• Current substance abuse

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Minnesota: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

Interventions

Telerehabilitation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Craniomandibular Disorders; Mandibular Diseases; Jaw Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Joint Diseases; Muscular Diseases; Stomatognathic Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care; Therapeutics; Health Services; Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services; Telemedicine; Delivery of Health Care; Patient Care Management; Health Services Administration

Study Officials

• Emily Kahnert

  University of Minnesota

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 3, 2022
• First Posted: April 8, 2022
• Study Start: June 17, 2022
• Primary Completion: July 1, 2024
• Study Completion: July 1, 2024
• Last Updated: January 6, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Locations

US (1)