Comparing the Effectiveness of Online vs. Face-to-face Physiotherapy for Treating Temporomandibular Disorders
1 other identifier
interventional
90
1 country
2
Brief Summary
Dentists and physiotherapists have two options for treating these conditions: splint therapy and physiotherapy. Right now, the gold standard is individual physiotherapy, which contains manual therapy and active exercises too. Since not many dentists and physiotherapists are experts in this area, patients have to wait for months or even years to get their treatment. Thanks to social media, patients can find many information about their condition while they are waiting, but it's our responsibility to provide safe and effective information. In view of this situation, our aim is to find out if online or group physiotherapy is as effective as individual physiotherapy.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable
Started Mar 2026
Shorter than P25 for not_applicable
2 active sites
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
Study Start
First participant enrolled
March 1, 2026
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
March 11, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
March 16, 2026
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
July 31, 2026
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
July 31, 2026
March 16, 2026
March 1, 2026
5 months
March 11, 2026
March 11, 2026
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Pain measured at Visual Analogue Scale
We will examine the level of pain experienced by patients at rest and when opening their mouths before and after the procedure.
Before physiotherapy and one month after physiotherapy
Secondary Outcomes (1)
RDC/TMD results
1 month
Study Arms (3)
Online physiotherapy
EXPERIMENTALThese group of patients will get a well-detailed video about the exercises for treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). This video will be available during the whole 4-week treatment period.
Group physiotherapy
EXPERIMENTALThis study group will have a 30-minute face-to-face physiotherapy appointment in small groups (5 person in one group). The physiotherapist will teach them how to perform the exercises correctly. At the end of the appointment, they will get a description about the exercises for the treatment of TMDs. They will practice the exercises at home for 4 weeks.
Individual physiotherapy
ACTIVE COMPARATORThis study group will have a 30-minute face-to-face physiotherapy appointment individually. The physiotherapist will teach them how to perform the exercises correctly. At the end of the appointment, they will get a description about the exercises for the treatment of TMDs. They will practice the exercises at home for 4 weeks.
Interventions
Been included in "arm descriptions"
Been included in "arm descriptions"
Been included in "arm descriptions"
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Patients with myalgia
You may not qualify if:
- Children, patients with systemic rheumatic diseases (RA, SLE..), previous jaw surgery or trauma
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- Semmelweis Universitylead
- Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Hospitalcollaborator
Study Sites (2)
Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Hospital
Budapest, Pest County, 1106, Hungary
Department of Prosthodontics, Semmelweis University
Budapest, 1088, Hungary
Related Publications (7)
Basch CH, Yin J, Walker ND, de Leon AJ, Funk ICH. TMJ online: Investigating temporomandibular disorders as "TMJ" on YouTube. J Oral Rehab. 2018;45(1):34- 41.
BACKGROUNDvan der Meer H, de Pijper L, van Bruxvoort, Visscher CM, Nijhuis-van der Sander MW, Engelbert RHH. Using e-health in the physical therapeutic care process for patients with temporomandibular disorders: a qualitative study on the perspective of physical therapists and patients. Disabil Rehabil. 2022;44(4):617-624.
BACKGROUNDAnastassaki Köhler A, Hugoson A, Magnusson T. Prevalence of symptoms indicative of temporomandibular disorders in adults: Cross-sectional epidemiological investigations covering two decades. Acta Odontol Scand. 2012;70(3):213-223.
BACKGROUNDMaixner W, Fillingim RB, Williams DA, Smith SB, Slade GD. Overlapping Chronic Pain Conditions: Implications for Diagnosis and Classification. J Pain. 2016;17(9): T93-T107.
BACKGROUNDLung J, Bell L, Heslop M, Cuming S, Ariyawardana A. Prevalence of temporomandibular disorders among a cohort of university undergraduates in Australia. J Investig Clin Dent 2018; 9(3), e:12341.
BACKGROUNDJivnani H, Tripathi S, Shanker R, Singh B, Agrawal K, Singhal R. A Study to Determine the Prevalence of Temporomandibular Disorders in a Young Adult Population and its Association with Psychological and Functional Occlusal Parameters. J Prosthod 2019; 28(1): E445-e449.
BACKGROUNDEgészségügyi szakmai irányelv - A temporomandibuláris fájdalom és diszfunkció diagnosztikájáról és terápiájáról 2020
BACKGROUND
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Interventions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- SINGLE
- Who Masked
- OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Associate Professor
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
March 11, 2026
First Posted
March 16, 2026
Study Start
March 1, 2026
Primary Completion (Estimated)
July 31, 2026
Study Completion (Estimated)
July 31, 2026
Last Updated
March 16, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-03