Telerehabilitation for TMD

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Temporomandibular Disorder Craniomandibular Disorders Jaw Diseases Joint Diseases Mandibular Diseases Masticatory Myofascial Pain Muscular Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Stomatognathic Diseases TMD Headache TMJ Arthralgia TMJ Disc Displacement With Reduction TMJ Disc Displacement Without Reduction Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

Age range

18 year–70 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

18-70 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

Exclusion criteria

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

Treatment and study plan

telerehabilitation

Other

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

Primary outcomes

Specialist diagnosis

Time frame: Measured directly after the PT evaluation (Day 1)

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.
Diagnostic agreement

Time frame: Measured directly after the PT evaluation (Day 1)

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.
The Oral Health Impact Profile for TMD summary score

Time frame: 6 weeks after intervention onset

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.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Minnesota

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Telerehabilitation Effectiveness for Individuals With Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD): A Non-Inferiority Study

Important dates

Study start: 2022
Primary completion: 2024
Study completion: 2024
First posted: Apr 8, 2022
Registry last updated: Jan 6, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed