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. 2023 Feb 4;20(4):2777.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20042777.

Effects of an Interdisciplinary Approach in the Management of Temporomandibular Disorders: A Scoping Review

Nicolò Brighenti  1 , Andrea Battaglino  2 , Pierluigi Sinatti  3 , Vanesa Abuín-Porras  3 , Eleuterio A Sánchez Romero  3   4   5   6   7 , Paolo Pedersini  2 , Jorge H Villafañe  2
Affiliations

Effects of an Interdisciplinary Approach in the Management of Temporomandibular Disorders: A Scoping Review

Nicolò Brighenti et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) is an umbrella term that encompasses many musculoskeletal problems that include the masticatory muscles, the temporomandibular joint, and other associated structures. TMD can be divided into two large groups: those that affect the musculature and those that affect the joint. The treatment of TMD requires the combined skills of physiotherapists and dentists, as well as sometimes psychologists and other medical specialists. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the interdisciplinary approach using physiotherapy and dental techniques on pain in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). This is a Scoping Review of studies investigating the effects of combined therapy on patients with TMD. PRISMA guidelines were followed during this review's design, search, and reporting stages. The search was carried out in the MEDLINE, CINHAL, and EMBASE databases. A total of 1031 studies were detected and analyzed by performing the proposed searches in the detailed databases. After removing duplicates and analyzing the titles and abstracts of the remaining articles, six studies were ultimately selected for this review. All the included studies showed a positive effect on pain decreasing after a combined intervention. The interdisciplinary approach characterized by the combination of manual therapy and splint or electrotherapy can positively influence the perceived symptoms; positively decrease pain; and reduce disability, occlusal impairments, and perception of change.

Keywords: Interdisciplinary Health Team; dentistry; exercise therapy; musculoskeletal manipulations; occlusal splint; physical therapy modalities; temporomandibular disorders; treatment efficacy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA Flow diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2) [17,19,21,22].
Figure 3
Figure 3
The risk of bias in nonrandomized studies of intervention (ROBINS-I) assessment tool [20].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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