The status of temporomandibular and cervical spine education in post-professional physical therapy training programs recognized by Member Organizations of IFOMPT: an investigation of didactic and clinical education

The Impact of Education and Physical Therapy on Oral Behaviour in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorder: A Preliminary Study

Patient education is important in the treatment of temporomandibular disorder (TMD), but little is known about its effect on oral behaviors. We aimed to determine the dominant oral behaviours in patients with TMD and assess the impact of education on such behaviours. Between July 2018 and April 2019, 54 patients diagnosed with TMD according to DC/TMD were recruited. They received physical therapy and were provided education on TMD and offered a list of recommendations for improving their oral behaviours. The patient education process usually lasted for 10–20 min. Of these patients, 48 were reexamined at the outpatient clinic, 3–9 months posttreatment. We recorded the Oral Behaviour Checklist (OBC) score, maximum painless mouth opening (mm), visual analogue scale (VAS) score for pain, and Jaw Functional Limitation Scale (JFLS) score pre- and posttreatment. Wilcoxon signed rank test and paired sample t-test were used for statistical analysis. Results showed that the most dominant oral behaviours included “putting pressure on the jaw” (59.3%); “chewing food on one side” (46.3%); “pressing, touching, or holding teeth together at times other than eating” (33.3%); and “eating between meals” (33.3%). Posttreatment, the patients reported a decrease in “chewing gum” (P = 0.002), “leaning with the hand on the jaw” (P = 0.013), “chewing food on one side” (P ≤ 0.001), and “eating between meals” (P = 0.007), but this change was not significant in subgroups with a follow-up interval of 9 months. We also observed a significant improvement in the maximum painless mouth opening (P ≤ 0.001), JFLS score (P ≤ 0.001), and VAS score (P ≤ 0.001) for pain, posttreatment. In conclusion, patient education can facilitate management of oral behaviours and should be targeted towards specific oral behaviours.

Level of awareness of dentists about the role of physiotherapy in temporomandibular disorders: a pilot study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background

Physiotherapy (PT) is a distinguished developing profession. It has a crucial role in treating temporomandibular disorders (TMD) as an effective intervention to reduce pain and improve TMD symptoms. Not all dentists are aware of the importance of collaboration with physiotherapists (PTs).Therefore, this study aimed to assess the level of dentists’ awareness about the role of PT in treating TMD, identify dentists’ willingness to collaborate with PTs, and create collaboration awareness. This cross-sectional study included Saudi dentists in Riyadh. An online survey was used to assess dentist’s awareness and their readiness to collaborate with PTs.

Results

Out of 1500 dentists, only 162 participated in the survey. About 46.9% of dentists were aware that PT can treat TMD. Generally, there was lack of awareness about the benefits of PT among dentists (61.8%), and 59.9% was not aware that the evidence suggested that PT can improve TMD symptoms. Only 29% referred patients to PT. Upon the completion of the survey, almost all dentists (97.5%) were likely to refer patients with TMD to PT, and 90.7% of them showed interest to learn more about collaborating with PTs.

Conclusion

The study concluded that, although 46.9% of the dentists are aware about the role of PT in treating TMD, there is a lack of awareness about the benefits of PT among the majority of them. The study helped to extend the awareness of surveyed dentists about the collaboration and multidisciplinary approach.