Self-management programmes in temporomandibular disorders: results from an international Delphi process

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Health Sciences

Background:

• Self-management (SM) programs are widely used for initial temporomandibular disorders (TMD) treatment.
• Existing literature lacks consistency in SM terminology, care components, and definitions for TMD.
• This variability hinders standardized clinical practice and research in TMD management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an operationalized definition of self-management for TMD treatment.
• To identify current self-management components used for TMD.
• To establish clear, non-overlapping, standardized definitions for these components.

Main Methods:

• A four-round Delphi process involving eleven international TMD experts.
• Round 1: Agreement on principal self-management concepts.
• Rounds 2-4: Consensus on the definition and specific components of self-management.

Main Results:

• Consensus was reached on a standardized definition and six core components of self-management for TMD.
• The identified components are: education, jaw exercises, massage, thermal therapy, dietary advice and nutrition, and parafunctional behavior identification, monitoring, and avoidance.
• These components form the basis of a consistent SM program for TMD.

Conclusions:

• The Delphi process successfully established principal concepts and standardized definitions for TMD self-management.
• The consensus-derived components provide a foundation for advancing evidence-based practice and clinical utility of TMD SM.
• This standardization is crucial for consistent patient care and future research in temporomandibular disorders.