Assessment of physical and behavioral outcomes of treatment

This article reviews the availability of reliable and valid measures for assessing treatment outcomes and discusses issues related to research design, with the goal of identifying design elements that enhance the quality of evidence produced by clinical studies of therapeutic interventions. Assessment of outcomes in temporomandibular disorders can draw on methods and measures used with other chronic or recurrent pain conditions as well as temporomandibular disorder-specific measures. Reliable outcome measures are available for assessing the following: clinical signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders; pain intensity; affective aspects of pain; pain-related coping; pain behaviors, including expressive behaviors, activity limitation and use of health services; as well as pain-related disability and life interference. Well-designed measures of self-efficacy for controlling pain, explanatory models of pain, and patient satisfaction with treatment outcomes are needed. Elements of research design necessary for proving the worth of a clinical intervention include randomization, blinding, control, low loss to follow up, and an adequate follow-up period.