Advancing Diagnostic Approaches for TMJ Disorders

Tmj Association, Brookfield WI

Investigators

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The TMJ Association Conference on "Advancing Diagnostic Approaches for TMJ Disorders" is scheduled for May 5-6, 2004 in the Washington DC area. Based on a 1989 national survey conducted by the NIDR of NIH, an estimated ten million people in the United States have signs of temporomandibular diseases and disorders, commonly referred to as "TMJ", with as many as 80% of treated patients being women in their childbearing years. Since little research had explored these problems, in the years 2000 and 2002 the TMJ Association, a national patient advocacy organization, planned and organized scientific meetings (co-sponsored by agencies of the NIH) to assess the current state of the science and provide directions for future research. These highly successful meetings were held with the fundamental goal of enriching the pool of investigators directed to TMJ research by attracting experts from other fields and by stimulating the interest of young investigators in the emerging field. The summaries and future research recommendations of these meetings have been published. One of the major recommendations from both of these meetings was the establishment of standardized, scientifically validated, and accepted criteria for the diagnosis of temporomandibular disease and disorders. Therefore, the Specific Aims of the next proposed conference are: 1) First, to provide an understanding of the needs and challenges currently faced in the diagnosis of TMJ diseases and disorders. 2) To assess current methods and explore new ways to define the TMJ vulnerable population through the utilization of new and emerging technologies provided through bioengineering, bioimaging, and computational biology. 3) To promote the participation of young scientists through a travel award program and 4) to stimulate interest among young investigators so that a multidisciplinary approach will develop to research temporomandibular diseases and disorders.