Table 4.
Proposal for a future research agenda on TMJ arthritis in patients with JIA*
| Future research agenda | Level of importance |
|---|---|
| Etiology and diagnosis of TMJ arthritis | |
| Identification of biomarkers for TMJ disease progression and treatment response | 8.7 |
| Effect of inflammation on facial growth | 8.6 |
| Differentiating JIA‐induced TMJ arthritis from idiopathic condylar resorption | 7.9 |
| Clinical diagnosis of TMJ arthritis | 7.6 |
| TMJ imaging | |
| Standardization of MRI assessment | 9.4 |
| Develop noninvasive diagnostic imaging techniques for young/noncooperative children | 7.9 |
| Systemic treatment of TMJ arthritis | |
| Prospective evaluation of systemic therapy on TMJ arthritis: methotrexate versus biologics as first‐line therapy | 8.2 |
| Orthopedic/orthodontic treatment of dentofacial deformity | |
| Effect of different types of orthopedic appliances (oral splints) for treatment of dentofacial deformity | 8.3 |
| Determine optimal developmental stage for initiation of orthopedic/orthodontic treatment with oral splints. | 7.7 |
| Surgical treatment of dentofacial deformity | |
| Prospective evaluation of surgical treatment modalities for arthritis‐related dentofacial deformity | 7.8 |
| Intraarticular treatment of TMJ arthritis | |
| Impact of intraarticular steroid on condylar growth | 7.9 |
| Study the effects of intraarticular administration drug therapy | 7.7 |
| Controlled randomized trial of intraarticular lavage and steroids versus intraarticular lavage alone versus control | 7.6 |
| Guidelines and protocols | |
| Develop an interdisciplinary management algorithm for TMJ arthritis management | 8.2 |
| Develop recommendations for monitoring orofacial health in JIA | 8.2 |
| Tutorial instruction video for standardized orofacial examination | 7.4 |
| Develop orofacial examination protocol for small children (2–5 years old) with JIA | 7.4 |
| Patient‐reported outcome | |
| Study quality of life of patients and families with JIA and TMJ arthritis | 8.4 |
| Study the burden of care for patients with TMJ arthritis/TMJ involvement/dentofacial deformity | 8 |
*
Levels of importance were assessed using a 10‐point visual analog scale, with 0 being not important and 10 being extremely important. See Table 3 for definitions.