1. Research recommendations based on a gap in the management of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis .
| Core elements | Issues to consider | Status of research for this review |
| Evidence (E) | What is the current state of evidence? | A systematic review identified three RCTs which matched the eligibility criteria, but two were inadequately reported and assessed as 'unclear risk of bias' |
| Population (P) | Diagnosis, disease stage, comorbidity, risk factor, sex, age, ethnic group, specific inclusion or exclusion criteria, clinical setting | Adult patients of any gender or age, diagnosed with TMJ OA according to RDC/TMD or compatible criteria. Pain or tenderness of masticatory muscles should be considered as an important comorbidity |
| Intervention (I) | Type, frequency, dose, duration, prognostic factor | Any non‐surgical or surgical therapy for TMJ OA. No study evaluated open surgery or arthrocentesis, which should be explored in future trials |
| Comparison (C) | Type, frequency, dose, duration, prognostic factor | Placebo/sham or other therapeutic modality with frequency, dose and duration comparable to the intervention. Comparison with any inactive treatment to be compared in future trials |
| Outcome (O) | Which clinical or patient related outcomes will the researcher need to measure, improve, influence or accomplish? Which methods of measurement should be used? | Pain/tenderness/discomfort in TMJs or jaw muscles (VAS)
Extent of mandibular movement
TMJ sounds (as perceived by the patients or auscultation)
Health‐related quality of life or patient satisfaction
Morphological changes of the TMJs
Number of visits or days absent from work Adverse events Costs |
| Time stamp (T) | Date of literature search or recommendation | March 2010 |
| Study type | What is the most appropriate study design to address the proposed question? | Randomised controlled trial Methods: concealment of allocation sequence Blinding: participants, researchers, outcomes assessors, data analysts Setting: primary care and orofacial pain clinics |
RCTs = randomised controlled trials; RDC/TMD = Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders; TMJ OA = temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis.