Background
Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJDs) are complex conditions that affect the temporomandibular joint and surrounding musculature and produce pain, discomfort and limited mobility.
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and has been the primary sponsor for research on temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJDs). NIDCR has a long history of TMJD research support, having awarded its first grant related to TMJD in 1969, and has collaborated extensively with other NIH entities, as well as other agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The complexity of these disorders also has involved research and related activities supported by other departments as well.
House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee FY1998 report language for NIDCR: (1) encouraged the Institute to “carry out the research recommendations of the Technology Assessment Conference on the Management of TMDs”; (2) called on the NIDCR to form an “inter-institute committee along with representatives of the Office on Women’s Health, AHCPR (AHRQ), and CDC to develop a short- and long-term research agenda;” and; (3) recommended a “study of TMJ patients who are suffering craniofacial and systemic problems as the result of implants.” In July 1998 the NIDCR convened the first meeting of the Temporomandibular Joint Disorders Interagency Working Group (TMJDIWG).
Purpose
The TMJDIWG meets once a year to facilitate cooperation, communication, and collaboration among agencies that conduct or support TMJD-related activities. These activities involve the support of biomedical and behavioral research. While the TMJDIWG plays a facilitating role, funding of specific research initiatives falls within the responsibility of the sponsoring
entity(ies).
The working group is comprised of federal representatives from four agencies in the Department of Health and Human Services. At the NIH, representatives come from the NIDCR, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDCD), and the Office of Research on Women's Health. Other DHHS agencies represented include the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In addition, the working group includes federal representatives from the Department of Defense and non-federal representatives from patient advocacy groups and academia.
A key function of the TMJDIWG is to provide a forum for the exchange and dissemination of information. The group's activities have involved the development and description of an inventory of DHHS TMJD-related research along with a catalogue of research recommendations from scientific workshops and meetings held over the past several years. TMJDIWG meetings currently tend to focus on bringing together in-depth information from the varied programs represented by the member organizations.