The effectiveness of biobehavioral therapy in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders.

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) involve a heterogeneous group of clinical conditions affecting the stomatognathic system and its related structures. Because the etiology of these disorders is still unclear, a wide range of therapeutic solutions has been proposed in the literature, including occlusal appliances, physical therapies, drugs, and biobehavioral modalities. Biobehavioral therapy could have a beneficial effect in the treatment of TMDs because of the reportedly high prevalence of psychological dysfunction in TMD patients. The authors reviewed the biobehavioral modalities used to achieve pain relief in patients affected by such disorders, with the aim of synthesizing data on the effectiveness these therapeutic approaches. Literature data suggest that the inclusion of biobehavioral interventions in the management of TMDs may be reasonable, even if no conclusions can be drawn about their long-term effectiveness.

Behav Med. 2007 Fall;33(3):101-18. Orlando B, Manfredini D, Salvetti G, Bosco M. The Department of Neuroscience, Section of Prosthetic Dentistry, University of Pisa, Italy.