TMJ scientific research…you deserve the best!

For years The TMJ Association has kept the needs of the TMJ patients on the radar screen of Congress. We want the best science this country has to offer for these devastating conditions and we are fortunate to have the support of members of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Services Appropriations Subcommittee, responsible for funding the National Institutes of Health (NIH). We have garnered their support through personal contacts with staff and elected officials, by reporting regularly to them on the state of research on Temporomandibular Disorders and letting them know what we, the patients, need. In our advocacy efforts we are fortunate to have the volunteered advice and guidance of Peter Reinecke, former Chief-of- Staff to Senator Harkin, Chairman of the Subcommittee.

2012 SENATE REPORT LANGUAGE FOR TMJ DISORDERS:

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

Temporomandibular Joint [TMJ] Disorders.—The Committee encourages the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) to collaborate with other Institutes and Centers (ICs) regarding the etiology and pathogenesis of TMJ disorders as well as the co-morbid chronic pain conditions and disorders that solely or predominantly affect women. In particular, NIDCR should work with National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) to develop research opportunities in the area of joint pain. Examples of topics that need more exploration include: a basic understanding of the kinematics and biomechanics of TMJ disorders as they relate to normal jaw function and in disease; the development of biomarkers in bone, muscle and cartilage that are predictive of temporomandibular disease progression; the interactions of the TMJ musculoskeletal system with the nervous system; and the development of non-invasive measures of TMJ bone structure, growth, degradation and repair. The recent scientific meeting of The TMJ Association, co-sponsored by NIDCR and other ICs, concluded that there needs to be a shift in research toward a systematic exploration of common underlying root causes. The Committee strongly urges National Institutes of Health (NIH) to heed the recommendations from this meeting, which have the potential to accelerate scientific progress not just in TMJ disorders but in the other coexisting conditions.

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Temporomandibular Joint [TMJ] Disorders.—Many people who have TMJ disorders suffer from conditions that routinely affect other joints in the body, such as trauma and arthritis. Therefore, the Committee calls on NIAMS to collaborate with NIDCR to study the jaw anatomy and physiology and the complex neural, endocrine and immune system interactions that orchestrate jaw function and trigger jaw joint pathology. NIAMS should integrate findings from studies of the structure, mechanical function, metabolism and blood flow of bone, joints and muscles with studies of central and peripheral neural pathways, as well as the endocrine, paracrine and cytokine factors that impact upon craniofacial structures as a means to understanding the underlying causes of pain and dysfunction. The Committee also urges NIAMS to support comparative studies of the TMJ with other joints that could document similarities and differences at the clinical and molecular levels.

How You Can Help

• Thanks are due. Write to the individual members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee showing your appreciation for their continued interest and support of TMJ research and patients’ needs. 
• Contact NIDCR Martha J. Somerman, D.D.S., Ph.D., was appointed  director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) August 29, 2011. Please inform her that TMJ disorders deserve the best science.
• Write NIAMS. Dr. Stephen Katz is the Director of the National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Your letters to him acknowledging the Senate report language to include the TM joint in the Institute’s portfolio are an important follow-up—reminding him that he has a new constituency to work with.