The TMJ Patient-Led RoundTable was originally conceived in 2016 under the leadership of Terrie Cowley, Danica Marinac-Dabic, and John Kusiak as a neutral forum where all stakeholders could come together to address shared challenges in TMDs. That early collaboration led to a white paper and ultimately informed the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) 2020 report on TMD, helping to elevate TMD as a national health priority.
Building on this foundation, the NASEM Forum on Temporomandibular Disorders (2021–2025) was established to provide an ongoing, neutral setting in which public- and private-sector experts and stakeholders could explore opportunities for collective action to improve TMD research and care. The Forum focused on emerging issues, facilitated cross-sector collaboration, and fostered long-term multidisciplinary relationships—all with the goal of improving outcomes for people living with TMD. Central to this work was advancing a TMD research agenda that reflects their biological complexity, clinical heterogeneity, and frequent comorbidities with other chronic overlapping pain conditions.
Due to federal funding cuts, the NASEM TMD Forum activities have ended. Its mission, collaborative framework, and body of work are being carried forward through the TMJ Patient-Led RoundTable. This transition ensures continuity and preserves the neutral, inclusive space needed to address the complex scientific, clinical, and policy challenges facing the TMD community.
While important progress has been made, including the launch of the NIH-funded IMPACT Research Network, significant gaps remain. Persistent challenges in clinical care pathways, education, and the long-standing divide between dentistry and medicine continue to affect patients. Expanded research, coordinated data efforts, and sustained advocacy remain critical.
The RoundTable is uniquely positioned to address these unmet needs by convening patients, clinicians, researchers, and other stakeholders in a constructive, collaborative environment. Priorities moving forward include advancing integrated care pathways, strengthening and expanding research, continuing development of the TMJ patient registry, and ensuring meaningful integration of data resources generated across IMPACT and other research programs.
Although the NASEM Forum has formally ended, its purpose endures. Through the RoundTable, this essential work continues, focused on collaboration informed by science, and grounded in the lived experiences and needs of people with TMDs.