Telerehabilitation of Temporomandibular Dysfunction Syndrome during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Study

Shahine, Mohammed Safwat; Mahran, Safaa Ali; Galal, Marwa Ahmed Abdel-Aziz

doi:10.21608/ejhm.2023.279320

Telerehabilitation of Temporomandibular Dysfunction Syndrome during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

10.21608/ejhm.2023.279320

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of telerehabilitation presented in a well-designed home exercise program on the manifestation of refractory TMD during the lockdown period of the current COVID-19.
Material and Method: Twenty Adult subjects with TMD were included in this pilot study. After a full medical history taking and clinical examination of the TMJ, the pain level was assessed by a visual analog scale of 100. Assessment of the severity of TMD was done using Fonseca’s questionnaire.
Results: The age of our patients ranged between 15-58 years old, with female predominance (55%). On using paired t-test and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test, very high statistically significant differences (P=0.001) were found between the results of pain at rest and with movement, the distance of mouth opening, and severity of TMD before and after the rehabilitation program. Spearman’s correlation test showed a weak inverse significant correlation (P= 0.032) between TMD duration and pain at rest difference. Conclusion: This pilot study showed that, during the containment period of the COVID-19 pandemic, telerehabilitation of chronic refractory TMD with no internal derangement, in the form of a home-based well-chosen exercise program with the motivating follow-up of the patients through phone calls and other smartphone applications, were effective in reducing the pain both at rest and with movement, improving the range of motion and the severity of TMD manifestations.

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