[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 47 (Friday, March 8, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 9465]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-5449]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Technology Assessment Conference on Management of 
Temporomandibular Disorders

    Notice is hereby given of the NIH Technology Assessment Conference 
on ``Management of Temporomandibular Disorders,'' which will be held 
April 29-May 1, 1996, in the Natcher Conference Center of the National 
Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892. 
The conference begins at 8:30 a.m. on April 29, at 8 a.m. on April 30, 
at 9 a.m. on May 1.
    Temporomandibular disorders (TMD), a group of often painful 
conditions that affect the temporomandibular joint and muscles of 
mastication, confound and frustrate both patient and practitioner 
alike. Controversy surrounds virtually all aspects of TMD, from 
diagnosis and treatment to epidemiology and pathogenesis.
    Even agreement on which conditions comprise temporomandibular 
disorders has been elusive. The term has been used to characterize 
individuals with a wide variety of symptoms and signs, such as pain in 
the face or jaw joint areas, headaches, earaches and dizziness, and 
clicking sounds in the jaw joint. A key issue to explore is the 
appropriateness of the label ``TMD'' for the numerous conditions now 
included under this rubric.
    In the absence of universally accepted, scientifically based 
guidelines for diagnosing and managing temporomandibular disorders, 
diagnostic and treatment approaches of unproven value have proliferated 
in clinical practice. Concerns about their safety and efficacy, as well 
as potential for harm, have arisen among clinicians and patients. There 
is a need to examine the rationale for and outcomes of a variety of 
treatments currently used in practice, such as behavioral and 
pharmacologic management, orthotics, surgery, occlusal therapy, 
orthodontics, physical therapy and others.
    This conference will bring together specialists in pain management, 
cellular and molecular biology, epidemiology, immunology, behavioral 
and social sciences, tissue engineering, and clinical dentistry, 
medicine and surgery, as well as representatives from the public.
    Time has been set aside from the scientific agenda in order to 
allow presentations by representatives of interested organizations. 
These presentations should address policy issues and may be up to 5 
minutes in duration. Presentation by individuals representing personal 
views may be permitted if time allows, Requests to testify must be 
received by April 12, 1996 and should be sent to Jerry Elliott, Federal 
Building, Room 6C02, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, phone (301) 496-1144.
    After 1\1/2\ days of presentations and audience discussion, an 
independent, non-Federal technology assessment panel will weigh the 
scientific evidence and write a draft statement that it will present to 
the audience on the third day. The technology assessment statement will 
address the following key questions:

--What clinical conditions are classified as temporomandibular 
disorders, and what occurs if these conditions are left untreated?
--What types of symptoms, signs, and other assessments provide a basis 
for initiating therapeutic interventions?
--What are effective approaches to initial management and treatment of 
patients with various TMD subtypes?
--What are effective approaches to management and treatment of patients 
with persistent TMD pain and dysfunction?
--What are the most productive directions for future research, and what 
types of new collaborations and partnerships should be developed for 
pursuing these directions?

    The primary sponsors of this conferences are the National Institute 
of Dental Research and the NIH Office of Medical Applications of 
Research. The conference is cosponsored by the National Institute of 
Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Arthritis 
and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the National Institute of 
Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Institute of Nursing 
Research, and the Office of Research on Women's Health.
    Advance information on the conference program and conference 
registration materials may be obtained from: Laura Hazan, Technical 
Resources International, Inc., 3202 Tower Oaks Blvd., Suite 200, 
Rockville, Maryland 20852, (301) 770-31-53, [email protected].
    The technology assessment statement will be submitted for 
publication in professional journals and other publications. In 
addition, the statement will be available beginning May 1, 1996, from 
the NIH Consensus Program Information Service, P.O. Box 2577, 
Kensington, Maryland 20891, phone 1-800-NIH-OMAR (1-800-644-6627).


    Dated: February 20, 1996.
Ruth L. Kirschstein,
Deputy Director, NIH.
[FR Doc. 96-5449 Filed 3-7-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M