Therapeutic Exercise in Temporomandibular Disorders: A Scoping Review

Temporomandibular Disorders (TMDs) are musculoskeletal dysfunctions affecting the temporomandibular joint and masticatory muscles, causing pain and functional limitations. The etiology of TMDs is multifactorial, including biological factors, parafunctional habits (such as bruxism), and psychological conditions. This study aims to map and synthesize existing evidence on therapeutic exercise for TMDs. Inclusion criteriaAll primary studies,randomized controlled trials (RCTs), prospective and retrospective observational studies, case studies will be considered. MethodsThis scoping review will be performed in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, Scopus, CINAHL Complete, Embase, PEDro and will be searched from inception until now. Additional records will be identified through searching in Google Scholar(the first 5 pages were examined) and Open Grey,, clinicaltrials.gov, Trialsearch.who.int and the reference lists of all relevant studies. No study design, publication type, or data restrictions will be applied. Two reviewers will independently screen all abstracts and full-text studies for inclusion. A data collection form will be developed by the research team to extract the characteristics of the studies included. A tabular and accompanying narrative summary of the information will be provided. ConclusionThis will be the first scoping review to provide a comprehensive overview and the results will add significant information for clinicians in the management of TMDs with therapeutic exercise. In addition, any gaps in knowledge on the topic will be identified. The results of this research will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and will be presented at relevant (inter)national scientific events.