Gadotti Inae C, Hulse Corey, Vlassov Julia, Sanders Derek, Biasotto-Gonzalez Daniela A
Department of Physical Therapy, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
Orthodontics Only Practice, Miami, FL, USA.
Pain Res Manag. 2018 Feb 28;2018:1563716. doi: 10.1155/2018/1563716. eCollection 2018.
Physical therapy (PT) has been shown to be one of the most effective conservative treatments for temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Not all dentists are aware of the importance of the collaboration with physical therapists in the treatment of TMD pain.
To determine the awareness of dentists in Florida about the importance of PT for TMD pain and to create awareness related to collaborations.
An online questionnaire was used. A contact list of dentists was obtained from the Florida Dental Association. The overall awareness and information on patient referral were presented per dentist specialty.
A total of 256 dentists completed the survey. Prior to the survey, 41% of the dentists reported not aware that PTs can treat TMD patients. Oral surgeons and orthodontists were more aware about PT compared to other specialties. After the survey, 81% of the dentists were more likely to refer their TMD patients to PT, and 80% were interested to know more about the benefits of collaborations.
This study shows the lack of dentists' awareness in Florida about the benefits of PT for TMD treatment. This study increased the awareness of the surveyed dentists in Florida about the benefit from a multidisciplinary approach.
物理治疗（PT）已被证明是颞下颌关节紊乱病（TMD）最有效的保守治疗方法之一。并非所有牙医都意识到在治疗TMD疼痛方面与物理治疗师合作的重要性。
确定佛罗里达州牙医对PT治疗TMD疼痛重要性的认识，并提高对合作的认识。
采用在线问卷调查。从佛罗里达州牙科协会获取牙医联系名单。按牙医专业展示总体认识和患者转诊信息。
共有256名牙医完成调查。调查前，41%的牙医表示不知道物理治疗师可以治疗TMD患者。与其他专业相比，口腔外科医生和正畸医生对PT的了解更多。调查后，81%的牙医更有可能将他们的TMD患者转诊至物理治疗，80%的牙医有兴趣了解更多合作的益处。
本研究表明佛罗里达州的牙医对PT治疗TMD的益处缺乏认识。本研究提高了佛罗里达州接受调查的牙医对多学科方法益处的认识。
