[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, confdept@tech-res.com.
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