Experiences and beliefs of individuals with temporomandibular disorders regarding their understanding of the disorder: a qualitative study

• Grant number: 23/03362-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: December 01, 2023
• End date: February 28, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Débora Bevilaqua Grossi
• Grantee: Jene Caroline Silva Marçal
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) is one of the main sources of painorofacial, causing pain and disability, and thus may lead to impairment ofclinical activities, biopsychosocial aspects and quality of life ofaffected individuals. Beliefs and thoughts can interfere withclinical presentation and prognosis of people with TMD and perhaps evenin the search for care, since only a small portion of theseindividuals seek treatment. Therefore, the objective of this study is toinvestigate the thoughts, experiences and beliefs of individuals with TMD inregarding their individual complaints and their understanding of the dysfunctionwithin the physical, emotional aspects, coping strategies andpretreatment expectations. An exploratory qualitative study will be treatedand descriptive in which 30 individuals with TMD will be accepted to a singlein-depth semi-structured interview. The pace of the interview will be setby the interviewee, but will be directed through guided questions notstructured that address the domains: physical and emotional aspects, habits oflife, beliefs, coping strategies and pre-treatment expectations. AsInterviews may be conducted in person or via an online platform. Eachparticipant will receive a code in their files to ensure anonymity,all data stored will be transcribed in literal text to guarantee theintegrity and originality of the ideas and this data will be analyzed via analysisthematic. The expected results are to better understand thispopulation with a look beyond the physical, through reports about theirperspective, motivation and understanding of how to deal with the repercussions ofdysfunction and their motivation for seeking health care, and thushelp health professionals understand their patients also through thebiopsychosocial aspects and their expectations with the treatment.