Aims: To identify the range of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) used in TMD studies, summarize the available evidence for their psychometric properties, and provide guidance for the selection of such measures.
Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted to retrieve articles published between 2009 and 2018 containing a patient-reported measure of the effects of TMDs. Three databases were searched: MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science.
Results: A total of 517 articles containing at least one PROM were included in the review, and 57 additional studies were also located describing the psychometric properties of some tools in a TMD population. A total of 106 PROMs were identified and fell into the following categories: PROMs describing the severity of symptoms; PROMs describing psychologic status; and PROMs describing quality of life and general health. The most commonly used PROM was the visual analog scale. However, a wide range of verbal descriptors was employed. The Oral Health Impact Profile-14 and Beck Depression Inventory were the most commonly used PROMs describing the effect of TMDs on quality of life and psychologic status, respectively. Additionally, the Oral Health Impact Profile (various versions) and the Research Diagnostic Criteria Axis ll questionnaires were the instruments most repeatedly tested in a TMD population, and these instruments have undergone cross-cultural validation in several languages.
Conclusion: A wide range of PROMs have been used to describe the impact of TMDs on patients. Such variability may limit the ability of researchers and clinicians to evaluate the efficacy of different treatments and make meaningful comparisons.