Comparing the Effectiveness of Online vs. Face-to-face Physiotherapy for Treating Temporomandibular Disorders

March 11, 2026 updated by: Kovácsné Dr. Körmendi Katalin, Semmelweis University

Comparing the Effectiveness of Online vs. One-on-one vs. Group Physiotherapy for Treating Myogenic Temporomandibular Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Dentists and physiotherapists have two options for treating these conditions: splint therapy and physiotherapy. Right now, the gold standard is individual physiotherapy, which contains manual therapy and active exercises too. Since not many dentists and physiotherapists are experts in this area, patients have to wait for months or even years to get their treatment. Thanks to social media, patients can find many information about their condition while they are waiting, but it's our responsibility to provide safe and effective information. In view of this situation, our aim is to find out if online or group physiotherapy is as effective as individual physiotherapy.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
90

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Hungary
      • Budapest, Hungary, 1088
        • Recruiting
        • Department of Prosthodontics, Semmelweis University
        • Contact:
    • Pest County
      • Budapest, Pest County, Hungary, 1106

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with myalgia

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Children, patients with systemic rheumatic diseases (RA, SLE..), previous jaw surgery or trauma

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Online physiotherapy
These group of patients will get a well-detailed video about the exercises for treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). This video will be available during the whole 4-week treatment period.
Procedure: Individual physiotherapy
Been included in "arm descriptions"
Procedure: Group physiotherapy
Been included in "arm descriptions"
Experimental: Group physiotherapy
This study group will have a 30-minute face-to-face physiotherapy appointment in small groups (5 person in one group). The physiotherapist will teach them how to perform the exercises correctly. At the end of the appointment, they will get a description about the exercises for the treatment of TMDs. They will practice the exercises at home for 4 weeks.
Procedure: Individual physiotherapy
Been included in "arm descriptions"
Procedure: Online physiotherapy
Been included in "arm descriptions"
Active Comparator: Individual physiotherapy
This study group will have a 30-minute face-to-face physiotherapy appointment individually. The physiotherapist will teach them how to perform the exercises correctly. At the end of the appointment, they will get a description about the exercises for the treatment of TMDs. They will practice the exercises at home for 4 weeks.
Procedure: Group physiotherapy
Been included in "arm descriptions"
Procedure: Online physiotherapy
Been included in "arm descriptions"

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain measured at Visual Analogue Scale
Time Frame: Before physiotherapy and one month after physiotherapy
We will examine the level of pain experienced by patients at rest and when opening their mouths before and after the procedure.
Before physiotherapy and one month after physiotherapy

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
RDC/TMD results
Time Frame: 1 month
Dentists reassess patients after 1 month using the RDC/TMD
1 month

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Semmelweis University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • Basch CH, Yin J, Walker ND, de Leon AJ, Funk ICH. TMJ online: Investigating temporomandibular disorders as "TMJ" on YouTube. J Oral Rehab. 2018;45(1):34- 41.
  • van der Meer H, de Pijper L, van Bruxvoort, Visscher CM, Nijhuis-van der Sander MW, Engelbert RHH. Using e-health in the physical therapeutic care process for patients with temporomandibular disorders: a qualitative study on the perspective of physical therapists and patients. Disabil Rehabil. 2022;44(4):617-624.
  • Anastassaki Köhler A, Hugoson A, Magnusson T. Prevalence of symptoms indicative of temporomandibular disorders in adults: Cross-sectional epidemiological investigations covering two decades. Acta Odontol Scand. 2012;70(3):213-223.
  • Maixner W, Fillingim RB, Williams DA, Smith SB, Slade GD. Overlapping Chronic Pain Conditions: Implications for Diagnosis and Classification. J Pain. 2016;17(9): T93-T107.
  • Lung J, Bell L, Heslop M, Cuming S, Ariyawardana A. Prevalence of temporomandibular disorders among a cohort of university undergraduates in Australia. J Investig Clin Dent 2018; 9(3), e:12341.
  • Jivnani H, Tripathi S, Shanker R, Singh B, Agrawal K, Singhal R. A Study to Determine the Prevalence of Temporomandibular Disorders in a Young Adult Population and its Association with Psychological and Functional Occlusal Parameters. J Prosthod 2019; 28(1): E445-e449.
  • Egészségügyi szakmai irányelv - A temporomandibuláris fájdalom és diszfunkció diagnosztikájáról és terápiájáról 2020

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 11, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 11, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 11, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 376/2025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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