Background
Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are a set of more than 30 conditions that can cause debilitating pain and dysfunction in the temporomandibular joint, chewing muscles, and surrounding tissues. They affect 5%-10% of the U.S. population and are twice as common in women than in men. TMDs are driven by a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and environmental factors, but significant gaps remain in scientists’ understanding of the underlying mechanisms. TMDs have long confounded medical and dental professionals, often resulting in delayed or ineffective treatment. The complexity of this set of conditions calls for a coordinated and multilevel approach to address them.
NIDCR’s Response
In partnership with multiple NIH institutes, centers, and offices, as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, NIDCR issued a notice of funding opportunity (formerly known as a funding opportunity announcement) inviting applications to conceptualize the design and implementation of a future, national, interdisciplinary, patient-centered research collaborative. The aim of the collaborative, called Planning for the TMD Collaborative for IMproving Patient-Centered Translational Research (TMD IMPACT), is to advance basic, translational, and clinical research to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of TMDs.
The planning grants are intended to enable institutions to develop the necessary partnerships, infrastructure, and capabilities to address the goals of the future collaborative. They are also intended to enhance institutions’ competitiveness for participation in the future collaborative.
NIDCR-Funded Awards
In 2023, NIDCR awarded nine planning grants totaling $2.8 million for one year of support.
| Award Number | Principal Investigator(s) | Institution | Award Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1R34DE033563-01 |
Gary D. Slade Anne E. Sanders |
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | PUFA Metabolism for Prevention and Treatment of TMD Pain: An Interdisciplinary, Translational Approach |
| 1R34DE033572-01 |
Yang Chai Jianfu Chen |
University of Southern California | Center for TMD IMPACT |
| 1R34DE033580-01 | Julie K. Olson | University of Minnesota | The Minnesota TMD IMPACT Collaborative: Integrating Basic/Clinical Research Efforts and Training to Improve Clinical Care |
| 1R34DE033590-01 |
Fernando Guastaldi Shruti Handa |
Massachusetts General Hospital | Boston Collaborative for TMD Research |
| 1R34DE033591-01 |
Alejandro Jose Almarza Roger B. Fillingim |
University of Pittsburgh | Collaborative for REsearch to Advance TMD Evidence (CREATE) |
| 1R34DE033592-01 |
Richard Ohrbach Keith L. Kirkwood |
State University of New York at Buffalo | Traumatic Events and Injury: Etiologic Mechanisms for Temporomandibular Disorders |
| 1R34DE033593-01 |
Hai Yao Janice S. Lee |
Clemson University | TMJ SYMPHONY Systems-Integrated Model and Mechanisms of Patient-Centered Holistic Outcomes and Network-Supported Training and Therapy |
| 1R34DE033595-01 | Sunil D. Kapila | University of California, Los Angeles | Interdisciplinary Clinical Advances and Research Excellence in TMDs (ICARE 4 TMDs) Collaborative |
| 1R34DE033630-01 |
Alexandre DaSilva David H. Kohn Yuji Mishina |
University of Michigan | Michigan Collaborative Hub for TMD Patient-Centric Research (MICH T PCR) |