Abstract
Pain from temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) is a common musculoskeletal problem, second only to low back pain in causing pain and disability in the general population. Digital delivery of physical therapy (PT) via telerehabilitation (TR) could provide quality care at lower cost and increased convenience, however no concrete evidence exists to support this claim for individuals with TMD. Without this knowledge, whether and to what extent TR can increase access to care for this patient population remains unknown. The long-term objective of this proposal is to estimate the costs and cost-effectiveness of TR relative to in-person delivery of PT for patients with TMD from the perspectives of patients, society, and the health system. Using the data from our completed clinical trial assessing the effectiveness of TR for 207 patients with TMD, we will describe healthcare costs and estimate the ratio of cost to effectiveness in each group for the duration of PT and the following 6 months. The results of this study will fully quantify how TR can help inform clinical and public policy decision-making to improve access to high-quality conservative care for this population.