National Institute Dental Research's TMJ Implant Registry/Repository-TIRR

Objective: The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry has completed the 4th year of development of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research's TMJ Implant Registry and Repository-NIDCR's TIRR. NIDCR's TIRR is a nationally research registry-repository to collect clinical information and biological specimens on TMJ disorders patients throughout United States to stimulate more research in TMJ disorders and advance the understanding and success of treatment of patients with this painful condition. Methods: Clinical data, retrieved implants, and biological TMJ specimens have been collected from several populations. Results: Data available: 10 year follow-up of 450 patients with either TMJ surgery with/without implants, and non-surgical treatment, 3 year longitudinal database of 600 subjects who have early stage TMD, 3 year longitudinal study of 150 subjects from a general population, and 521 subjects with clinical data, 228 subjects with DNA, blood, saliva, and/or TMJ specimens. Research projects in progress: Comparison of outcomes of patients who had TMJ surgery with and without TMJ implants; Evaluation of the biomechanical, and mineral content analysis of retrieved TMJ implants and their role in implant failure; Evaluation of fibromyalgia as a predictor of progression in chronic pain grade; Genetic regulation of endogenous bone morphogenetic proteins in development of heterotopic ossification and ectopic bone formation as a key outcome predictor in TMJ surgery patients; Genetic regulation of pain sensitivity and severity by the COMT genetic variation in TMJ patients with high and low pain sensitivity; Analysis of the role of salivary and serum cytokines as an inflammatory mediator in patients with TMJ pain compared to normal controls. Conclusions: These materials will help in understanding pathology of TMJD and provide information for the development of new TMJ implants. NIDCR/NIH announces the availability of clinical data, retrieved implants, and biological TMJ specimens for basic and clinical research at http://tmjregistry.org. NIDCR/N01-DE-22635