Assessing the Reliability of Compliance with the General Treatment Recommendations by Patients Treated for Temporomandibular Disorders.

Background/Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of TMD patients' adherence to treatment recommendations, given in writing, based on an anonymous survey. Methods: The study material included a group of 80 patients of both sexes, aged 21 to 45 years, who came for prosthetic treatment due to symptoms of TMD at the Department of Prosthetics and Orthodontics, Jagiellonian University Medical College in Krakow. Axis I of the DC/TMD was used in the diagnosis of dysfunction. The study used an anonymous questionnaire survey, which asked specific questions regarding the reliability of the implementation of the therapeutic recommendations contained in the written treatment instructions, given to patients at the first diagnostic visit. The questionnaire survey was completed by patients once, at the second visit, which was routinely made after 4 weeks. Results: The analysis showed that the most frequent adherence of respondents was to physiotherapy treatments. The same number of patients (57.5% each) used sleep hygiene, stress management, and maintenance of dental arch dislocation during the day. More than half of the subjects used orthopaedic pillows during sleep and performed daily relaxation exercises. Less than half of the subjects (46.3-47.5%) used hot compresses on the masticatory muscles, took prescribed supplements, controlled the position of the jaw, and used an occlusal splint at the required time. Conclusions: The results of the study indicate a low percentage of adherence to the recommendations made by the doctor.