TMJ Institute

About the TMJ Institute:

The Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD) TMJ Institute is a multidisciplinary, collaborative clinic designed to support the treatment of patients with dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).  By establishing a customized, interprofessional consensus to patient care, the IUSD TMJ Institute offers a "One-Stop Shop" for patients referred to the Institute with intractable TMJ symptoms. It creates a better understanding of a patient's pathology and enables TMJ patients to feel more valued by playing an active role in their own treatment planning process. 

Dr. Shaun Matthews and some of the other members of the TMJ Institute share their insights in this series of videos.

Referral Form:

In order to be seen by the IUSD TMJ Institute, patients with intractable TMJ symptoms must be referred by their independent provider. 

If you are a patient who is interested in getting an appointment in the TMJ Institute or you are a referring practitioner wanting to send a patient, please recognize that the team approach in this clinic is focused on patients who have attempted treatment in other settings first and found no resolution to their pain or limitations. In addition, while it is often difficult to differentiate between the two, this Institute focuses on TMJ complications, not general facial pain or headache symptoms. As a result, the referral form here has questions regarding types and dates of previous treatment modalities. While every blank does not have to be filled, there must be evidence of first level TMJ treatment having been done in the past.

The form may be downloaded here:

IUSD TMJ Institute Referral Form

 Orofacial Pain Patient Referral

Institutional Goals:

• Patient care - Provide comprehensive, evidence-based, quality oral health services to individuals from any socioeconomic or cultural group

• Teaching and learning - Enhance student learning and develop graduates who are competent clinicians, critical thinkers, and lifelong learners who are ethical, socially aware and culturally sensitive oral health professionals

• Research and creative activities - Excel in high-quality, innovative research and scholarly activities that engage faculty, students, and staff; attract external funding; increase our national standing; and lead to improvements in oral and systemic health

• Civic engagement and service - Serve local, state, national, and global communities through partnerships involving clinical care, service learning, and community-engaged scholarship, in addition to serving the university and the profession

Our Team:

The faculty and staff members of the TMJ Institute come from a variety of disciplines in order to most comprehensively treat TMJ disorders. 

• Dr. Shaun Matthews - Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery - Director, IUSD TMJ Institute
• Dr. Jeff Steele - Comprehensive Care
  Hear more from Dr. Steele
• Dr. Massimiliano Di Giosia - Orofacial Pain
• Hear more from Dr. Di Giosia
• Deepak Savanur (IU Health) - Physical Therapy
  Hear more from Deepak
• Frank Bates (IU Health) - Physical Therapy
• Dr. Kelton Stewart - Orthodontics
• Dr. Harold Avila - Orthodontics 
  Hear more from Dr. Avila
• Dr. Wei-Shao Lin - Prosthodontics
• Dr. Chao-Chieh Yang - Prosthodontics
• Shelby Funk - Social Work
  Hear more from Shelby
• Janna Thornton - Clinic Coordinator
  Hear more from Janna
• Sherrica McCathern - Front Desk Coordinator 

Publications:

Journals:

Interprofessional care for temporomandibular joint disorders: the patient's perspectiveN. Shaun Matthews, Navia I. Novosel*

Role of alloplastic reconstruction of the temporomandibularjoint in the juvenile idiopathic arthritis populationB.L. Hechler,∗, N.S. Matthews

Temporomandibular joint multidisciplinary team clinic
Nabeela Ahmed, Tim Poate, Cristina Nacher-Garcia, Nicola Pugh, Helen Cowgill,Lisa Page*, N. Shaun Matthews

Physiotherapy in the management of disorders of the temporomandibular joint—perceived effectiveness and access to services: a national United Kingdom survey
Arif Rashid ∗, Nigel Shaun Matthews, Helen Cowgill 

External Publications:

The publications in this section were not authored by the IUSD TMJ Institute or any of our affiliated staff or faculty, and are presented here for informational purposes only. All materials are the copyright of their respective owners. 

Videos:

BiteFX video on TMJ Disorders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd3aT9c_08M

Continuing Education:

Dr. Massimiliano Di Giosia presented "Management of Temporomandibular Disorders" at the Vietnam International Dental Exhibition and Congress in Ho Chi Minh City on August 22, 2024.

Navia Novosel presented with the IDA Student Research Award by IUSD Dean Dr. Carol Anne Murdoch-Kinch. She was also co-recipient of the Dean's Award for Research Excellence on April 10, 2024. Navia's research focused on the TMJ Institute's collaborative approach to patient care.

Frank Bates, IU Health and TMJ Institute Physical Therapist honored as the 2024 recipient of the Professional Team Member SHS Value Leadership Award.

D3 Navia Novosel presented at the 2023 American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research conference in Portland, OR. Her presentation was on Interprofessional Care for Temporomandibular Joint Disorders: The Patient's Perspective. 

Past Events:

TMJ Symposium 2023: A Comprehensive Review of Patient Care

TMJ Symposium 2022: A Multidisciplinary Approach to TMJ Patient Care