Development of a National TMJ Implant Registry and Repository-- NIDCR's TIRR.

PURPOSE: To provide a national systematic program to collect removed TMJ implants and biological tissues, make them available to researchers, and study them in conjunction with long-term clinical follow-up, with the ultimate goal of stimulating research toward understanding the safety and outcomes of TMJ implants. PROCESS: Two synchronized divisions: The Registry, recruiting clinicians and/or surgeons and patients, and collecting comprehensive clinical patient data over time; the Repository, procuring and archiving high quality, well characterized biological specimens and retrieved implants for dissemination. PARTICIPATION: Clinicians, surgeons, patients, researchers, pilot studies. PROGRESS: October 2002-present: Recruited 34 TMJ surgeons, 34 TMJ clinicians; registered 723 surgical/non-surgical TMJD patients and control subjects; collected 542 specimens, blood, saliva; initiated 19 projects using TIRR resources; produced 60 publications and presentations nationally and internationally; sent ten grants into review, with more being developed. PROSPECTS/PROJECTIONS: Continuing collection of long-term data for the development of new and improved implant designs and materials and investigation into understanding pathological mechanisms of TMJD.