Volume of Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders in Adults—A Nationwide Register‐Based Observation of Private Oral Healthcare in Finland in 2006–2024

BACKGROUND: Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) present diverse signs and symptoms and often require clinical evaluation. OBJECTIVE: To investigate variation in the volume of TMD treatment among adult patients in Finnish private oral healthcare between 2006 and 2024. METHODS: This retrospective register-based study used annual aggregate data from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland on patients aged 20 years or older. Per year, an average of 56 500 patients received TMD-related procedures, which were primarily coded by visit duration; only splint therapy was coded as a single, specific procedure. TMD treatment volume was described as the number and proportion of TMD patients and procedures, overall in each year from 2006 to 2024 and in detail, by 5-year age groups in selected years (2012, 2014, 2017, 2020, 2022 and 2024). Linear regression assessed associations between treatment year, age group and treatment volume. RESULTS: From 2006 to 2024, TMD patients constituted 4.1%-6.7% of all patients, peaking in 2015-2019 and in age groups 25-55 years. TMD procedures accounted for 1.2% of all clinical procedures in 2006, 2.4% in 2020 and 2.0% in 2024. Short- and medium-duration TMD procedures predominated; splint therapy was more common in younger patients (in 2024, 28%-32% of TMD patients aged 20-39 years and 25%-27% aged 40-54 years). Linear regression showed strong, negative associations between age group and TMD treatment volume (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: TMD therapy is more common among younger adults. Register-based data indicate increasing use of splint therapy, particularly among younger patients. Recent declines in overall volume after peak years may reflect changes in clinical decision-making and promote a more nuanced understanding of treatment risks.