Hallym University Research Team First in the World to Prove Efficacy of Digital Therapeutic for Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

Hallym University Department of Dentistry Proves
Efficacy of Smartphone App in Treating Temporomandibular Joint Disorder for the First Time Globally
Pain Reduced by 3.4 Times and Mouth Opening Improved by 4.1 Times in Just Six Weeks

The research team from the Department of Dentistry (Graduate School of Clinical Dentistry) at Hallym University, specializing in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (Co-corresponding authors: Professors Byun Suhwan and Yang Byeongeun of the Department of Dentistry at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital; Co-first authors: Professor Park Sangyun of the Department of Dentistry at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital and Professor On Seongun of the Department of Dentistry at Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital), has become the first in the world to prove that a digital therapeutic using a smartphone app can significantly improve pain and function in temporomandibular joint disorder.

Usage of a digital therapy app for temporomandibular joint disorder. Provided by Hallym University

This study, titled "Evaluating the Efficacy of a Digital Therapeutic Intervention for Temporomandibular Disorders: Multicenter, Randomized, Sham-Controlled Trial," was published in the October issue of the SCIE-indexed international journal 'Journal of Medical Internet Research' [Impact Factor (I.F) 6.0].

The research team utilized 'Clickless DTx TMD-01,' a smartphone-based digital therapy app for managing and treating temporomandibular joint disorder, developed by Beyond Medicine. Clickless consists of educational content on temporomandibular joint disorders, jaw exercises, behavioral habit tracking, meditation, stress management, and data-driven feedback.

From June 2024 to June 2025, 93 patients treated for temporomandibular joint disorder at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital and Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital were divided into a digital therapy group (44 patients) and a sham group (49 patients). Over six weeks, the study analyzed changes in temporomandibular joint pain (VAS), maximum mouth opening (the distance between the front teeth when the mouth is opened to its widest), Jaw Functional Limitation Scale (JFLS), and Oral Behavior Checklist (OBC). The sham group used an app identical in appearance but with the therapeutic content removed.

The analysis revealed that, over six weeks, the pain index in the digital therapy group decreased by 3.4 times compared to the sham group. Furthermore, the maximum mouth opening increased by an average of 1.6 mm in the sham group, whereas it increased by an average of 6.5 mm in the digital therapy group, representing a 4.1-fold improvement over the sham group. The digital therapy group also showed improvements 2.5 times greater in the Jaw Functional Limitation Scale and 3.9 times greater in the Oral Behavior Checklist compared to the sham group. Notably, the Oral Behavior Checklist measures abnormal behaviors that cause temporomandibular joint disorder, suggesting that the digital therapeutic can effectively improve patients' behavioral risk factors through real-time tracking and feedback.

Professor On Seongun explained, "Behavioral change in patients is a critical factor in treating temporomandibular joint disorder, but traditional treatment methods have limitations in continuous monitoring outside of outpatient visits. In this study, the digital therapy group was able to promote consistent behavioral change and enhance motivation in patients through the systematic exercise program and real-time tracking and feedback included in the app."

Professor Yang Byeongeun emphasized, "This study clinically demonstrated that digital therapeutics can integratively improve the behavioral and psychological factors of temporomandibular joint disorder, presenting a new treatment paradigm that can provide standardized behavioral therapy even in non-face-to-face settings."

Professor Byun Suhwan added, "Through this study, we confirmed that using digital therapeutics as an adjunctive therapy can enhance treatment outcomes for temporomandibular joint disorder. In addition to conventional physical therapy or occlusal appliance therapy, a digital self-management platform that patients can use independently will become a new treatment option for temporomandibular joint disorder."

The Hallym University research team plans to further strengthen the clinical evidence for digital therapeutics in the field of oral and maxillofacial diseases through long-term follow-up studies and AI-based personalized treatment algorithms. This study was conducted with the approval of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety clinical trial (KCT0009493).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.