With ever-increasing expectations that dental practice will be evidence-based, the areas of TMJ disorders and dental occlusion continue to have a reputation for being confusing and controversial.

So what IS the scientific evidence that supports an evidence-based approach to the treatment of temporomandibular disorders?

The dental clinician is presented with several problems when attempting to read the scientific literature.

First, various articles on the same topic may appear to contradict one another.

Second, often the dental clinician does not have a background in statistics and research protocols and, thus, may have a difficult time understanding much of the literature that is written by academics.

Third, it is often challenging to find the clinical significance in much of the scientific literature.

All of these problems make finding the clinical value in the literature frustrating and many just give up trying. Where can a conscientious dental clinician go for that “evidence-based” information we are expected to be aware of and understand.

Drs. Higdon and Howard have been committed students of the scientific literature related to TMD and dental occlusion  and have compiled an extensive database of literature related to these subjects. This literature, together with their extensive clinical experience, provides the foundation of Drawbridge Seminars. On this web site we offer a number of abstracts and articles on these subjects to any who may have an interest. This body of literature is referred to as the "Core Literature" related to TMD and Dental occlusion

For those who attended one of our seminars, we also make available additional literature that is referenced during the seminar. To access this literature, a reference code will be provided at the seminar which will allow access to the "Seminar-Specific Literature".