USC Receives $4.3M Federal Grant to Advance TMD Treatment Research

On January 22, 2026, the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC announced a $4.3 million, five-year federal grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR/NIH) to expand research into temporomandibular disorders (TMD). The funding will support the Broader Evaluation of TMD Treatment Efficacy and Response (BETTER-TMD) project, part of the nationwide TMD IMPACT Collaborative, aimed at identifying which treatments work best for different types of patients and improving personalized care.

The study will track up to 5,000 patients over time using clinical data and patient-reported outcomes captured through a custom app, with the goal of developing data-driven tools and AI-enabled algorithms to guide evidence-based treatment decisions. USC is one of three U.S. research teams in the initiative, which addresses the complexity of TMD and aims to close gaps in diagnosis and therapy.

Please click here for more info: https://dentistry.usc.edu/new-federal-grant-to-help-researchers-explore-better-treatment-options-for-temporomandibular-disorders/