The role of clinical psychology in the treatment of craniomandibular disorders.

Abstract

AbstractWith the birth of the behavioral medicine movement, clinical psychology has found itself involved with a wide range of physical disorders, many of which psychologists had never heard of prior to the 1970s. Included in these disorders are the “traditional” dental problems of bruxism and craniomandibular pain disorders.This article attempts to explain how both clinical psychology and medicine have become involved in the emerging behavioral medicine field, and it examines the implications of this involvement for various health care disciplines. We will outline and examine the value of clinical psychology's past involvement with dental disorders, as well as discussing the potential contributions of clinical psychology to dentistry. The article emphasizes the need for dentistry to guide psychology's work in this area and calls dentistry to become an active participant in the behavioral medicine movement.