At the forefront of the temporomandibular dysfunction: A study of experiences

Abstract

How does one address an ailment related to such unique experiences without dissociating it from relationships, living conditions and society? Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) is one of a group of chronic disorders that are difficult to diagnose and provide treatment. As in other similar ailments, such difficulties may accentuate a negative impact on health. The study seeks to identify experiences of health service users with TMD, aiming to contribute to reflection and management practices for the issue. A qualitative otobiographical study was developed, using interviews with people undergoing TMD treatment. Based on the Nietzschean premise that the process of subjectivation is fed by experiences, the method seeks to identify traces of these experiences through the texts resulting from the interviews. Patients’ experiences were grouped into five categories: recognition; frustrations; concealment; sadness, fear and death; and destinies. A variety of negative effects have been described in the first three stages, whereas the last one, namely destinies, elicits feelings of well-being. The value of the interactive (professional-user) space, which expresses itself as the power to create innovative and sensitive ways of dealing with health-disease processes, needs to be highlighted.