Spin Analysis in Randomized Clinical Trials of Physiotherapeutic Treatment for Temporomandibular Disorders: A Systematic Review Protocol

Objective: To investigate whether clinical trials of physiotherapeutic interventions for treating temporomandibular disorders (TMD) contained spin and whether there was consistency between the abstract and the full text.

Study Design: Systematic Review Protocol. (PROSPERO ID: CRD42022369637)

Methodology: Study selection and data extraction assessments were conducted independently and in duplicate. The sample will be composed of randomized controlled clinical trials of physiotherapeutic treatment for TMD as one of the treatments, regardless of whether it is muscular, articular, or mixed; and have at least pain and mandibular range of motion as outcome measures. Without language restriction, 2010 to 2025 is the year of publication, which allows a comparative analysis between the abstract and the full text. The analysis will be performed independently and in duplicate. In case of disagreement, a third reviewer will be consulted to reach a consensus through discussion. The electronic databases used were PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, PEDro, SPORTDiscus, and LILACS. A search strategy developed for PubMed/Medline will be adapted for each database. Two checklists will be used to analyze the studies: Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) for abstract (CONSORT-A) to evaluate the completeness of reporting of the abstracts and the spin checklist to evaluate the presence and consistency of spin in abstract. The risk of bias was assessed using the PEDro scale independently and in duplicate.

Results: The results will be presented in tables and flowcharts.

Conclusion: Inconsistencies between the abstract and full text require investigation to alert clinicians, researchers, and readers.