Confounders in the relationship between temporomandibular disorders and posture: a scoping review protocol

Title: Confounders in the relationship between temporomandibular disorders and posture: a scoping review Background: The relationship between temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) and posture is widely discussed in literature. However, evidence to support this relationship is scarce, and little is known about their causal association. Objectives: The aim of this scoping review is to provide an analysis on how much the potential confounders (craniofacial morphological elements, sleep apnea and/or psychological factors) are the real responsible for postural changes. Methods: A search will be conducted through all publications written in English and Italian about this topic using Mediline (PubMed) database. Cross-sectional studies will be included concerning morphological (e.g. class II, class III, crossbite, etc.), respiratory (e.g. sleep apnea) and/or psychological (e.g. anxiety, depression) elements and postural patterns (lordosis, kyphosis, scoliosis, forward head position) in adults (≥18 years). No restriction for the year of publication. The level of bias in the included studies will be assessed using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study did not receive any funding. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The source data were openly available before the initiation of the study (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors.