Assessment of knowledge on temporomandibular disorders among Mexican dental educators

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) is an umbrella term that embraces a group of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular conditions that involve the temporomandibular joints, muscles and all associated tissues. Because of the relatively high number of patients with TMDs in the population, instruction in this area of health care should be included on all dental curricula. Although levels of knowledge among dentists have been evaluated in several countries, they have not been in Mexico. This study evaluates the dental faculty's range of knowledge about TMD at five dental schools in Puebla, Mexico. Using an observational design, a survey was administered to 161 educators in order to assess their knowledge of TMD. Four domains were assessed, including: a) pathophysiology; b) psychophysiology; c) psychiatric disorders; and d) chronic pain. Overall knowledge of TMD was measured using a consensus of TMD experts' answers as a reference standard1The results show that educators' overall knowledge had 55% agreement with the reference standard. Individually, the psychophysiological domain was correctly recognized by 77.7% of the educators; correct responses on the other domains ranged from 38% to 56%. This study demonstrates the need to incorporate standardized TMDs instruction into the dental curricula at Mexican Universities, without which graduating dentists will lack the necessary knowledge or experience to diagnose and manage their TMD patients.