Temporomandibular disorders: knowledge, competency, and attitudes of predoctoral dental students.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate knowledge, competency, and attitudes related to temporomandibular disorders (TMD) among predoctoral dental students, and to investigate the curricular organization of contents related to TMD and occlusion.

METHODS

Predoctoral dental students (n = 147) answered a questionnaire with topics related to TMD. Another questionnaire evaluated the organization of TMD and occlusion courses.

RESULTS

Contents related to TMD and occlusion were taught in the same course in all dental schools. The students' responses showed low agreement with the current gold standards pertaining to TMD. Most students declared that they did not feel confident to treat patients with TMD (62.6%), were not satisfied with the content pertaining to TMD (55.8%), and considered a lack of clinical practice to be the primary limitation in their training (59.2%).

DISCUSSION: Students' knowledge of basic concepts related to TMD was limited, highlighting the need for readjustment of the dental curriculum to increase clinical experience.