Knowledge and management of temporomandibular joint disorders by general dentists in Spain

Abstract

Background: Given the importance of temporomandibular disorders (TMD), we tried to assess general dentists' knowledge regarding etiology, diagnosis, and treatment in order to understand their attitude. Material and Methods: A sample of 130 general dentists answered a 16-item questionnaire on three areas - etiology, diagnosis, and management of common temporomandibular disorders - as well as a question on the need for continuous education regarding TMD management in common clinical practice in Spain. Given that the descriptive statistics achieved reflect significantly different values among means in each area, a variance analysis for repeated measurements was applied in order to contrast differences among etiology, diagnosis, and management knowledge levels. Results: The contrast test was based on Wilks' Lambda, which assumed a value of 0.120 (F = 467.28; p