Knowledge and management Assessment of Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorders Among Dental Interns at King Saud University

Abstract

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) complex is mainly composed of bone, cartilage, muscles, ligaments, and neurovascular channels that supply the tissues. The temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are collective term embracing a number of clinical problems that involve the masticatory muscles, the temporomandibular joints (TMJs) and associated structures, or both. The most common symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) are pain, noises in the joint, limitation of mouth opening, or a combination of these. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and management of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders among dental interns at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. The sample size of this study consisted of 100 dental interns at King Saud University. Informed consent from the participants was obtained. The participants were informed that their responses and personal information would be kept confidential. A cross-sectional survey was prepared in English language using Google Forms. The survey contains 12 questions was distributed among the selected sample of dental interns at King Saud University. The average knowledge score of the dental interns on the knowledge regarding management of (TMJ) disorders was 4.04 (SD = 1.42). The maximum score obtained was 8 out of 8, the minimum was zero. that the majority of the dental interns (67%) had fair knowledge. The finding of the present study showed, there was a fair level of knowledge about (TMJ) disorders among dental interns. Many interns are unable to diagnose and treat patients suffering from temporomandibular joint disorders.