Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of The Dental Practitioners About Temporomandibular Disorder in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh Region of India – A Cross – Sectional Study

Introduction: Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) is a disorder including temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and of the masticatory muscles and their associated structures. TMD accounts for the most common orofacial pains arising from musculoskeletal origin or non-dental origin with a prevalence of 5-12% in the population. Aim: The aim of the current study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of the dental practitioners about temporomandibular disorder in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh region of India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted wherein a self-structured questionnaire, which consisted of 31 close ended questions, was sent online via Google forms to the dental practitioners residing in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh region of India. A total of 500 subjects selected by Convenience sampling, were contacted for the study, out of which only 206 returned the completed questionnaire who were included in the study. Results: A statistical significance was noted between knowledge to practice (-0.22), knowledge to attitude (0.03) and between attitude and practice (-0.26), attitude to knowledge ( -0.03) and practice to knowledge (0.22), practice to attitude (0.26). Conclusion: The results obtained by analyzing data obtained in present study reflect that the knowledge of physiological anatomy along with the management of symptomatic TMD is insufficient.