Abstract

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate dentists' awareness and attitudes regarding temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD). Secondarily, it aims to investigate the prevalence of TMD among dentists and dental students. The study was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study population consisted of dentists working at the Alanya Oral Health Center, faculty members from the Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University Faculty of Dentistry, and dental students who voluntarily participated in the study. The study was completed with the participation of 284 volunteers. All questionnaires used in the study were conducted using Google Forms. The Fonseca Amnestic Index (FAI) was administered to participants to classify TMD severity. TMD awareness level was assessed using the Temporomandibular Awareness Questionnaire (TAQ). The mean age of the 284 participants (156 women, 128 men) in our study was 23.23 ± 5.89 years. 90.1% of the participants (n=256) were dental students, and 9.9% (n=28) were dentists. According to the FAI score, 106 female participants and 153 dental students were found to have TMD. When pain conditions were examined, the number of individuals with TMD pain at rest and during chewing was the same, and 106 individuals also had teeth grinding problems along with TMD. Based on the TAQ, it was observed that both dentists and students had limited knowledge about Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD). However, they are aware that physical therapy is an effective treatment for TMD. It has been noted that dentists and students with TMD in particular wish to participate in continuing education programs related to TMD. Our study emphasizes the importance of comprehensively learning about the causes of TMD. It also draws attention to the importance of adopting a multidisciplinary approach to TMD and the collaboration between dentists and physical therapists.

Key words: Temporomandibular joint disorders, dentists, knowledge, cross-sectional studies, physical therapy modalities