Applicability of Online Course for Teaching Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders ( DC / TMD ) Axis I in Undergraduate Dental Education–Interexaminer Reliability Between Students and Teachers in a Student Exercise

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are common conditions affecting the masticatory system, causing pain and dysfunction. The DC/TMD Axis I protocol is increasingly included in undergraduate dental curricula. Aim To evaluate the applicability of a DC/TMD Axis I online course by assessing interexaminer reliability between dental students and Level 3 calibrated specialists in an exercise including the examination of students. Materials and Methods Third‐year dental students ( N = 102) completed a DC/TMD‐FIN online course. Symptomatic students ( n = 58) were examined by peers and then by two trained specialists. Diagnoses were compared using Cohen's kappa (κ), sensitivity, specificity and agreement measures. Results Excellent reliability was observed for myalgia (κ = 0.929), arthralgia (κ = 0.789), and headache attributed to TMD (κ = 0.828). Disc displacement with reduction showed fair‐to‐good reliability (κ = 0.623). Agreement values were high across diagnoses, while other joint conditions could not be assessed due to low case numbers. Discussion Findings suggest that students can reliably diagnose common TMDs after completing an online course. Conclusion The course is suitable for undergraduate education, enabling reliable diagnosis of pain‐related TMDs.