Temporomandibular Disorders’ (TMDs) etiology, assessment, and management have always been much debated in dentistry. Scientific knowledge in support of the biopsychosocial model of pain practice has grown over the last few decades, but dissemination and implementation of contemporary evidence-based practice in general dental practice has not been fully achieved.

Outside of the specialist orofacial pain field, dentistry based on out-dated and disproven concepts such as gnathological precepts still persists and has been reinforced by the use of electronic instruments that have debatable validity, sensitivity, specificity, and reliability. Ultimately, this persistence of a biomedical gnathological conceptually driven care model leads to overtreatment and potential iatrogenic damage.

Recent papers and some debates within some orofacial pain expert communities underlined the need to enhance the diffusion and implementation of contemporary evidence into general dental practice.  A fundamental initial step of this process is to distil and chronicle contemporary evidence into evidence-based guidelines for general dental practice. This lecture will begin from the available evidence and will introduce some “good practice keypoints” to start constructing an agreed summary/guideline of these relevant to general dental practice.

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