To present a list of key points for good Temporomandibular Disorders (TMDs) clinical practice on behalf of the International Network for Orofacial Pain and Related Disorders Methodology (INfORM) group of the International Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (IADR). An open working group discussion was held at the IADR General Session in New Orleans (March 2024), where members of the INfORM group finalized the proposal of a list of 10 key points. The key points covered knowledge on the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment. They represent a summary of the current standard of care for management of TMD patients. They are in line with the current need to assist general dental practitioners advance their understanding and prevent inappropriate treatment. The key points can be viewed as a guiding template for other national and international associations to prepare guidelines and recommendations on management of TMDs adapted to the different cultural, social, educational, and healthcare requirements.

To assess the frequency of awake bruxism (AB) behaviors in a group of undergraduate dentistry students and correlate it with the status of anxiety and depression. The frequency of five oral behaviors (i.e., relaxed jaw muscle, teeth contact, mandible bracing, teeth clenching, teeth grinding) was evaluated using a smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) approach. The anxiety and depression status was investigated with the four-item patient health questionnaire for anxiety and depression (PHQ-4). ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc test was used to assess the difference in frequency of AB behaviors among the four PHQ-4 groups. Among the four groups, there was a statistically significant difference in the frequency of relaxed jaw muscle, teeth contact, mandible bracing, and teeth clenching, but not for teeth grinding. Based on this cross-sectional study's findings, psyche seems to have a determinant impact on AB behaviors, which is significantly higher in individuals with anxiety and depression traits.

Background: Despite the availability of evidence‐based guidelines on temporomandibular disorders (TMD), some past theories of TMD aetiology, diagnosis and treatment are still diffused among clinical practitioners.Objective(s): The study aims to gather and analyse patient experiences and outcomes related to their seeking care for TMD symptoms.Methods: In November 2023, a survey to collect comprehensive data on patients' diagnostic journeys, treatment experiences, and outcomes was distributed through online platforms and TMD patient support groups in a variety of countries. Correlation between different variables was assessed and comparisons were made between patients with a different history of treatment‐seeking experiences.Results: A total of 153 participants filled out the survey. Of them, 31.4% (N = 48) needed to consult two or three professionals, while some of them saw up to four or five (N = 27, 17.6%). Moreover, patients experienced a wide range of pain duration time before receiving a diagnosis. Almost one‐third of patients were in pain for more than one year (N = 43, 28.1%), and a remarkable number never received appropriate care (N = 30, 19.6%). Additionally, those patients who saw one or more dentists who emphasised abnormalities of dental occlusion or jaw position ended up consulting significantly more health providers before receiving a diagnosis than those who did not have that experience (p = 0.0062).Conclusion: There is a need to better implement knowledge about TMDs among health‐care providers, starting from improving the quality of education at the university course level and continuing into various post‐graduate educational offerings.

Objective: The aim of this investigation was to compare the self‐reported frequency of awake bruxism (AB) behaviours by means of a validated single‐observation point questionnaire (i.e., Oral Behaviour Checklist [OBC]) with the frequency reported in real‐time with an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) over 1 week.Materials and Methods: One hundred healthy young adults took part in the study. The frequency of some activities belonging to the spectrum of AB behaviours (i.e., teeth contact, mandible bracing, teeth clenching, teeth grinding) was evaluated using the EMA approach with smartphone technology support over 1 week. The OBC questionnaire was used to evaluate the self‐reported frequency of the same AB behaviours. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was adopted to test the correlation between the average score of each OBC question considered (i.e., teeth contact, mandible bracing, teeth clenching, teeth grinding) and the average frequency of the corresponding EMA item.Results: Statistical analysis showed a weak‐to‐moderate level of correlation between the two different AB assessment methods. Mandible bracing showed the highest level of correlation, while teeth grinding had the lowest one.Conclusions: While the OBC represents a valid and easy‐to‐administer screening tool for evaluating bruxism behaviours, the EMA approach provides a more detailed real‐time report on AB behaviours.

To assess the correlation between awake bruxism (AB) behaviors and psychological status in a group of healthy young adults. Participants were recruited at the University of Siena, Siena, Italy, by advertising the initiative. The reported frequency of AB behaviors was evaluated through the Oral Behavior Checklist (OBC). The 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) was adopted to evaluate the participants’ psychological status. Student’s t-test was used to detect differences between genders. The Pearson correlation test was performed to assess the correlation between the two questionnaires. Mandible bracing showed the strongest correlation with anxiety and depression traits (r = 0.62), followed by teeth clenching (r = 0.54). Teeth contact (r = 0.33) and teeth grinding (r = 0.32) had the lowest level of correlation. In a sample of healthy young individuals, there is a moderate-to-high correlation between the reported teeth clenching and mandible bracing frequency and the degree of anxiety and depression symptoms. Such findings suggest the importance of the psychological assessment in awake bruxers.