title: Development of a brief and effective temporomandibular disorder pain screening questionnaire: reliability and validity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Available screening instruments for identifying temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) exhibit methodological or logistic limitations. The authors conducted a study to develop and assess the validity of a self-report instrument in screening patients for pain-related TMDs.
  
  
  METHODS
  By using psychometric methods for item selection, the authors developed short (three-item) and long (six-item) versions of the questionnaire and evaluated them for validity among 504 participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Internal reliability was excellent, with coefficient α values of 0.87 and 0.93 for the short and long versions, respectively. When the authors dichotomized instrument scores at optimal thresholds, both versions had a sensitivity of 99 percent and a specificity of 97 percent for correct classification of the presence or absence of TMD. The specificity was at least 95 percent in the correct identification of people with nonpainful TMJ disorders or headahce without TMD pain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With use of appropriate psychometric methodology, the selected items exhibited excellent content validity. The excellent levels of reliability, sensitivity and specificity demonstrate the validity and usefulness of this instrument.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using this instrument will allow clinicians to identify more readily-and cost-effectively-most patients with painful TMD conditions for whom early and reliable identification would have a significant effect on diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University at Buffalo, 3435 Main St., Buffalo, N.Y. 14214, USA. ymg@buffalo.edu
authors.forename: Yoly M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schiffman
authors.forename: Sharon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: Bradley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Seago
authors.forename: Edmond L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Truelove
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Slade
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ohrbach
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019540:Area Under Curve; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000175:diagnosis; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000592:standards*; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000175:diagnosis; D011594:Psychometrics; D057566:Self Report; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D019224:Temporomandibular Joint Disc / Q000473:pathology; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013706:Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis