About This Section
This section contains information to allow calibration, training and reliability assessment of RDC/TMD Axis I and Axis II examiners. Material includes includes rationale and protocols for each stage of training, calibration, and conducting a reliability study.
Assessment of clinical reliability is the generally accepted method for maximizing the likelihood that all RDC/TMD examiners would come up with the same clinical observations, no matter where or when they conduct RDC/TMD clinical examinations.
Please contact the Committee Chair for more information.
Overview
The following training, calibration and reliability assessment procedures are recommended for standardizing all clinicians in the conduct of the Axis I Clinical Examination for Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD ). Training in RDC/TMD Axis II measures is also available.
These training procedures, which are currently evolving, have been used for over 10 years by Consortium members. Three levels of activity are undertaken for purposes of yielding RDC/TMD clinical examiners who are standardized in their examination, diagnosis and assessment procedures:
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Training: Training protocols describe methods by which individual examiners become familiar with RDC/TMD specific examination methods, materials and sequencing of clinical examination procedures.
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Calibration: Calibration protocols describe how examiners compare with other examiners in their RDC/TMD examination findings at the same site and/or with a Gold Standard Examiner (GSE). Calibration methods involve more than one examiner examining the same person, either using co-examiners, other volunteers, the GSE and/or sometimes, patients.
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Reliability Assessment: Clinical reliability of RDC/TMD examiners is assessed through formal, carefully specified and carefully executed reliability studies according to both RDC/TMD examination specifications and accepted scientific standards for conducting such inter-rater-reliability assessments. These reliability studies involve all relevant examiners in training at a particular site and usually at least one GSE. All examiners clinically examine patients and some asymptomatic controls in a random or quasi-random (latin square) sequence designed to control for order effects.