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. 2025 Jun 4;25(1):837.
doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07429-8.

Temporomandibular disorder clinical practice teaching through case-based learning with the symptom "limited mouth opening": a pilot study

Pan Jiang  1 , Haixiang Chen  2 , Jing Li  2 , Hangtian Zhou  2
Affiliations

Temporomandibular disorder clinical practice teaching through case-based learning with the symptom "limited mouth opening": a pilot study

Pan Jiang et al. BMC Med Educ. .

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate efficacy of case-based learning (CBL) focusing on the limited mouth opening temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptom.

Methods: Thirty dental resident trainees from the First Affiliated Hospital of the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) were enrolled in the study. The control group (n = 15; 2021-2022) received conventional CBL sessions focusing on TMD while completing standard clinical rotations. The experimental group (n = 15, 2023-2024) experienced CBL that focused exclusively on Limited Mouth Opening integrated with clinical training. Post-intervention assessments at 2 months included: (1) theoretical exams, (2) clinical competency evaluations (history-taking, imaging interpretation), and (3) validated satisfaction surveys. Analyses utilized SPSS 26.0 with χ²/Mann-Whitney U tests (α = 0.05).

Results: Both groups exhibited comparable theoretical knowledge (P = 0.35). The experimental group demonstrated superior clinical performance in history synthesis and temporomandibular joint imaging analysis. Post-training satisfaction surveys administered to both groups revealed that the experimental cohort demonstrated significantly higher mean scores (all p < 0.05) than controls across four core competencies: clinical reasoning, literature utilization, clinical documentation quality, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Conclusion: Integrating "Limited Mouth Opening" CBL with clinical training in the practical teaching of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) can enhance residents' diagnostic acumen, cultivate multidisciplinary competencies in TMD management, and optimise evidence-based pedagogical outcomes through structured clinical reasoning development.

Keywords: Case-based learning; Limited mouth opening; Temporomandibular disorder.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: All methods were performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained orally from all subjects, the survey was anonymous and voluntary, which was approved by the ethics committee of the First Affiliated Hospital, University of Science and Technology of China. The need for ethics approval was waived by the ethics committee of the First Affiliated Hospital, University of Science and Technology of China (No.2025-ky062). Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) diagram
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