Post-academic dental specialties 6. Gnathology: profile and competencies of the specialist in temporomandibular disorders and the general dental practitioner

The guiding principle in postgraduate programmes is to enable dentists to build on and extend the competencies acquired in the basic academic programme. This requires the examination and treatment of sufficient numbers of patients. Given the incidence and prevalence of temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain, basic academic training will be limited to referral or to diagnosing and treating acute and non-complex cases, whereas the specialist in temporomandibular disorders(TMD) will focus especially on chronic temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain, in a multidisciplinary setting. In case of orofacial pain, the general dental practitioner is the obvious person to determine if there may be odontogenic causes. The specialist in TMD can either advise the general practitioner or coordinate the patient's care him- or herself. In order to be able to perform well within a (partly medical) multidisciplinary setting there is a need for differentiated education, above and beyond the basic academic curriculum. The competencies of the specialist in TMD should comprise care in a broad sense, providing evidence-based care and educating patients, being able to work well within an organization, clinical reasoning and professional development through life-long learning and teaching. The specialist in TMD may either work in private practice or in special dental care clinics.