Table 2.
Reliability (Cohen’s Kappa) of the TMJ screening protocol assessments and prevalence of findings
| Cohen’s Kappa | Prevalence RE (%) | Prevalence Rheumatologist (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| History | |||
| Problems in chewing | 0.46 | 10 | 16 |
| Eating slower than others | 0.45 | 14 | 22 |
| Biting hard food | 0.64 | 14 | 18 |
| Pain while eating | 0.83 | 14 | 15 |
| Limited mouth opening | 0.87 | 11 | 14 |
| Examination | |||
| MMO limited* | 0.42 | 12 | 15 |
| Crepitation (audible) | 0.0 | 5 | 7 |
| Pain MMO | 0.73 | 18 | 11 |
| Deviation MMO (>2 mm) | 0.31 | 7 | 15 |
| Inspection | |||
| Asymmetry | 0.25 | 22 | 19 |
| Retrognathia | 0.25 | 16 | 8 |
| TMJ involv. RE vs Rha | 0.46 | 54 | 51 |
| ICC MMO Rh vs RE | 0.61 (p < 0.01) | ||
| Δ MMORh - MMORE ≤7 mm [n (%)] | 50 (67.6%) | ||
| μ Δ MMO Rh vs RE [mm] | 0.9 (p = 0.35) | ||
History related items (n = 5), examination related items (n = 4), and inspection related items (n = 2) compose the screening protocol. Intraclass correlation of the rheumatologist and the reference examiner.
RE: reference examiner. ICC: intraclass coefficient.
*MMO limited: ≤ 35 mm (≤10 yrs); ≤ 40 mm (>10 yrs); a TMJ involvement based on the criterion ‘at least 1 positive score. μ = mean, p value Δ MMO (Students t-test)