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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Jun 24.
Published in final edited form as: J Oral Facial Pain Headache. 2014 Winter;28(1):6–27. doi: 10.11607/jop.1151

Table 5.

From RDC/TMD to DC/TMD: Comparison of Diagnostic Procedures for Pain-Related TMD

RDC/TMD DC/TMD
HISTORY (applicable to all pain-related TMD)
    Presence of masticatory system pain
    Headache of any type in temporal region
    Pain or headache modification with jaw movement, function, or parafunction
EXAMINATION
Arthralgia
    Confirmation of location of pain in the joint
    Pain with joint palpation
        • Lateral pole
        • Around lateral pole
        • Posterior site
    Pain with range of motion
    Familiar pain with palpation or range of motion
Myalgia (“Myofascial pain” in RDC/TMD)
    Confirmation of location of pain in a masticatory muscle
    Pain with muscle palpation (required sites)
        • Temporalis
        • Masseter
        • Posterior mandibular region
        • Submandibular region
        • Lateral pterygoid area
        • Temporalis tendon
    Pain with maximum unassisted or assisted opening
    Familiar pain with palpation or opening
Local myalgia (new diagnosis)
    Sustained palpation with no identification of spreading pain or referral patterns
Myofascial pain (new diagnosis)
    Sustained palpation with identification of spreading pain but no referral patterns
Myofascial pain with referral (new diagnosis)
    Sustained palpation with identification of referral patterns (spreading pain may also be present)
Headache attributed to TMD (new diagnosis)
    Confirmation of location of headache in temple area
    Familiar headache with palpation or range of motion