Special Issue Article The psychometric properties of self-report outcome measures in temporomandibular dysfunction Alicia J. Emerson Kavchak 1 , John Jake Mischke 1 , Kevin Lulofs-MacPherson 1 , Ann M. Vendrely 2 1 University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System, Department of Physical Therapy, Chicago, USA, 2 Governors State University, Physical Therapy Department, University Park, IL, USA Background: Temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) demonstrates a variety of clinical manifestations. While there are some well-documented self-report outcome measures for diagnostics and screening of TMD, these scales are often not utilized in physical therapy (PT) when assessing the patient’s self-reported functional limitations and disability. Further, there is a lack of understanding of which self-report outcome measures in TMD have sound psychometric properties. Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the psychometric properties of commonly used self-reported outcome measures in adults with TMD undergoing conservative management. Methods: A comprehensive and systematic search of articles published in PubMed, CINAHL, Dentistry and Oral Science, and PsycINFO databases through June 2013 was completed. Inclusion criteria included (1) any article that described the psychometric properties of a self-report outcome measure utilized in TMD, (2) subjects were adults .18 years, and (3) the full text article was available in English. Major Findings: Thirteen articles were discovered with eight reporting psychometric analysis. Ten studies reported on reliability, with good internal consistency noted but test–retest reliability varied greatly. Face and content validity was reported for most measures; only 50% of the studies reported on construct validity. Other psychometric concepts such as responsiveness, duration to administer, feasibility, interpretability, and acceptability were less reported. Conclusion: The results of this systematic review demonstrate that eight non-diagnostic self-report outcome measures in adults diagnosed with TMD have undergone some psychometric development or analysis. Keywords: Outcome measures, Psychometric properties, Self-report outcomes, Temporomandibular dysfunction Introduction Temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) has a wide range in prevalence reported in the global population ranging from 8 1 to 12%. 2 Patients are typically female, aged 20–40 years, and reporting primarily chronic symptoms. 1–3 The clinical presentation of TMDcan vary and be either the primary reason for referral to physical therapy (PT) or a secondary complaint. For example, in those patients with neck pain seeking PT, 90% of the patients also have complaints of TMD. 4 Temporomandibular dysfunction can significantly affect patients with clinical manifestations including severe daily orofacial, neck, and head pain, 3–6 sleep dysfunction, 7 and depression. 3 In addition, functional activities that require optimal jaw mobility, such as eating, chewing, biting, kissing, and speaking, are impaired. 8 These functional limitations and disabil- ities can have a profound impact on the quality of life in patients who have TMD. Generally, self-report outcome measures are used to quantify the impact of psychological distress or functional limitation in patients with pain. Bom- bardier (2000) identified five key constructs to be included in self-report outcome measures: pain, function, generic health status, work disability, and patient satisfaction. 9 When determined to have sound psychometric properties, self-report outcome mea- sures can help identify baseline functional limitations, monitor for changes in presentation, and may help identify patients who will respond positively to interventions. Currently, there are some identified outcome measures used in this population that were initially designed for the diagnostic and screening process. Correspondence to: Alicia J Emerson Kavchak, University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System, Department of Physical Therapy, Chicago, IL, USA. Email: aemers2@uic.edu 174 ß W. S. Maney & Son Ltd 2014 DOI 10.1179/1743288X13Y.0000000126 Physical Therapy Reviews 2014 VOL. 19 NO.3