Validity and Reliability of the Helkimo Clinical Dysfunction Index for the Diagnosis of Temporomandibular Disorders

Purpose: The Helkimo Clinical Dysfunction Index (HCDI) is a brief and easy-to-use assessment tool designed to evaluate individuals with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs).The evaluation assesses muscle strength, joint function, mobility, pain, and musculature to give a rapid overall review for various levels of treatment.Because of this, the research aimed to verify the HCDI's use in a group of TMD patients.Methods: There were 88 participants, 44 of whom had TMD.The other 44 participants were healthy.Inter-rater concordance, predictive scores, and concurrent validity were all assessed in the study.Results: The analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curve identified an optimal cut-off point of more than 1 point in the HCDI score that manifested a sensitivity of 81.17% alongside a specificity of 72.43% for diagnosing TMDs, thus establishing the DC/TMD protocol as the benchmark.Conclusion: This analytical process demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.90, indicative of commendable precision.