Background:Temporomandibular disorder is a generic term used for a set of musculoskeletal disorders which may affect the masticatory system. Surface electromyography provides a non-invasive evaluation when the muscle is at rest and then compares it to its activity during muscle contraction. The procedure is carried out with electrodes placed on patients’ skin, in general bilaterally. Its technical simplicity allows its use in dentistry and clinical research. Materials and Methods:Aquestionnaire based study was conducted in a university hospital setting and a sample of 100 undergraduate students participated in this study. The questionnaire consisted of questions pertaining to surface electromyography in diagnosing temporomandibular disorders. The data was collected and tabulated In Excel . Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Software version 20.0. Results:63% of the participants stated that pain can cause alterations in surface electromyography . 68% of the participants stated that surface electromyography is moderately accurate and is useful in the field of research. Conclusion:Within the limitations of the study it can be concluded that electromyography cannot be used as a single diagnostic tool due to its low specificity and sensitivity, rather its effectiveness could have some value as an additional research tool to study muscle TMD features.

Surface electromyography, Temporomandibular disorders, pain, accuracy,Diagnosis ,innovation