ConfidenceNCT07203456
Testing Educational Modalities for Temporomandibular Disorders Curriculum
A study testing Virtual Patient Based Learning (VPBL), Clinical exposure to patients with TMD and Clinical exposure to TMD + VPBL in people with Confidence and Diagnostic Ability, run by Midwestern University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This study is done to assess the change in confidence level, knowledge, and diagnostic ability in TMD-related aspects through the exposure to a Virtual Patient-Based Learning (VPBL) platform featuring temporomandibular disorder (TMD) cases among 3rd and 4th year predoctoral dental students at a larger predoctoral… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Confidence, Diagnostic Ability
- What is being tested?
- Virtual Patient Based Learning (VPBL), Clinical exposure to patients with TMD and Clinical exposure to TMD + VPBL
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 90 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 13 Jun 2025to 1 Oct 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Third or Fourth year dental students at the College of Dental Medicine at Midwestern University (Illinois)
Who cannot join
- Dental students not enrolled at the third and/or fourth year of the College of Dental Medicine at Midwestern University (Illinois)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Midwestern University
Downers Grove, Illinois, 60515
Linda Sangalli, 630-515-4617, lsanga@midwestern.edu
About this study
This study is done to assess the change in confidence level, knowledge, and diagnostic ability in TMD-related aspects through the exposure to a Virtual Patient-Based Learning (VPBL) platform featuring temporomandibular disorder (TMD) cases among 3rd and 4th year predoctoral dental students at a larger predoctoral school.
- Conditions
- Confidence, Diagnostic Ability
- Being tested
- Virtual Patient Based Learning (VPBL), Clinical exposure to patients with TMD, Clinical exposure to TMD + VPBL
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Virtual Patient Based Learning (VPBL)Other
A digital platform featuring 20 virtual patients has been built to increase predoctoral student clinical exposure to patients with TMD signs and symptoms
Clinical exposure to patients with TMDOther
Participants in this arm will be exposed to patients with TMD signs and symptoms, to the history taking, interview, clinical examination, diagnostic process, and treatment plan under the supervision of an orofacial pain specialist
Clinical exposure to TMD + VPBLOther
Participants will be exposed to patients with TMD signs and symptoms (including history taking, interview, clinical exam, diagnostic process, and treatment plan) under the supervision of an orofacial pain specialist, and then will be exposed to the corresponding TMD patient on the VPBL, featuring virtual patients with TMD
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical exposure to patients with TMD | Active comparator | Participants will be exposed to clinical patients with TMD Receives: Other: Clinical exposure to patients with TMD |
| Clinical exposure to patients with TMD and virtual patient based learning (VPBL) | Active comparator | Participants will be exposed to clinical patients with TMD and to the corresponding virtual patient with the same TMD diagnosis featured on the VPBL Receives: Other: Clinical exposure to TMD + VPBL |
| Virtual Patient Based Learning (VPBL) | Experimental | Participants will be exposed to review virtual patients featured on the VPBL Receives: Other: Virtual Patient Based Learning (VPBL) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Self-perceived Confidence Level
Change in confidence level between baseline and after the educational intervention. The self-perceived confidence level will be measured with a 12-item confidence level scale (previously developed and validated by the research group), where answer options range from 0 to 10 on a numerical rating scale (with 0 = "not confident at all" and 10 = "extremely confident"). The 12 items refer to TMD-related skills, including but not limited to providing a treatment plan for patients with TMD, screening of TMD patients, education on the TMD condition, performing diagnostic injections, referring to healthcare providers, among others.
Measured: Immediately after the educational intervention
Secondary outcomes (1)
Diagnostic ability in diagnosing TMD cases
Change in diagnostic ability in TMD. The diagnostic ability in TMD will be assessed by providing case scenarios featuring signs and symptoms of various TMD conditions. The user will be asked to indicate the TMD diagnosis of the described case. Diagnostic ability will be evaluated based on the accuracy of identifying the correct TMD condition based on the Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (DC/TMD). Answers will be given a score of 1 in case of accurate diagnosis and 0 in case of inaccurate diagnosis.
Measured: Immediately after the educational intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Oct 2025
- Study start13 Jun 2025
- Primary completion1 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Oct 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for ConfidenceStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Educational intervention with virtual patient learning
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 90 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Midwestern University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07203456
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- #IRB-24-0018
- Status last verified
- Sep 2025
- First submitted
- 23 Jun 2025
- Last updated
- 2 Oct 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Sangalli L, Manning E, Abdykarimova A, Gao O, Lok B, Hawkins J, Miller CS. Integrating virtual patient-based learning into temporomandibular disorder education improves educational and behavioral outcomes. BMC Med Educ. 2026 May 9;26(1):1063. doi: 10.1186/s12909-026-09388-0.
PubMed 42106674
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Oct 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Testing Educational Modalities for Temporomandibular Disorders Curriculum
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07203456
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- #IRB-24-0018
- Conditions
- Confidence, Diagnostic Ability
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 90 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Midwestern UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 13 Jun 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 2 Oct 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study is done to assess the change in confidence level, knowledge, and diagnostic ability in TMD-related aspects through the exposure to a Virtual Patient-Based Learning (VPBL) platform featuring temporomandibular disorder (TMD) cases among 3rd and 4th year predoctoral dental students at a larger predoctoral school.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- Educational intervention with virtual patient learning
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical exposure to patients with TMD | Active comparator | Other: Clinical exposure to patients with TMDParticipants will be exposed to clinical patients with TMD |
| Clinical exposure to patients with TMD and virtual patient based learning (VPBL) | Active comparator | Other: Clinical exposure to TMD + VPBLParticipants will be exposed to clinical patients with TMD and to the corresponding virtual patient with the same TMD diagnosis featured on the VPBL |
| Virtual Patient Based Learning (VPBL) | Experimental | Other: Virtual Patient Based Learning (VPBL)Participants will be exposed to review virtual patients featured on the VPBL |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Third or Fourth year dental students at the College of Dental Medicine at Midwestern University (Illinois)
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Dental students not enrolled at the third and/or fourth year of the College of Dental Medicine at Midwestern University (Illinois)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Patient Based Learning (VPBL)A digital platform featuring 20 virtual patients has been built to increase predoctoral student clinical exposure to patients with TMD signs and symptoms | Other | Virtual Patient Based Learning (VPBL) |
| Clinical exposure to patients with TMDParticipants in this arm will be exposed to patients with TMD signs and symptoms, to the history taking, interview, clinical examination, diagnostic process, and treatment plan under the supervision of an orofacial pain specialist | Other | Clinical exposure to patients with TMD |
| Clinical exposure to TMD + VPBLParticipants will be exposed to patients with TMD signs and symptoms (including history taking, interview, clinical exam, diagnostic process, and treatment plan) under the supervision of an orofacial pain specialist, and then will be exposed to the corresponding TMD patient on the VPBL, featuring virtual patients with TMD | Other | Clinical exposure to patients with TMD and virtual patient based learning (VPBL) |
Primary outcome
Self-perceived Confidence Level
Time frame: Immediately after the educational intervention
Change in confidence level between baseline and after the educational intervention. The self-perceived confidence level will be measured with a 12-item confidence level scale (previously developed and validated by the research group), where answer options range from 0 to 10 on a numerical rating scale (with 0 = "not confident at all" and 10 = "extremely confident"). The 12 items refer to TMD-related skills, including but not limited to providing a treatment plan for patients with TMD, screening of TMD patients, education on the TMD condition, performing diagnostic injections, referring to healthcare providers, among others.
1 secondary outcome
Diagnostic ability in diagnosing TMD cases
Time frame: Immediately after the educational intervention
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 2 Oct 2025.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 42106674Sangalli L, Manning E, Abdykarimova A, Gao O, Lok B, Hawkins J, Miller CS. Integrating virtual patient-based learning into temporomandibular disorder education improves educational and behavioral outcomes. BMC Med Educ. 2026 May 9;26(1):1063. doi: 10.1186/s12909-026-09388-0.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Virtual Patient Based Learning (VPBL), Clinical exposure to patients with TMD and Clinical exposure to TMD + VPBL in people with Confidence and Diagnostic Ability, run by Midwestern University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Oct 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Linda Sangalli, DDS, MS, PhD (630-515-4617, lsanga@midwestern.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Self-perceived Confidence Level (time frame: Immediately after the educational intervention). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07203456, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Oct 2025.