Changes in understanding of painful temporomandibular disorders: the history of a transformation.

Objective: The understanding the etiology of painful temporomandibular disorders (TMD) has evolved over the last eight decades. Evidence-based systematic research had questioned historical concepts and abandoned preconceived dogmas based purely on mechanically based etiologies, transforming TMD into a complex musculoskeletal chronic pain model. Unfortunately, many of these old ideas persist in undergraduate education and the dental community.