Volume 23 - Issue 4

Reflecting back on my 35 years of oral and maxillofacial surgery, I remember the many advancements made in orthognathic surgery, midfacial surgery, cleft lip and palate surgery, trauma, micro neurosurgery, and TMJ surgery. All of these surgical areas seemed to progress relatively smoothly, except for TMJ surgery. Although TMJ surgery has come a long way since those early days, it has experienced some trying and challenging times. Prior to the late 1970s, TMJ surgery was ...

This past August was the 20th anniversary of the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain. The Academy’s 20th International Clinical Symposium was held in Oklahoma City, the city in which the Academy was born. Being in attendance, this writer can attest that this was one of the finest and most informative meetings I’ve ever attended. Twenty years ago, in a rather simple and relaxed gathering in a living room in Oklahoma City, several men ...

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences in the angle of eminentia of two 20th century populations based on race, age, gender, and number of teeth and whether there was asymmetry of the angles of eminentia. The sample included dry skulls from the Hamann-Todd Osteological collection as follows: 80 African-Americans (AA, 53 males and 27 females) and 62 European-Americans (EA, 49 males and 13 females), ranging in age from 16-77 ...

This study investigated the association of craniofacial and glenoid fossa shapes and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pathology in 39 orthodontic patients with signs and symptoms of TMJ disorders, using helical CT scans. Cephalometric measurements showed that 21 subjects with bilateral condylar bone change (BBC) had significantly smaller SNB angles, ramus heights and S-Ar/N-Ba ratios, as well as larger mandibular plane angles and lower anterior facial height than the 18 subjects with no condylar bone change ...

This study was designed to evaluate masticatory performance in bruxist patients. The experimental group was composed of 16 dentate volunteers presenting with bruxism and treated by interocclusal appliances and a control group, consisting of 16 dentate volunteers with no symptoms of bruxism. To evaluate masticatory performance, the volunteers chewed .03 grams of peanuts contained in polyvinyl wrapper for four and twelve masticatory cycles. The number of chewed particles was counted using an optical scanning method ...

Temporomandibular dysfunctions (TMD) comprise a great number of disruptions that may affect the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), the masticatory muscles, or both. TMJ internal derangement is a specific type of TMD, of which the etiology and physiopathology are broadly unknown, but have been suggested to be linked to head, neck, and body posture factors. This study aimed at verifying possible relationships between body posture and TMJ internal derangements (TMJ-id), by comparing 30 subjects presenting typical TMJ-id ...

This preliminary study was done to determine the effect of short-term use of a centric occlusion stabilization oral appliance with regard to noxious and sensory perception in the upper extremities. The subjects consisted of 22 asymptomatic females, and the experiments were performed on two separate days within the same week, with the days randomly assigned as either appliance-wearing or nonappliance-wearing days. For each experimental day, cool sensation, warm sensation, cold-induced pain and heat-induced pain were ...

Proliferation therapy, or “prolotherapy,” is also known as regenerative injection therapy (RIT). Since the 1930s, the technique has been used to stabilize injured joints and to relieve joint pain. This article reviews the history and scientific literature regarding prolotherapy and describes the application of the technique to treat injured or unstable temporomandibular joints (TMJ). Alternative medicaments and the likely mechanisms of action are discussed. A brief preliminary summary of a retrospective clinical study of the ...

The literature is replete with theories regarding temporomandibular disorders (TMD). However, there is a paucity of information concerning perceived malocclusion and other teeth-related signs and symptoms after full-mouth rehabilitation. This clinical study was designed to evaluate the perception of TMD patients concerning perceived malocclusion and other teeth-related signs and symptoms after full-mouth rehabilitation guided by the Mental Analog Scale (MAS). Among 38 patients referred for full-mouth rehabilitation, 20 were diagnosed as having TMD after reviewing ...

A suspected case of trifid mandibular condyle that was observed on a panoramic radiograph and confirmed using computed tomography (CT) is reported. No history of previous temporomandibular joint (TMJ) trauma was reported by the subject.

The following is a position paper on the guidelines for Anterior Repositioning Appliance (ARA) therapy that are approved by the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain (AACP). These guidelines should be used as an aid in the reader's education. ARA therapy is complex care and the reader should seek education and clinical skills before attempting to provide ARA therapy services to patients. Successful ARA therapy depends on the skills of ...