Volume 26 - Issue 1

Medical resident education is based largely on case presentations generally in a Grand Rounds format. The advantages of this format include the opportunity to correlate basic science information with clinical practice, and the opportunity for group discussion of the case instead of a monolog lecture presentation. We adopted a similar approach by devoting one day to the Grand Rounds format in our four-day continuing education course on “Clinical Anatomy of the Head and Neck” at ...

The first couple of years of our professional training are probably a blur to most of us that have been in practice for more than a few years. We most likely remember that it was an intense time with lots of hours spent pouring over our text books and many hours spent in labs. This was the basic science portion of our professional training. We spend hours learning biochemistry, every branch of every nerve and ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between tooth grinding pattern during sleep bruxism and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) status based on condylar movement. Fifty subjects (21 males and 29 females) wore a bruxism recording device, BruxChecker, to record their grinding pattern during sleep bruxism. The grinding pattern was categorized into laterotrusive grinding (LG) and mediotrusive side grinding (MG). Furthermore, LG was divided into three types; incisor-canine (IC), incisor-canine-premolar (ICP) and incisor-canine-premolar-molar (ICPM ...

The aim of this study was to verify the association between sleep bruxism (SB) and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in a sample of 14 TMD patients and 12 healthy control subjects. All participants were evaluated using a clinical questionnaire, visual analog scale (VAS) for TMJ/muscle palpation, and by functional examination. The experimental group was divided into three TMD subgroups: joint sounds and pain, muscular tenderness, and mixed diagnosis. All participants underwent polysomnographic recording (PSG). A ...

The influence between dental occlusion and body posture has been discussed in the past ten years by several authors with controversial conclusions. The objective of this study was to access, using surface electromyography (EMG), the rest activity of paired sternocleidomastoids, erectors spinae at L4 level, and soleus muscles in a group of 24 volunteer subjects (12 males, 12 females, aged 23-25 yrs) affected by sub-clinical dental malocclusions in different situations of dental occlusion. The subjects ...

The objectives of this retrospective study were to systematically assess the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) using a newly developed standardized evaluation form with 16 parameters based on MRI diagnostics and to verify the reliability of the MRI diagnoses. One hundred fifty-four (154) TMJs of 77 patients with arthrogenic complaints were evaluated using MRI on two planes (parasagittal, paracoronal), in both closed-mouth and open-mouth positions. The sequences used were intermediary FLASH and spin echo sequences using T1 ...

The aim of this study was to determine some risk factors for signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in a rural adult population of Southeast Tanzania. Two hundred and eighteen adults aged 40+ years participated in the study. Joint clicking was significantly higher (p<0.024) in the adults aged 60+ years than in the younger age group. Limited jaw opening was higher in females than males (c2 = 46.4 on 2df; p<0 ...

The mandibular movements used during speech modify space to allow different articulation postures proper for each sound. Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) may cause modifications in these movements due to joint and muscular conditions. The aim of this study was to verify the amplitude and the characterization of the mandibular movements during speech, using computerized electrognathography, in individuals with TMD and in asymptomatic individuals, analyzing possible interferences of these dysfunctions. One hundred thirty-five (135) adult subjects were ...

The aim of this study was to analyze the symmetry of the electromyographic (EMG) activity of the temporalis, masseter, and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscles in volunteers divided into a control group and a temporomandibular disorder (TMD) group. The surface EMG recordings were made during mandibular rest position, maximal intercuspal position, and during the chewing cycle. Normalized EMG waves of paired muscles were compared by computing a percentage overlapping coefficient (POC). The difference between the groups and ...

The objective of this research was to study a new bioabsorbable membrane material, calcium alginate film (CAF), used for guided tissue regeneration (GTR) or guided bone regeneration (GBRL). Circular bone defects of five mm diameter were created in the corners of the mandibles in 45 rabbits. The defects covered with calcium alginate film (CAF) served as the experimental sites, and collagen membrane (CM) or no membrane served as the control sites without considering left or ...

In patients with a limited number of remaining teeth, bruxism force can be destructive for both the remaining teeth and periodontal structures. This paper reports the successful management of four such patients with severe sleep bruxism, using conventional removable partial dentures and specially designed, splint-like removable partial dentures called a night denture. The night denture was fabricated in two different designs, which depended upon the pattern of the remaining tooth contacts. The patients were followed ...