Volume 27 - Issue 3

“He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.”

Harold Wilson, British Prime Minister

When I was a much younger dentist, which now seems ages ago, I thought I had a lot of answers and not too many questions. Now, of course, it’s the opposite: I have a few answers, but plenty of questions. Many ...

At long last, a wet-fingered guide to help us in treatment of our pain patients is being published. Craniofacial Pain: A Handbook for Assessment, Diagnosis and Management is edited by Clifton Simmons for the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain.

It has been seven years in the writing and has a well-referenced format, including chapters written and co-written by 18 clinically-oriented ...

The aim of this work was to investigate the neuromuscular changes associated with the orthodontic post-treatment using surface electromyography. One hundred (100) young, healthy adults without signs and symptoms of temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) were divided into two groups: 60 subjects who were undergoing orthodontic intervention (Ortho Group) and 40 subjects who had no orthodontic intervention (Control Group), aged 18-25 years. EMG activity of masseter and temporalis anterior muscle was recorded during two different tests: 1 ...

This study compares the effect of clenching and grinding on masseter and sternocleidomastoid electromyographic (EMG) activity during different jaw posture tasks in the sagittal plane. The study included 34 healthy subjects with natural dentition, Class I bilateral molar Angle relationship, and absence of posterior occlusal contacts during mandibular protrusion. An inclusion criterion was that subjects had to be free of signs and symptoms of any dysfunction of the masticatory system. Bipolar surface electrodes were located ...

Temporomandibular joint vibration is considered an important physical sign of joint dysfunction and/or joint pathology. The aim of this study was to compare the difference of joint vibration between bruxers and asymptomatic individuals, evaluate the effect of bruxism on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and the association between bruxism and temporomandibular disorders. Twenty-four (24) bruxers and 16 asymptomatic subjects were included in the study. Bilateral joint vibrations with jaw tracking were recorded using a TMJ ...

Angle of mouth opening provides information concerning temporomandibular joint mobility. The aim of this study was to compare angle of mouth opening of dentate and edentuluous subjects at similar ages. Eighty (80) subjects, 24 women and 16 men (mean age 51.2 yrs.) for the dentate group and 21 women and 19 men (mean age 52.3 yrs.) for the edentuluous group participated in the study. The angle of mouth opening measurements were performed with ...

The masseter muscle is an integral part of the oral facial complex and one of the muscles of mastication.  It functions with the other masticatory muscles in moving and posturing the mandible and in verbalizing, eating and swallowing. When a patient has temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) or a myogenic disorder, the integrity of the masseter muscle can be compromised resulting in pain, malfunction, inflammation and/or swelling.  A careful evaluation of the masseter muscles is necessary ...

The aim of this research was to study if changes in condyle position in temporomandibular disorders (TMD) patients could be a factor that is affected by resilient appliance therapy and if it influences the treatment outcome. The study investigated 48 patients randomly assigned to a treatment group (T group = 21 patients, using resilient appliance) or a control group (C group = 27 patients, using nonoccluding appliance). Changes in the condyle-fossa relationship (with and without the appliance ...

The aim of this study was to observe the prevalence of diagnostic groups of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in patients who were referred or sought treatment for TMD and/or orofacial pain in a private clinic. The clinical records of 357 patients were evaluated and selected based on inclusion/exclusion criteria; the mean age was 32 years. A clinical examination was performed and the diagnosis was based on the American Academy of Orofacial Pain criteria. Results ...

This is a case of unilateral masseter muscle hypertrophy (MMH) treated with botulinum toxin (NHAI - normalised hemi-facial asymmetry index improvement from 5.48 to 3.04). After 19 months, the treatment was repeated because of hypertrophy relapse (NHAI increase up to 6.82). The volume variations in the masseter area were monitored during 25 months using a laser scanner to compute facial volume. In order to relate the cause of hypertrophy and relapse to the ...