Volume 28 - Issue 2

Dr. Jack Haden can be considered a friend, mentor, sage educational instructor, and “father figure” to many who know him. Jack Haden, Brendan Stack, and Harold Gelb are genuine pioneers in the diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Each of these men is an icon in the field of dentistry, and Jack is solidly one of that trilogy.

Jack was born in Springfield, Missouri in 1932. During the depression years, his family lived, at ...

“Why wouldn’t my dentist know that my jaw joint was going bad?” asks the all too often, perplexed dental patient. “Dental schools don't have enough time to teach about the TMJ in an already crowded curriculum further stressed with new and improved materials and techniques in most disciplines of dentistry. They just don't have any additional time,” I alibi. I'm getting tired of making excuses for the American Dental Association (ADA ...

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of diode laser (GaAlAs – 780 nm) on pain to palpation and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the masseter and anterior temporalis muscles. The laser was applied on the temporalis and masseter muscles twice a week (four weeks). Forty-eight (48) patients with myofascial pain were randomly assigned between actual and placebo treatments and between the energetic doses of 25 J/cm2 and 60 J/cm2, and ...

ABSTRACT: Patients with TMD often present with complex pain symptoms, which can make it difficult to reach a diagnosis. Usually palpation of the masticatory muscles and TM joints, range of motion testing and imaging are used in the diagnostic process. Sometimes it is necessary to evaluate the jaw moving muscles from a functional prospective because they cannot be palpated due to inaccessibility or because they have other structures that are more superficial to them. In ...

ABSTRACT: This study was conducted to determine if microbial infection was a significant factor in patients with undiagnosed craniofacial pain. Of the 150 patients from whom intra-bony cultures were obtained, 23 different groups of isolates were obtained. There were 49 (32.67%) patients whose cultures exhibited growth of microbes other than routine oral flora, mixed skin flora or routine respiratory flora. The most common was of the Streptococcus species (11 or 22.91%) of the ...

ABSTRACT: Several works showed a decreased role for occlusion in the etiology of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Nonetheless, it may be hypothesized that occlusion acts as a modulator through which bruxism activities may cause damage to the stomatognathic structures. To test this hypothesis, a logistic regression model was created with the inclusion of clinically diagnosed bruxism and eight occlusal features as potential predictors for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain in a sample of 276 consecutive TMD patients ...

ABSTRACT: This study evaluated the activation of different cortical areas during nondeliberate chewing of soft and hard boluses in five right-handed and five left-handed subjects with normal occlusion, to determine different hemispheric prevalences. The study was conducted with a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (1.5 T Magnetom Vision - Siemens Medical, Germany) using a head coil. The results showed that the most frequently activated areas were Brodmann’s areas four and six in the primary motor ...

ABSTRACT: The reported prevalence of symptoms related to bruxism varies in the general population because of different investigative methodologies, operational definitions, clinical criteria, and samples of population. Awareness of bruxism in the general population is 15% to 23%, however, this rate increases to 50% to 90% in clinical studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of self-reported symptoms associated with bruxism in Istanbul, Turkey and to analyze the correlation between bruxism ...

ABSTRACT: Stabilization splints are frequently used for the treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and bruxism, despite the fact that little is known about their mechanism of action or the precise conditions under which they can be recommended. Moreover, information about their possible adverse effects, which in the majority of cases include occlusal modifications of little clinical relevance, is scarce. On occasions, these splints can provoke severe occlusal alterations and other complications, which are rarely alluded ...

Bifid mandibular condyle is a rare anomaly; there are several theories about its etiology, and it has been studied in both prehistoric and historic skulls, as well as in living human beings. It is a frequent, although unexpected, finding in asymptomatic individuals during radiological treatment. Presented here is a review of the literature over the past 10 years and two new cases of unilateral bifid condyle. Computerized tomography is usually considered the test of choice ...