J Orofac Pain
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To compare the clinical characteristics of diagnostic subtypes of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) based on the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) in terms of physical findings (Axis I) and psychosocial findings (Axis II) among Caucasian and African American young women. An ancillary goal was to assess the value of using self-reported TMD pain as a screening tool compared to RDC/TMD examinations. ⋯ Among young women reporting facial pain, clinical TMD subtypes, pain impact, treatment utilization, and additional characteristics other than somatization with pain were similar between races. A high percentage of these young non-clinical cases presented severe depression and somatization.
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Comparative Study
Prevalence of temporomandibular pain and subsequent dental treatment in Swedish adolescents.
To assess the prevalence of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain in Swedish adolescents, to evaluate whether there are differences in TMD pain in regard to age, gender, and place of residence (urban or rural), and to evaluate treatment for TMD pain and compare it with documented treatment for teeth with caries. ⋯ The prevalence of self-reported TMD pain was relatively low, increased with age, and was higher among girls than boys. One third of the patients with TMD pain received some form of TMD treatment in the dental clinics.
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To determine the ultrastructural characteristics of axons in traumatic neuromas of the human lingual nerve during the surgical removal of lower third molar teeth and to establish whether any characteristics were different between patients with dysesthesia and patients without dysesthesia. ⋯ Damage to the lingual nerve results in marked changes to axon diameter, myelin sheath thickness, and Schwann cell-axon relationships. These ultrastructural changes could contribute to the altered electrophysiological properties of axons trapped within neuromas. However, no significant differences in the ultrastructural characteristics studied were found between specimens from patients with or without symptoms of dysesthesia.
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Occipital neuralgia is an extracranial pain that may be confused with other headaches. It can be attributed to multiple causes. The authors report the case of a 55-year-old woman suffering from right occipital neuralgia secondary to respiratory tract infection that began 6 days before the pain started. ⋯ A month later the patient appeared totally pain-free. The treatment was continued for 3 months, and the patient remained pain-free over a subsequent follow-up period of more than 6 months. Thus, in the case of occipital pain, a careful assessment of symptoms and a thorough history are necessary to obtain the correct diagnosis and to choose the appropriate treatment plan.
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Comparative Study
Cyclic effects on experimental pain response in women with temporomandibular disorders.
Since cyclic effects on experimental pain response in women with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) have not been adequately studied, the aim of this study was to assess variations in experimental pain response at 4 phases of the menstrual cycle. ⋯ Phase-related differences in experimental pain response were not strong and were more often found for experimental stimuli with greater clinical relevance (ie, palpation pain) compared with an ischemic pain task.