J Orofac Pain
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To examine whether catastrophizing is associated with clinical examination findings, pain-related activity interference, and health care use among patients with pain related to temporomandibular disorders (TMD). ⋯ TMD patients who catastrophize have higher scores on clinical examination measures reflecting more widely dispersed and severe pain upon palpation of TMD-related facial muscle and joint sites, as well as greater TMD-related activity interference and health care use. Clinicians should consider screening patients with moderate or greater TMD pain and activity interference for catastrophizing. Cognitive-behavioral interventions may help reduce pain, disability, and health care use of patients who catastrophize.
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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 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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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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To determine whether there is a difference in terms of reliability between experienced examiners and inexperienced examiners in the measurement of signs of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). ⋯ Examiner calibration rather than professional experience seems to be the most important factor for reliable measurement of TMD symptoms.