J Orofac Pain
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To estimate the prevalence and pattern of self-reported orofacial pain symptoms and treatment-seeking behavior in adult Cantonese-speaking Chinese people in Hong Kong. ⋯ Orofacial pain symptoms appear to affect more than a quarter of the adult population in Hong Kong, and prevalence estimates were consistent with those in Western countries. A substantial proportion of the pain symptoms were frequent and of moderate to severe intensity, with the potential for significant morbidity. Professional treatment seeking was very low and may be related to specific pain behaviors and effective coping strategies in this ethnic group.
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To evaluate the risk of self-reported temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain among adolescents in relation to previous head and/or neck injury. ⋯ The results suggest a modest association of prior head injuries with both self-reported and clinically diagnosed TMD pain in adolescents.
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To investigate whether local administration of nerve growth factor (NGF) decreases the mechanical threshold (MT) of putative nociceptive masseter afferent fibers as part of its mechanism of mechanical sensitization. ⋯ The finding that neither rat nor human NGF excited putative nociceptive masseter afferent fibers is consistent with a previous report that intramuscular NGF injections are not acutely painful in human subjects. The ability of human NGF injection into the rat masseter muscle to induce afferent mechanical sensitization suggests that this experimental approach may be useful for the study of peripheral mechanisms of myofascial pain and tenderness associated with temporomandibular disorders.
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Since sleep bruxism (SB) is characterized by grinding and clenching of the teeth during sleep and could be an exaggerated manifestation of normal spontaneous rhythmic masticatory muscle activity, the aim of this study was to obtain a neurophysiological assessment of the excitability of the central jaw motor pathways in patients with signs and symptoms suggestive of SB. ⋯ Although the data were only obtained during wakefulness in patients self-reporting signs and symptoms suggestive of SB, the findings suggest that an abnormal excitability of the central jaw motor pathways may be present in SB subjects. This increased excitability could derive from an impaired modulation of brainstem inhibitory circuits and not from altered cortical mechanisms. These results support the view that bruxism is mainly centrally mediated and that it involves subcortical structures. The study also indicates that use of the MIR elicited by the double-shock technique could be valuable in the evaluation of bruxism.
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To examine the psychometric characteristics of a measure of self-efficacy for managing temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and to determine whether scores on this measure were related to pain, disability, and psychological distress in patients with chronic TMD pain. ⋯ Self-efficacy for managing pain appears to be important in the adjustment of patients with chronic TMD pain. Research is needed to determine whether treatments designed to increase self-efficacy improve TMD patient outcomes.