J Orofac Pain
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To study the age- and gender-related prevalence of signs of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in the Finnish adult population. ⋯ Signs of TMD may be more common among the elderly than is usually reported.
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To investigate the degree and duration of neuronal hyperexcitability due to local inflammatory trauma after surgical removal of an impacted mandibular third molar. ⋯ These results indicate that even a minor surgical procedure in the orofacial region may be sufficient to evoke hyperexcitability in an area adjacent to the surgical wound for up to 30 days. The decreased adaptive capacity in the patient group also suggests the involvement of central pain-regulatory mechanisms in response to the surgical trauma.
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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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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of local serotonin administration on pain and microcirculation in the human masseter muscle.
To investigate whether exogenously administered 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) at high or low concentration influences pain and microcirculation in the human masseter muscle. ⋯ Intramuscular administration of 5-HT at 1,000 micromol/L into the human masseter muscle induced pain, but 5-HT did not have any effect on local blood flow at either concentration.