A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of the Efficacy of Steroid Supplementation After Temporomandibular Joint Arthrocentesis.

Purpose: In patients with unilateral intra-articular temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain, the efficacy of steroid supplementation compared with placebo after TMJ arthrocentesis was examined in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Patients And Methods: Female patients unsuccessfully treated by usual therapy were recruited. After informed consent was obtained, 24 patients were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or placebo group.

Mouse incising central pattern generator: Characteristics and modulation by pain.

Introduction: Vertebrate incising and chewing are controlled by a set of neurons comprising the central pattern generator (CPG) for mastication. Mandibular positioning and force generation to perform these tasks is complex and requires coordination of multiple jaw opening and closing muscle compartments located in muscles on both sides of the jaw. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of the CPG by recording mouse incising forces in the home cage environment to evaluate changes in force characteristics with incising frequency and force direction.

Orthognathic Surgery as a Treatment for Temporomandibular Disorders.

Well-controlled clinical trials supporting orthognathic surgery as the primary management for temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are lacking. Most published studies lack an adequate experimental design to minimize biases. Studies that did minimize some biases do support an overall reduction in the frequency of TMD signs and symptoms in some Class III and Class II patients who had orthognathic surgery.

Evaluation of Early Postoperative Complications Following Tracheotomy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the early postoperative complications related to tracheotomy performed by surgeons and residents in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) at the University of Florida College of Dentistry (UFCD; Gainesville, FL). The authors hypothesized that complications with this surgical technique would be substantially different among the different medical diagnoses of these patients and the number of complications would positively correlate with the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification.

Patients And Methods: The authors implemented a retrospective study of all patients who underwent a tracheotomy procedure by the UFCD OMS department from July 2011 through March 2015.

Atypical temporomandibular joint pain: a case report.

Atypical temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain can consist of an unusual intensity, location or set of pain descriptors that do not match what is traditionally observed for TMJ capsular pain, disc displacements or arthritic conditions. Presented in this case report is an atypical pain report regarding a unilateral TMJ pain as the chief complaint. An overview of typical vs atypical TMJ pain is also reviewed to highlight unusual signs and symptoms so that the clinician can identify these atypical presentations and pursue further diagnostic approaches.

Use of a novel thermal operant behavioral assay for characterization of orofacial pain sensitivity.

Orofacial pain has been well-characterized clinically, but evaluation of orofacial pain in animals has not kept pace. The objective of this study was to describe behavioral responses to facial thermal stimulation and inflammation with/without an analgesic using a novel operant paradigm. Animals were trained to voluntarily place their face against a stimulus thermode (37.

Sex differences in rabbit masseter muscle function.

The proportions of fibers of different phenotypes in the rabbit masseter muscle differ strikingly in adult males and females. Muscles from females contain similar proportions of small fibers that express both the slow/beta and cardiac alpha myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms and larger fibers containing the IIa MyHC isoform. In muscles from males, nearly 80% of fibers are of the IIa phenotype.

Sex differences in rabbit masseter motoneuron firing behavior.

To evaluate whether sex differences in the proportions of fibers of different phenotypes in the masseter muscle might be the result of differences in the behavior of their motoneurons, we studied the firing patterns of masseter motoneurons in adult male and female rabbits. Activity in individual motoneurons was determined from high spatial resolution EMG recordings made during cortically evoked rhythmic activation of the masticatory muscles. Although some motoneurons could be said to fire according to slow-tonic or fast-phasic patterns, most did not.