The pterygospinous and pterygoalar ligaments and their relationship to the mandibular nerve: Application to a better understanding of various forms of trigeminal neuralgia.

Introduction: Ossification of the pterygospinous and pterygoalar ligaments has been well documented forming pterygospinous and pterygoalar bars. However, the actual ligaments have been rarely shown in the existing literature. Therefore, this study aimed to reveal the anatomy of the pterygoalar ligament/bar and pterygospinous ligament/bar, and its relationship with the branches of the mandibular nerve.

Past, present, and future of predoctoral dental education in orofacial pain and TMDs: a call for interprofessional education.

Over the past several decades, there has been an explosion of knowledge in the fields of science and technology as they relate to the profession of dentistry. Due to these advances, dental curricula have had to incorporate many changes as they prepare students as well as faculty members for the twenty-first century. Dental educators have been encouraged to alter their paradigms to these new realities.

Neuropathic orofacial pain patients in need of dental care.

Dental pain is a common complaint among the general population. Most pain is a result of traumatic injury or bacterial infection in pulpal and periapical tissues, and dental practitioners are successful at diagnosing these conditions and providing prompt relief. However, in some cases, patients continue to complain of persistent pain, which may be categorized as neuropathic.

Clinical findings and pain symptoms as potential risk factors for chronic TMD: descriptive data and empirically identified domains from the OPPERA case-control study.

Clinical characteristics might be associated with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) because they are antecedent risk factors that increase the likelihood of a healthy person developing the condition or because they represent signs or symptoms of either subclinical or overt TMD. In this baseline case-control study of the multisite Orofacial Pain: Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment (OPPERA) project, 1,633 controls and 185 cases with chronic, painful TMD completed questionnaires and received clinical examinations. Odds ratios measuring association between each clinical factor and TMD were computed, with adjustment for study-site as well as age, sex, and race/ethnicity.

Intraindividual variability in daily sleep and pain ratings among chronic pain patients: bidirectional association and the role of negative mood.

Objectives: Sleep disturbance is a common problem among chronic pain patients. Cross-sectional data from clinical populations and experimental studies have shown an association between sleep disturbance and pain. However, there has been little prospective research into the relationship between daily variability between sleep and pain among chronic pain patients.

Gout of the temporomandibular joint: a review of the literature.

Background: Gout is a common metabolic disorder that leads to elevated serum uric acid levels and deposition of urate crystals in tissues, leading to conditions such as arthritis and neuropathy.

Case Description: Although the prevalence of gout has been increasing during the past two decades, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) involvement is rare, with only 10 reports in the English-language literature. The authors present a rare case of gout involving the TMJ in a 51-year-old woman.

Negative mood mediates the effect of poor sleep on pain among chronic pain patients.

Objectives: Sleep disturbances and increased negative mood are common among chronic pain patients. Research suggests that sleep disruption can contribute to increased pain; however, the role of negative mood in this relationship is unclear. The present study investigated the relationship among sleep disturbance, negative mood, and pain within a large sample of chronic pain patients.

Patient-centered outcome criteria for successful treatment of facial pain and fibromyalgia.

Aims: To define treatment success from the facial pain and fibromyalgia pain patient perspective across four domains (pain, fatigue, emotional distress, interference with daily activities) through the use of the Patient-Centered Outcomes (PCO) Questionnaire.

Methods: Participants included 53 facial pain (46 women, seven men) and 52 fibromyalgia (49 women, three men) patients who completed the PCO Questionnaire. The PCO assesses four relevant domains of chronic pain: pain, fatigue, distress, and interference in daily activities.

Self-care behaviors associated with myofascial temporomandibular disorder pain.

Aims: To document the frequency of self-care in a clinical sample of patients with myofascial temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain; report the perceived relief and control of pain for each of the self-care behaviors; and to test for associations between the frequency and efficacy of each self-care behavior and pain, depression and sleep quality, as assessed during a clinical visit, and to determine whether the frequency was associated with changes in pain intensity, depression, and sleep quality 30 days later.

Methods: The sample consisted of 99 female and 27 male myofascial TMD pain patients who were participants in a multidisciplinary facial pain evaluation program. The subjects participated in a structured interview during a clinical visit and a follow-up telephone interview 30 days later.

Somatic focus/awareness: Relationship to negative affect and pain in chronic pain patients.

Somatic focus refers to the tendency to notice and report physical symptoms, and has been investigated in relation to chronically painful conditions. This study investigated the relationship between somatic focus, as measured by the Pennebaker Inventory of Limbic Languidness (PILL), negative affect and pain. A secondary purpose of the present study was to examine sex differences in these relationships.