Effectiveness of dry needling on the local pressure pain threshold in patients with masticatory myofascial pain. Systematic review and preliminary clinical trial.

: To systematically review the literature to identify controlled clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of deep dry needling (DDN) in the treatment of patients with chronic masticatory myofascial pain (MMP).: The sample size for a clinical trial was calculated and involved five patients who consecutively presented for treatment of MMP. The percentage of change in the means of three consecutive measurements of the pressure pain threshold (PPT) of myofascial trigger points (MTPs) was calculated and the statistical significance of this difference evaluated using the Wilcoxon test.

Cross-sectional study of anxiety symptoms and self-report of awake and sleep bruxism in female TMD patients.

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between levels of anxiety symptoms and prevalence of self-report of awake and sleep bruxism in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD).

Method: One hundred and eighty-one female patients, aged 19-77 years, were consecutively evaluated. The patients were selected from among those who sought treatment at the TMD and Orofacial Pain Outpatient Clinic of the Petrópolis School of Medicine.