Temporomandibular disorders: INfORM/IADR key points for good clinical practice based on standard of care.

Objective: To present a list of key points for good Temporomandibular Disorders (TMDs) clinical practice on behalf of the International Network for Orofacial Pain and Related Disorders Methodology (INfORM) group of the International Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (IADR).

Methods: An open working group discussion was held at the IADR General Session in New Orleans (March 2024), where members of the INfORM group finalized the proposal of a list of 10 key points.

Results: The key points covered knowledge on the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment.

Interventions in root-filled teeth identified in general dental practice: A 6-year longitudinal observational study.

Aim: To investigate what happens to cross-sectionally identified root-filled teeth over a 6-year period, regardless of the time that elapsed since primary root canal treatment, in a cohort of adult patients regularly attending a Public Dental Service. A secondary aim was to investigate how the cumulative events affecting root-filled teeth over the same time were associated with variables obtained from a baseline examination.

Methodology: Adult patients with ≥1 previously root-filled tooth and regularly attending the Public Dental Service in Örebro County were enrolled for study participation in 2015.

PRIDASE 2024 guidelines for reporting diagnostic accuracy studies in endodontics: A consensus-based development.

Studies investigating the accuracy of diagnostic tests should provide data on how effectively they identify or exclude disease in order to inform clinicians responsible for managing patients. This consensus-based project was undertaken to develop reporting guidelines for authors submitting manuscripts, which describe studies that have evaluated the accuracy of diagnostic tests in endodontics. These guidelines are known as the Preferred Reporting Items for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies in Endodontics (PRIDASE) 2024 guidelines.

A critical look at outcome measures: Comparison between four dental research journals by use of a hierarchical model.

Aim: To assess the status quo of outcome measures used in treatment studies in Endodontics, and potentially identify strategies for improvement, by (i) systematically assessing the outcome measures using a conceptual model and (ii) comparing these with measures used in corresponding studies in the adjacent fields.

Methodology: The International Endodontic Journal, Caries Research, The Journal of Clinical Periodontology and The Journal of Oral & Facial Pain and Headache were selected to cover four adjacent dental disciplines. In each journal, the 50 most recent consecutive publications fulfilling inclusion criteria were included.

Multivariable prediction models of caries increment: a systematic review and critical appraisal.

Background: Multivariable prediction models are used in oral health care to identify individuals with an increased likelihood of caries increment. The outcomes of the models should help to manage individualized interventions and to determine the periodicity of service. The objective was to review and critically appraise studies of multivariable prediction models of caries increment.

Orofacial pain for clinicians: A review of constant and attack-like facial pain syndromes.

Background: Primary headache syndromes such as migraine are among the most common neurological syndromes. Chronic facial pain syndromes of non-odontogenic cause are less well known to neurologists despite being highly disabling. Given the pain localization, these patients often consult dentists first who may conduct unnecessary dental interventions even if a dental cause is not identified.

PROBE 2023 guidelines for reporting observational studies in endodontics: Explanation and elaboration.

Observational studies play a critical role in evaluating the prevalence and incidence of conditions or diseases in populations as well as in defining the benefits and potential hazards of health-related interventions. There are currently no reporting guidelines for observational studies in the field of Endodontics. The Preferred Reporting Items for study Designs in Endodontology (PRIDE) team has developed and published new reporting guidelines for observational-based studies called the 'Preferred Reporting items for OBservational studies in Endodontics (PROBE) 2023' guidelines.

Nocebo response in dentistry: A systematic review and meta-analysis of adverse events in analgesic trials of third molar removal.

Background: The nocebo response refers to the phenomenon where non-specific factors, including negative verbal suggestion and treatment expectations, cause adverse events (AE) following a placebo treatment. Non-specific factors are also likely to influence AE occurrence following administration of active pharmacological treatments.

Objective: This meta-analysis aimed to estimate the nocebo response in dentistry by assessing the AEs prevalence in placebo- and active arms of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) assessing analgesic treatment following third molar (M3) surgery.

PROBE 2023 guidelines for reporting observational studies in Endodontics: A consensus-based development study.

Observational studies are non-interventional studies that establish the prevalence and incidence of conditions or diseases in populations or analyse the relationship between health status and other variables. They also facilitate the development of specific research questions for future randomized trials or to answer important scientific questions when trials are not possible to carry out. This article outlines the previously documented consensus-based approach by which the Preferred Reporting items for Observational studies in Endodontics (PROBE) 2023 guidelines were developed.

What is the nocebo effect and does it apply to dentistry?-A narrative review.

Background: Evidence for the nocebo effect, a phenomenon characterised by suboptimal treatment efficacy, worsening of symptoms, or the occurrence of adverse events caused by an individual's negative treatment expectations, is growing across a multitude of medical fields. However, little attention has been paid to patients' negative expectations and the nocebo effect within dentistry.

Aim: This review summarises essential evidence of the nocebo phenomenon especially in relation to pain and drug administration.

How do we and how should we deal with uncertainty in endodontics?

In many clinical cases a dentist may feel certain when for example diagnosing, deciding on treatment, or assessing the prognosis-in other cases many dentists may feel a degree of doubt or uncertainty. This paper aims to explore the philosophical concept of uncertainty and its different dimensions, using the condition "persistent apical periodontitis associated with a previously root filled tooth" as an example. Acknowledging that uncertainty exists in any clinical situation can be perceived as uncomfortable, as some might regard it as a weakness.

New International Classification of Orofacial Pain: What Is in It For Endodontists?

Pain is a common symptom in endodontic conditions, but differential diagnostic procedures are often needed to exclude other pain origins. Thus, general dentists and endodontists need to be aware of alternative painful orofacial conditions and be able to identify them. The new International Classification of Orofacial Pain (ICOP) is the first comprehensive classification that uniquely deals with orofacial pain.

Assessment of Somatosensory and Psychosocial Function of Patients With Trigeminal Nerve Damage.

Objective: The present study assessed somatosensory changes related to trigeminal nerve damage using extensive evaluation tools and assessed the effect of such damage on the patients' psychosocial status and quality of life compared with healthy participants.

Methods: In 37 patients with intraorally or extraorally presenting trigeminal nerve damage diagnosed as painful or nonpainful posttraumatic trigeminal neuropathy, psychophysical tests like quantitative sensory testing (QST) and qualitative sensory testing and the electrophysiological "nociceptive-specific" blink reflex were performed. The patients and 20 healthy participants completed a set of questionnaires assessing their psychosocial status and quality of life.

Assessment of Somatosensory Function, Pain, and Unpleasantness in Two Surrogate Models of Trigeminal Nerve Damage: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Crossover Study.

Aims: To assess the pain and/or unpleasantness and the somatosensory changes caused by two experimental models of trigeminal nerve damage (topical application of capsaicin and local anesthetics) in healthy participants using extensive evaluation tools.

Methods: This double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study included 20 healthy adult participants who underwent three separate sessions of testing. In each session, the psychophysical quantitative sensory testing (QST) and the electrophysiologic electrically evoked trigeminal "nociceptive-specific" blink reflex (nBR) investigations were performed at baseline.

Feasibility and reliability of intraorally evoked "nociceptive-specific" blink reflexes.

Objectives: The "nociceptive-specific" blink reflex (nBR) evoked by extraoral stimulation has been used to assess trigeminal nociceptive processing in patients with trigeminal nerve damage regardless of the site of damage. This study aimed to test the feasibility of nBR elicited by intraoral stimulation, compare intraoral and extraoral nBR and assess the intrarater and interrater reliability of the intraoral nBR for the maxillary (V2) and mandibular (V3) branches of the trigeminal nerve.

Materials And Methods: In 17 healthy participants, nBR was elicited by stimulation of two extraoral and two intraoral sites by two operators and repeated intraorally by one operator.

Demographic factors in the choice of coronal restoration after root canal treatment in the Swedish adult population.

Background: After root canal treatment, a choice is made between different coronal restorations which in the long run could affect the survival of the tooth.

Objective: To compare demographic characteristics between individuals choosing an indirect coronal restoration (crown, inlay/onlay) and individuals choosing other restorations after completion of a root filling.

Methods: The cohort consisted of all root-filled upper first molars that were reported to the tax-funded Swedish Social Insurance Agency (SSIA) during 2009.

Assessment of Mechanical Pain Thresholds in the Orofacial Region: A Comparison Between Pinprick Stimulators and Electronic Von Frey Device.

Aims: To compare mechanical pain thresholds (MPTs) in the orofacial region assessed with two different approaches: with an electronic von Frey (EvF) device and with custom-made weighted pinprick stimulators. The test-retest reliability, variability of MPTs, and time duration of each test were also compared, as well as the ability of each test to create stimulus-response (S-R) curves.

Methods: A total of 16 healthy volunteers participated.

Validity of Preoperative Clinical Findings to Identify Dental Pulp Status: A National Dental Practice-Based Research Network Study.

Introduction: Endodontic diagnostic tests are often used clinically to assess pulp status as a basis for the diagnosis and determination of whether root canal treatment (RCT) is indicated. Response to cold and pain on percussion are 2 common tests, yet their validity in identifying nonvital pulp in regular dental practice has not been reported.

Methods: We assessed the validity of cold and percussion tests to identify nonvital pulp in teeth requiring RCT in a dental practice setting performed by 46 general dentists and 16 endodontists in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network.

A new protocol to evaluate the effect of topical anesthesia.

This double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized cross-over clinical experimental study tested the reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change of punctuate pain thresholds and self-reported pain on needle penetration. Female subjects without orofacial pain were tested in 2 sessions at 1- to 2-week intervals. The test site was the mucobuccal fold adjacent to the first upper right premolar.

A comparative analysis of magnetic resonance imaging and radiographic examinations of patients with atypical odontalgia.

Aims: To examine (1) the occurrence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal changes in the painful regions of patients with atypical odontalgia (AO) and (2) the correlation of such findings to periapical bone defects detected with a comprehensive radiographic examination including cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Methods: A total of 20 patients (mean age 52 years, range 34 to 65) diagnosed with AO participated. Mean pain intensity (± standard deviation) was 5.

Intraoral somatosensory abnormalities in patients with atypical odontalgia--a controlled multicenter quantitative sensory testing study.

Intraoral somatosensory sensitivity in patients with atypical odontalgia (AO) has not been investigated systematically according to the most recent guidelines. The aims of this study were to examine intraoral somatosensory disturbances in AO patients using healthy subjects as reference, and to evaluate the percent agreement between intraoral quantitative sensory testing (QST) and qualitative sensory testing (QualST). Forty-seven AO patients and 69 healthy control subjects were included at Universities of Washington, Malmö, and Aarhus.

Chairside intraoral qualitative somatosensory testing: reliability and comparison between patients with atypical odontalgia and healthy controls.

Aims: To assess intraoral inter- and intraexaminer reliability of three qualitative measures of intraoral somatosensory function and to compare these measures between patients with atypical odontalgia (AO) and healthy controls.

Methods: Thirty-one AO patients and 47 healthy controls participated. Inter- and intraexaminer reliability was tested on a subgroup of 46 subjects (25 AO; 21 healthy).

Seven-year follow-up of patients diagnosed with atypical odontalgia: a prospective study.

Aims: To examine the long-term prognosis of 46 previously examined atypical odontalgia (AO) patients.

Methods: In 2002 and 2009, AO patients completed validated instruments measuring pain characteristics (pain frequency and intensity), physical functioning (Graded Chronic Pain Severity, GCPS) and emotional functioning (Symptoms Checklist, SCL-90R). The main outcome was global improvement.