Carotid body tumor with concurrent masticatory pain dysfunction.

The serendipitous finding of a mass in the left neck unrelated to the prior masticatory muscle findings brought about prompt angiographic and magnetic resonance imaging studies that confirmed the presence of a carotid body tumor. The presence of an unrelated pathologic entity in the area from which prior complaints and findings had originated can be overlooked if one continues to focus on the initial presenting findings. When a more serious and even life-threatening element emerges during the time of painful dysfunction it may be masked by the ongoing symptoms and signs.

Percutaneous injuries in dentistry: an observational study.

The authors conducted an observational study of the frequency and circumstances of percutaneous injuries among dental residents. Their findings suggest that most percutaneous injuries sustained by these dental residents occurred extraorally and were associated with denture impression procedures. Some injuries may be preventable with changes in techniques or instrument design.

Myofascial pain associated with oropharyngeal cancer.

Since the early detection of neoplastic disease may have a significant impact on the morbidity and mortality of the disease, all health professionals are urged to consider this in their differential diagnosis. The cases presented point up the difficulty of doing this because of the complex nature of the neural patterns that innervate the head and neck area. This becomes even more disturbing when neoplasia has been ruled out and the findings point to a myofascial basis for the complaint.