Rising Prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis in Switzerland: Results from the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry.

Introduction: Understanding the prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) provides information for healthcare planning and helps identify trends and patterns of disease occurrence. For Switzerland, the number of persons with MS (pwMS) was last estimated at approximately 15,000 in 2016. The study's objectives were to update estimates of MS prevalence and characterise the change in MS prevalence in Switzerland between 2016 and 2021, the last year with complete administrative data.

Effect of Therapeutic Jaw Exercises in the Treatment of Masticatory Myofascial Pain: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Aims: To study the effect and cost-effectiveness of jaw exercise treatment in patients with masticatory myofascial pain.

Methods: A total of 97 patients with myofascial pain according to the RDC/TMD were randomized into three groups: (1) jaw exercises; (2) stabilization appliance; or (3) no treatment. After 3 months, the patients were evaluated according to the following instruments: pain intensity according to a visual analog scale (VAS); global improvement according to the Patient Global Impression of Change scale (PGIC); depression and anxiety according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); jaw function according to the Jaw Functional Limitation Scale (JFLS-20); consumption of analgesics; and frequency of tension-type headache.

A Framework for Estimating the Burden of Chronic Diseases: Design and Application in the Context of Multiple Sclerosis.

When population-based databases are unavailable, nationwide assessments of the disease burden of multiple sclerosis (MS) resort to clinical, administrative or convenience-sampled data sources, which may produce results of limited external validity. Our aim was to develop a framework for estimating measures of occurrence of chronic diseases, and more broadly disease burden, that mitigate these limitations and to apply this framework to estimate the prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Switzerland. We developed a 7-step framework which implements the combination of several data sources together with a resampling and critical appraisal approach.

Jaw Exercises in the Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders-An International Modified Delphi Study.

Aims: To investigate whether an international consensus exists among TMD experts regarding indications, performance, follow-up, and effectiveness of jaw exercises.

Methods: A questionnaire with 31 statements regarding jaw exercises was constructed. Fourteen international experts with some geographic dispersion were asked to participate in this Delphi study, and all accepted.

Patients' experiences of therapeutic jaw exercises in the treatment of masticatory myofascial pain-A postal questionnaire study.

Background: The most common non-dental pain in the orofacial region is pain associated with temporomandibular disorders (TMD), and jaw exercises are a common treatment in these cases. Since masticatory myofascial pain has components of an affective and cognitive nature, knowledge about the patients' experiences of the condition and treatment is important.

Objective: The aim was to study the patients' experiences of jaw exercises in the treatment of masticatory myofascial pain.

Knowledge and competence in temporomandibular disorders among Swedish general dental practitioners and dental hygienists.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate knowledge and competence in temporomandibular disorders (TMD) among dentists and dental hygienists working in the public dental service (PDS) in Sweden.

Materials And Methods: The study population comprised all general dentists (n = 110) and dental hygienists (n = 80) working in the PDS in two Swedish counties: Kronoberg (K) and Blekinge (B). The participants filled out a questionnaire comprised of 15 questions.

Patient Experiences of Therapeutic Jaw Exercises in the Treatment of Masticatory Myofascial Pain: A Qualitative Study.

Aims: To investigate patients' experiences of therapeutic jaw exercises for treating masticatory myofascial pain.

Methods: A total of 10 patients were selected for the interview study. All patients had received treatment with jaw exercises at a specialist clinic.

Treatment of temporomandibular disorders - knowledge, attitudes and clinical experience among general practising dentists in Sweden.

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the self-perceived level of knowledge, attitudes and clinical experience in treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) among general practising dentists (GPDs).

Material And Methods: A web-based questionnaire was sent to all GPDs in the public dental health service in the County of Uppsala in 2010 (n = 128) and 2014 (n = 113). The GPDs were asked to answer questions in the following categories: Demographic information, Quality assurance, Clinical experience and treatment, Need for specialist resources in the field of TMD and Attitudes.

Clinical signs indicative of temporomandibular disorders in adults: time trends and associated factors.

The study aimed to examine possible time trends in the prevalence of clinical signs indicative of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) in an adult population, to analyse possible associations between TMD signs and associated factors and to estimate the need for TMD treatment. Three independent, stratified and randomly selected samples of around 100 individuals in the age groups of 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 years participated in the Jönköping studies in 1983,1993 and 2003. The study material consisted of 1,693 subjects who, after answering a questionnaire and being interviewed about the presence of TMD symptoms, were clinically examined in terms of the presence of TMD signs according to the Clinical Dysfunction Index (Di) by Helkimo.

Routines for interocclusal appliance therapy among general dental practitioners in a Swedish county.

The aims of this study were to investigate what kind of interocclusal appliances that were chosen among Swedish dentists when treating temporomandibular disorders (TMD), the clinical rationale for the treatment, the diagnoses that warranted the appliance treatment, the use of adjunct TMD treatments and prognostic considerations, and possible differences in these respects between children/adolescents and adults with TMD, and, finally, possible differences between private practitioners and general practitioners in the public dental service. During the 12-months-period April 2009-March 2010 all general dental practitioners in the county of Jönköping, Sweden, were asked to fill in a questionnaire when performing a TMD treatment with an interocclusal appliance. A total of 394 questionnaires were filled in and returned, 216 (55%) from dentists in public dental service and 178 (45%) from private practitioners.

Size and form of the human temporomandibular joint in African-Americans and Caucasians.

The aim of this study was to examine contemporary human skull material for possible differences between Caucasians and African-Americans in respect to size and form of the temporomandibular condyles. The material consisted of a total of 129 Caucasian skulls (94 males and 35 females) and 76 African-American skulls (40 males and 36 females). Their mean age at death was 46 years for the Caucasians (range: 19-89 years) and 37 years for the African-Americans (range: 18-70 years).

Sleeping position and reported quality of sleep. A comparison between subjects demanding treatment for temporomandibular disorders and controls.

The aims of the present study were to investigate if there are differences concerning preferred body posture during sleep between 100 patients, 66 women and 34 men, mean age: 49 years (range: 20-85 years) referred to a specialist clinic because of TMD and 100 matched controls from a public dental clinic. The participants were asked to answer a questionnaire with questions about TMD symptoms and neck or shoulder pain. They were also asked about preferred sleeping position as well as about perceived sleep quality.

Patients' adherence to hard acrylic interocclusal appliance treatment in general dental practice in Sweden.

The aims of the present study were to investigate patient adherence to treatment with hard acrylic interocclusal appliance in general dentistry in Sweden and to see if some general factors could predict patient adherence or non-adherence. During the period January - May 2009 a postal questionnaire was sent to all adult patients (> or = 20 years of age) that had received a hard acrylic interocclusal appliance from the public dental health service in the County of Uppsala during 2007 (n=388). The same questionnaire was also sent to all adult patients that had received a hard acrylic interocclusal appliance at a specialist clinic during the same year (n=69).

Prevalence of symptoms indicative of temporomandibular disorders in adults: cross-sectional epidemiological investigations covering two decades.

Objectives: The aims were (1) to study possible secular trends in the prevalence of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms in adults and (2) to analyse possible associations between TMD symptoms and background factors.

Materials And Methods: The investigation has a repeated cross-sectional design. Three independent, randomly selected samples of ∼100 individuals in the age groups of 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 years, a total of 1704 subjects, participated in the Jönköping studies in 1983, 1993 and 2003.

Degenerative changes of the temporomandibular joint. Relationship to ethnicity, sex and occlusal supporting zones based on a skull material.

Objective: The first aim of this study was to examine a contemporary human skull material for possible ethnic differences in respect of degenerative changes in the temporomandibular joints (TMJs). A second aim was to see if there was any correlation between such changes and occlusal support in any of the two groups and, if so, if this correlation was sex-related.

Materials And Methods: The material consisted of 129 Caucasian skulls and 76 skulls from Afro-Americans.

Degenerative changes in human temporomandibular joints in relation to occlusal support.

Objective: Controversy exists concerning the etiological factors behind degenerative changes in the temporomandibular joints (TMJs). Tooth attrition, occlusal support, food consistency, ageing, gender and genetics are some possible causative factors that have been discussed in the literature. The aim of this study was to examine contemporary human skull material for possible relations between degenerative form and surface changes in the TMJs in relation to occlusal support.

A description of a contemporary human skull material in respect of age, gender, temporomandibular joint changes, and some dental variables.

Unlabelled: Controversy exists concerning the etiological factors behind degenerative changes in the temporomandibularjoints (TMJs). Occlusal factors, ageing, gender and genetics are some factors that have been discussed. The aim of the present study was to examine a contemporary human skull material in respect of gender, age, occlusal variables and form and surface changes in the temporomandibular joints.

Treatment of temporomandibular disorders with a combination of hard acrylic stabilisation appliance and a soft appliance in the opposing jaw. A retro- and prospective study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment effect of a combined treatment with a stabilisation appliance and a soft appliance in the opposing jaw in patients refractory to previous TMD treatment. During a 5-year-period, 2001-2005, a total of 98 patients received the combined treatment at the Department of Stomatognathic Physiology, the Institute for Postgraduate Dental Education, Jönköping, Sweden. Before the patients received the combined treatment, they had already been given several different TMD treatments during a long period of time, either before referral or at the specialist clinic, with only minor or no effect on their TMD symptoms.

A follow-up study of subjective symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in patients who received acupuncture and/or interocclusal appliance therapy 18-20 years earlier.

Objective: To evaluate the presence of symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) in patients referred to a specialist clinic because of muscular problems 18-20 years earlier and who had received mainly acupuncture and/or interocclusal appliance therapy.

Material And Methods: Sixty-five subjects who had received therapy at a TMD specialist clinic 18-20 years earlier were mailed a questionnaire with questions about TMD symptoms, their attitude towards the therapy, and their opinion about the outcome. Fifty-five subjects (85%) answered and returned the questionnaire.

Comparison of individual prediction of treatment outcome made by a TMD specialist and a TMD-trained general dental practitioner in patients with temporomandibular disorders.

The aim of this study was to investigate if a TMD-trained general dental practitioner could individually predict actual treatment outcome in selected patients diagnosed with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) with similar results as a TMD specialist. The patients were examined, individually predicted, treatment planned, treated and had their treatment outcome evaluated by the therapist, respectively. Out of 2618 patients referred to a TMD specialist clinic, 1086 patients started treatment.

Validation and improvement of a predictive model for treatment outcome in patients with temporomandibular disorders.

Objective: To examine whether it was possible to improve individual prediction of treatment outcome in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) through continuous quality improvement registrations and implementation of changes in clinical routines.

Material And Methods: All 5777 patients referred to a specialist clinic for stomatognathic physiology; 2187 TMD patients started treatment. The patients were divided into Muscle or Mainly TMJ symptom groups.

Interocclusal appliances--indications and clinical routines in general dental practice in Sweden.

The aim of this study was to analyse what kind of interocclusal appliances that are used in general dental practice in Sweden, the indications for such treatment, to what extent a clinical status is recorded before treatment, as well as the routines for evaluation of treatment results. The study was a retrospective analysis of patient records from 320 adult patients who had been treated by general dental practitioners in the Public Dental Service in Sweden. For comparison a group of 88 consecutive patients who had received interocclusal appliance therapy at a specialist clinic was used.

A prospective investigation over two decades on signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders and associated variables. A final summary.

The aim of this summary of a longitudinal investigation on temporomandibular disorders (TMD) was to present the prevalence figures of signs and symptoms of TMD and certain other examined variables, and the correlations between these variables, over a 20-year period. Originally, 402 randomly selected 7-, 11-, and 15-year-olds were examined clinically and by means of a questionnaire. The same examination procedure was repeated three times: after 4-5 years and after 10 and 20 years, respectively.

A prospective long-term study of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in patients who received orthodontic treatment in childhood.

This investigation analyzed the influence of orthodontic treatment performed in childhood on the long-term development of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). The original sample consisted of 50 consecutive patients (27 girls and 23 boys) with different morphological malocclusions, who were to receive orthodontic treatment. Their mean age at start of treatment was 12.

Tactile stimulation as a complementary treatment of temporomandibular disorders in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome. A pilot study.

Pain of long duration is a common suffering in modern man. One such pain condition is fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Opinions about what treatment regimen that are to be used in these patients are diverging, and many of the treatments suggested are not, or only poorly, scientifically investigated.