• Roberta Valentino, Roberto Rongo, Maria Alessio, Per Alstergren, Rosaria Bucci, Giovanna Leone, Vincenzo D'Antò, and Ambrosina Michelotti.
• School of Orthodontics, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Oral Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
• J Oral Rehabil. 2020 Aug 1; 47 (8): 944-950.

BackgroundJuvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is an autoimmune, chronic, inflammatory joint disease, affecting children and adolescents. Patients with JIA may have pain and fatigue in muscles. There are not studies evaluating the pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) of both masticatory muscles and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in patients with JIA.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate PPTs of masticatory muscles and TMJ in subjects with JIA.MethodsFifty-one JIA patients and fifty-two healthy subjects were recruited. JIA group was assessed for with a standardised clinical examination for temporomandibular disorders. In all subjects, the PPT was evaluated in the following sites: anterior temporalis (AT) and masseter (MM) muscles, TMJ and thenar (TH) eminence. Comparisons between groups were assessed with unpaired t test and ANOVA (P < .05).ResultsPressure pain thresholds were significantly lower among JIA patients compared with controls (P < .001) for all analysed sites. The presence of TMJ pain at palpation was significantly associated with a lower PPT at TMJ (P = .031).ConclusionsPatients with JIA have generally lowered pain threshold to mechanical stimulus, which suggests an effect of JIA on nocicepton-modulating processes.© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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