Oral Surg Oral Med O
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Drugs are widely used in the management of acute and chronic orofacial pain. Whereas the use of analgesics for acute orofacial pain is well documented through hundreds of controlled clinical trials, the use of a broad spectrum of drugs for chronic pain is based on very few studies. ⋯ It is critical, therefore, to assess the balance between therapeutic benefit and safety. This article reviews current evidence supporting the use of several drug classes for temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and identifies therapeutic controversies in need of further research.
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Recurrent aphthous stomatitis is a disease of unknown cause. To examine whether thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency is associated with recurrent aphthous stomatitis, we studied vitamin B1 levels in 70 patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis and in 50 members of a control group. ⋯ These low levels were not associated with patient age, sex, or underlying disease causing recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Our finding suggests an association between thiamine deficiency and recurrent aphthous stomatitis.
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Oral Surg Oral Med O · Nov 1996
Comorbidity of depression with chronic facial pain and temporomandibular disorders.
The objective of this study was to examine the comorbidity of depressive disorders in patients with chronic facial pain presenting to a multidisciplinary facial pain clinic. ⋯ Screening for symptoms of depression should be an integral part of the evaluation of all patients with chronic facial pain, even when masticatory muscle or temporomandibular joint disorders are identified.
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Oral Surg Oral Med O · Sep 1996
Effects of compliance with fluoride gel application on caries and caries risk in patients after radiation therapy for head and neck cancer.
The use of fluoride gel applied in a custom tray once daily has become standard for patients who have xerostomia after undergoing radiation therapy. Compliance may be poor as a result of the inconvenient method of application and because many patients with head and neck cancer have poor health behaviors. Our aim was to investigate the effect of compliance with fluoride gel application on caries and caries risk. ⋯ Differences in the mean caries incidence between those who reported compliance with daily fluoride application and those who did not comply were not found significant because of the large SD in the patient groups, although differences in the mean for these groups were seen. The lack of a statistically significant difference may be due to the multiple factors associated with caries. Therefore patient care must be individualized, and patients must be assessed at regular intervals to determine the caries risk and caries activity to provide guidance for maintenance of the dentition.