J Orofac Pain
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To determine whether sex differences exist in tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) and the hemoglobin (Hb) oxygenation state of the resting human masseter muscle. ⋯ These results provide evidence that a sex difference in the Hb oxygenation state may exist in the masseter muscle of normal healthy subjects.
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To determine (1) the prevalence of aural symptoms in orofacial pain patients and (2) a potential association between temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and aural health, while controlling for covariates known to be associated with TMD or auditory dysfunction. ⋯ These findings indicate that TMD is significantly correlated to aural health, although no cause-and-effect relationship has yet been demonstrated. Aural symptoms were also found to have a measurable impact on the subjects' quality of life.
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To identify predictors for anxiety and depression in orofacial outpatients and to investigate the patients' compliance rate in taking a series of psychologic tests. ⋯ Although the predictability for anxiety or depression by some baseline parameters is considered to be low, age, personality traits, and choice of certain pain expression terms are useful predictors of anxiety or depression. The improvement of the compliance rate for psychologic screening will be a future challenge for Japanese clinics managing orofacial patients.
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Comparative Study
The influence of experimentally induced osteoarthrosis on articular nerve fibers of the sheep temporomandibular joint.
To study the effect of experimentally induced osteoarthrosis, or non-inflammatory degenerative changes, on the innervation of the sheep temporomandibular joint (TMJ) through the use of indirect immunohistochemistry and image analysis quantification. ⋯ This study suggests that while inflammatory arthritis has a marked influence on the density of sensory and autonomic nerve fibers in synovium in a variety of joints in different species, experimentally induced non-inflammatory osteoarthrosis in the sheep TMJ also leads to a depletion of the density of nerve fibers in the capsule, especially in the lateral part of the joint. Further work is required to determine whether other parts of the joint, such as synovium and marrow, respond differently to experimentally induced osteoarthrosis.