J Orofac Pain
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Time courses of myofascial temporomandibular disorder complaints during a 12-month follow-up period.
To investigate the time courses of myofascial temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain and mandibular function impairment (MFI), and to identify predictive factors associated with these time courses. ⋯ Baseline reports of pain and impairment, oral parafunctional activities, pain elsewhere in the body, and somatization are associated with the severity and time course of myofascial TMD complaints following treatment.
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As there is a high correspondence between the experience of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among chronic orofacial pain patients, study objectives included: (1) to document the nature of traumatic experiences and severity of PTSD symptoms among a female sample of orofacial pain patients, (2) to examine the relationship between PTSD symptoms and both pain-related and psychosocial outcomes, and (3) to use structural equation modeling (SEM) to test hypotheses of mediation derived from the Mutual Maintenance Model of chronic pain and PTSD. ⋯ PTSD and depression screening as well as thorough sleep evaluations should be included in the routine assessment for orofacial pain patients and, if appropriate, referrals for treatment of PTSD symptoms should be considered part of the standard of care.
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To investigate (1) differences in heart rate variability (HRV) indices between masticatory muscle pain (MMP) patients and pain-free controls at rest, during a stressor condition, and during a post-stressor recovery period, and (2) factors including psychological distress, social environment, and family-of-origin characteristics in the MMP sample compared to a pain-free matched control sample. ⋯ These results provide further evidence of physiological activation and emotional responding in MMP patients that differentiates them from matched pain-free controls. The use of HRV indices to measure physiological functioning quantifies the degree of sympathetic and parasympathetic activation. Study results suggest the use of these HRV indices may improve understanding of the role of excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms in patients with MMP conditions.
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Recent evidence suggests that the purinoceptor P2X7 may be involved in the development of dysesthesia following nerve injury, therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether a correlation exists between the level of P2X7 receptor expression in damaged human lingual nerves and the severity of the patients' symptoms. ⋯ These data show that P2X7 is expressed in human lingual nerve neuromas from patients with and without dysesthesia. It therefore appears that the level of P2X7 expression at the injury site may not be linked to the maintenance of neuropathic pain after lingual nerve injury.
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To assess whether pain-related awakenings occur with persistent orofacial pain conditions and whether it is related to pain severity. ⋯ Persistent orofacial pain often induced pain-related awakening and this was significantly associated with pain intensity.