Journal of oral rehabilitation
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This review, divided into two parts, evaluates the literature on the relationship between dental occlusion and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and the need for occlusal therapy in the management of TMD. The first part of the review focuses on the aetiological importance of occlusal interferences and the place of occlusal adjustment in the management and prevention of signs and symptoms of TMD. This has long been a controversial issue, which has not yet been resolved. ⋯ Experienced clinicians also repudiate the need for occlusal adjustment in the management of TMD, whereas (less experienced) general dentists adhere to a concept focusing on the occlusion in diagnosis and treatment of TMD. There is a consensus that generalized prophylactic occlusal adjustment is not justified. There is an obvious need for research with evidence-based methods, to be able to answer the many remaining questions in this field.
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The bite force at different levels and the corresponding electromyographic (EMG) activity of the masseter and anterior temporalis muscles were recorded in 12 healthy subjects in order to evaluate the modulation of EMG-force curves by a standardized painful stimulus. Hypertonic saline (5%) was infused into the right masseter muscle for up to 15 min to induce pain. The pain intensity was scored continuously by the subjects on a 10-cm visual analogue scale (VAS). ⋯ The slope of the curve became less steep in the right masseter muscle during and after painful biting in every position. The results suggest that tonic saline-induced jaw-muscle pain is able to modulate the motor unit recruitment pattern of the jaw-closing muscles on the painful side. The main effect of pain in this experiment was an inhibition of static EMG activity.