Efficacy of an email-based recording and reminding system for limiting daytime non-functional tooth contact in patients with temporomandibular disorders: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Oral parafunctional activities such as daytime non-functional tooth contact (nFTC) are considered aetiological factors for temporomandibular disorders (TMD). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of an email-based recording and reminding system for limiting daytime nFTC in patients with TMDs. METHODS: Thirty patients with TMDs (mean age, 30.7 ± 8.7 years) were randomly assigned to three groups according to the intervention for limiting nFTC: cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with an email-based recording and reminding system for 20 days (e-CBT group, n = 10), CBT with a sticky note reminder for 20 days (s-CBT group, n = 10) and simple verbal instructions to avoid nFTC that were provided before the experimental period (control group, n = 10). The frequency of nFTC, range of pain-free unassisted mouth opening and pain intensity during painful unassisted maximum mouth opening was evaluated before and after the experimental period. RESULTS: The frequency of nFTC significantly decreased after the intervention in the e-CBT and s-CBT groups. Among the three groups, the decrease in the nFTC frequency was the maximum in the e-CBT group (P < .01). In addition, the range of pain-free unassisted mouth opening showed a significant increase in all three groups, with the maximum improvement in the e-CBT group (analysis of variance, P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that our email-based recording and reminding system may have the potential to effectively control daytime nFTC and could be an effective strategy for the management of TMDs.

Prevalence and significance of sleep disordered breathing in adolescent athletes.

Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) was more prevalent in adolescent athletes than expected, and several potential warning signs related to autonomic nerve activity appeared in SDB athletes. SDB screening may prevent associated downstream risks in the future. http://ow.ly/GQqK30nGm8r.

Effects of jaw clenching while wearing an occlusal splint on awareness of tiredness, bite force, and EEG power spectrum.

PURPOSE: Treatment with an occlusal splint is used for temporomandibular disorders, bruxism, and occlusal disturbance to relieve orofacial symptoms such as myofascial pain and jaw movement restriction. However, the effects of various types of occlusal splints have not been elucidated. We investigated the effects of jaw clenching with soft and hard occlusal splints on the awareness of tiredness, bite force, and EEG activity. METHODS: Six healthy adults were used as subjects, with a visual analogue scale utilized to evaluate the awareness of each patient's tiredness both preceding the session and following the clenching trials. In addition, a Dental Prescale was used to measure bite force and an EEG recording was conducted while performing jaw clenching. The jaw clenching task comprised 1min of maximal voluntary clenching under 3 kinds of clenching conditions: with natural dentition, and with soft and hard occlusal splints, which were each repeated 5 times. RESULTS: Jaw clenching with natural dentition and a hard occlusal splint did not cause a significant awareness of tiredness following repetitive jaw clenching, and there was not a significant alteration of EEG spectrum values with those conditions. In contrast, jaw clenching with a soft occlusal splint caused a significant increase in awareness of tiredness, as well as significant decreases in bite force and EEG alpha 2 power spectrum values. CONCLUSIONS: Jaw clenching with a soft resilient occlusal splint causes an awareness of tiredness, which might be accompanied by declines in bite force and EEG spectrum values.