Photobiomodulation alleviates Burning Mouth Syndrome pain: Immediate and weekly outcomes explored.

Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is an intraoral chronic burning or dysesthetic sensation, without clinically evident causative lesions on clinical examination and investigation. AIM: To assess immediate and weekly effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) on BMS patients. METHODS: Thirty BMS patients were treated intra-orally with photobiomodulation 940(±10) nm (InGaAsP) 3 W, semi-conductor diode, weekly, for up to 10 weeks. Pain intensity, measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and characteristics were recorded immidiately after each treatment, along with a weekly average VAS. RESULTS: Immediate mean VAS score decreased from a starting score of 7.80 ± 1.83 to 2.07 ± 2.55 (p < 0.001). The mean weekly VAS score for the week after the final treatment session was higher (5.73 ± 2.80, p < 0.001) than the immediate response, but still significantly lower than the starting score (p = 0.017). We observed a trend of pain improvement with more treatments, but this was only statistically significant up to the third treatment. Male gender and unilateral pain correlated with better PBM efficacy (p = 0.017, 0.022, respectively). CONCLUSION: PBM provides significant immediate pain relief for BMS patients after each treatment; however, the efficacy decreases notably over the following week. A trend of increasing pain relief across treatments was observed, statistically significant up to the third treatment.

Pain characteristics in medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws.

PURPOSE: To characterise pain from medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ) and the effects of antimicrobial treatment on it. METHODS: Data from files of patients diagnosed with MRONJ according to the position paper of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (2014) and Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer and American Society of Clinical Oncology (2019) were collected retrospectively, including gender, age, primary disease, bone-modifying agents (BMAs)/anti-angiogenics, administration route, involved jaw, location, and exposure size. The patients were treated according to the abovementioned position papers' recommendations, i.e. all patients who suffered from pain were staged as 2 or 3 and treated with systemic amoxicillin, or doxycycline or clindamycin in case of sensitivity, and local antiseptic and hygiene instructions. RESULTS: Data from 77 MRONJ patients (aged 65.09 ± 11.9 years old) were analysed. Most (90.1%) received bisphosphonates for cancer (79%) and osteoporosis (17%). A total of 67.5% experienced pain; 36.5% had moderate-to-severe pain. Female gender was significantly associated with the presence of pain (p = 0.002). Osteonecrosis lesions after dento-alveolar surgery had a higher risk of pain development than spontaneous lesions (p = 0.045). Medical and oncologic background, type of pharmacotherapy, lesion size, and location were not associated with pain levels. Worse initial pain was significantly associated with better relief following MRONJ treatment (p = 0.045). Meaningful pain reduction (≥ 50%) was significantly correlated with initial pain severity (p = 0.0128, OR = 4.75). CONCLUSIONS: Pain from infection and inflammation often accompanies MRONJ. The presence of pain is correlated with longer BMAs pre-therapy and if surgery preceded the MRONJ. Persistency of the mild pain together with a resistance to common antimicrobial treatment, although not complete, is a feature that MRONJ pain shares with neuropathic-"like" pain, and requires further study and consideration during treatment.

Maxillary deformity following CPAP treatment in myasthenia gravis.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with Myasthenia gravis (MG) are characterized by muscle weakness that may cause obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device is often needed in order to maintain free breathing during the night and sometimes even during the day. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 29-year-old MG patient is presented who used a CPAP continuously since the age of 12. Tight fitting of a nasal mask applied enough force to cause severe maxillary deformity. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Masks with additional forehead and chin support or a regular full face mask are recommended for patients with muscle weakness, in order to spread forces more evenly.

Subjective Sleep Quality in Temporomandibular Disorder Patients and Association with Disease Characteristics and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life.

AIMS: To measure sleep quality in temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients, to compare it with that of control subjects, and to analyze its association with disease characteristics and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). METHODS: The collected data included demographics, tobacco use, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), trauma history, presence of coexisting headaches and/or body pain, parafunctional habits, pain scores, muscle tenderness to palpation scores, and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). Differences between groups were examined with Pearson chi-square test for categorical variables and independent t test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for numeric variables. Significant differences were then further tested with multivariate backward stepwise linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The final analysis was performed on 286 individuals (187 TMD patients and 99 controls). Poor sleep (PSQI global score > 5) was exhibited in 43.3% of the TMD group and in 28.3% of the control group (P = .013) (mean ± standard deviation [SD] PSQI score = 5.53 ± 2.85 for TMD patients and 4.41 ± 2.64 for controls, P = .001). TMD patients had significantly worse scores in the sleep quality component of the PSQI questionnaire (P = .006). Higher PSQI global scores and poor sleep were positively associated with whiplash history (P = .009 and P = .004, respectively), coexisting headaches (P = .005 and P = .002), body pain (P = .001 and P < .001), clenching habit (P = .016 and P = .006), reduced unassisted (P = .014 and P = .042) and assisted (P = .005 and P = .006) mouth opening, higher muscle tenderness scores, higher pain scores, and higher OHIP-14 global and dimension scores. CONCLUSION: TMD patients had poorer sleep than controls. Sleep quality was positively associated with TMD disease characteristics, comorbid pain conditions, and poorer OHRQoL. Assessing sleep quality should be a routine part of the diagnostic work-up of TMD patients. A multidisciplinary management approach is needed to address all the factors-including sleep-that modulate pain experience.

The impact of chronic orofacial pain on daily life: the vulnerable patient and disruptive pain.

OBJECTIVE: To identify patient and pain characteristics associated with negative impacts on daily life among patients with chronic orofacial pain (COFP). STUDY DESIGN: Medical records of 200 COFP patients were analyzed. RESULTS: Diagnostic categories included temporomandibular disorders (85; 42.7%), headaches (47; 23.6%), neuropathic pain (37; 18.5%), trigeminal neuralgia (16; 8.0%), and painful posttraumatic trigeminal neuropathy (PTTN) (14; 7.0%). Of these, 47 (23.7%) had medical and 13 (6.5%) had psychiatric comorbidities and 71 (35.7%) experienced physical trauma. Seven (5%) had stopped working, and mean days absent from work was 3.3 ± 19.3. Patients were previously treated by 2.7 ± 1.4 caregivers. Mean scores on a 0-10 scale were as follows: pain (7.13 ± 2.3), sleep quality (6.6 ± 2.4), and quality of life (5.58 ± 3.1). PTTN patients were more likely to quit work (P = .009) and had more days absent from work (mean 24.3; P = .009). We identified patient and pain profiles that predict these poor outcomes. The "vulnerable patient" profile includes health and psychiatric comorbidities and trauma history, particularly PTTN. The "disruptive pain" profile includes severe, continuous, burning, electrical pain accompanied by systemic signs. These profiles intersect in a complex manner, creating a complex feedback loop. CONCLUSIONS: A multidisciplinary team approach is recommended to manage COFP patients, in order to improve treatment outcomes and avert more serious consequences.

Characterization of pain originating from oral mucosal lesions.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to characterize pain associated with oral mucosal lesions. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was performed in patients diagnosed with localized mucosal pain originating from acute ulcers (AUs), herpes infections (HIs), and immune-mediated chronic diseases (IMCDs). Pain-related features, including intensity (VAS-I), perceived unpleasantness (VAS-U), functional impairment (VAS-F), and effect on quality of life (VAS-Q), were recorded using a 10-cm visual analogue scale (VAS). Waking from sleep, provoking, and alleviating factors were assessed by questionnaires. RESULTS: Sixty-three patients aged 19 to 82 years (47.22 ± 17.20 years) were examined over the study period. These included 18 patients with AUs, 21 with HIs, and 24 with IMCDs. At rest, VAS-U was significantly higher than VAS-I for all groups, and VAS-F was higher for lesions located on the tongue or lips. Up to 80% of patients described the pain as "burning." Differences between groups were not observed for all other parameters measured. Pain woke the patients from sleep in almost half of cases. VAS-I and VAS-U were not related to size or number of lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Mucosal pain is generally burning in quality, with a higher level of pain-related unpleasantness than pain intensity. In about half of the cases, pain awakens the person from sleep, a feature that correlated to female gender and pain intensity. Pain intensity or unpleasantness was not related to the size or number of lesions.

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders.

AIMS: To measure the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) compared to controls and analyze its association with various demographic and clinical parameters. METHODS: The survey included 187 TMD patients and 200 controls. OHRQoL was measured using the validated Hebrew version of the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). A self-report questionnaire assessed personal details, smoking habits, history of trauma and orthodontic treatment, comorbid headaches, oral habits, and pain. TMD patients were divided into diagnostic categories according to the newly recommended diagnostic criteria for TMD (DC/TMD) Axis I protocol. Differences between groups were examined with a Pearson chi-square test for categorical variables and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for continuous variables. RESULTS: Among TMD patients, the diagnostic categories included: (1) masticatory muscle disorders (MMD; n = 38; 20.32%), (2) isolated disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ; n = 46; 24.59%), (3) patients with both MMD and TMJ (TMP; n = 103; 55.08%). Compared to controls, TMD patients exhibited worse global OHIP-14 scores (12.50 ± 8.14 vs 9.58 ± 10.00; P = .002) and worse scores in the following domains: physical pain (P < .001), psychological discomfort (P = .005), physical disability (P = .004), and psychological disability (P = .013). Among TMD patients, those categorized as TMP exhibited the highest scores in the physical pain (P = .02) domain. Previous orthodontic treatment, comorbid headache and body pain, limitations in mouth opening and lateral movement, pain, and muscle tenderness scores were found to be strongly related to the OHIP-14. CONCLUSION: TMD patients suffered from impaired OHRQoL considerably more than controls. OHRQoL in TMD patients is a multidimensional phenomenon influenced by previous orthodontic treatment, comorbid symptoms, pain, functional limitations, and muscle tenderness scores.

Sleep quality in patients with dental anxiety.

BACKGROUND: Psychological distress is associated with sleep disturbances; however there is little research on sleep quality in dental anxiety (DA) patients. OBJECTIVES: To measure the sleep quality in patients with DA compared to patients with an exacerbated gag reflex (GAG) and controls and to analyze its association with various demographic and behavioral parameters. METHODS: 67 DA patients, 54 GAG patients and 100 controls with no history of DA or GAG participated in the study. Data regarding: demographic details, smoking habits, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for pain assessment, Corah's dental anxiety scale (DAS) and Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), plaque index (PI) and Decay, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) scores were collected. RESULTS: 49.3% of the DA group and 38.9% of the GAG group were poor sleepers (mean PSQI score > 5), compared to 29.0% of the controls (PSQI mean scores: 5.8 ± 3.4, DA group; 5.2 ± 3.6 GAG group vs. 4.5 ± 2.7, control group; p = 0.029). Compared to controls, DA and GAG patients exhibited poorer scores in the sleep disturbances PSQI component (p = 0.001). DA patients exhibited poorer scores in the sleep duration PSQI component compared to the control (p = 0.002) and GAG groups (p = 0.033). Female gender (p = 0.039), higher current (p = 0.046) and maximal NRS (p = 0.019), higher DAS (p < 0.001) and OHIP-14 (p < 0.001) scores and more missing teeth (p = 0.003) were positively associated with higher PSQI scores. CONCLUSIONS: DA patients suffered more from impaired sleep than controls and GAGs. Impaired sleep in DA patients is multidimensional phenomenon influenced by the specific diagnosis, gender, pain, dental anxiety levels, dental experience and oral health related quality of life.

Painful temporomandibular disorders and headaches in 359 dental and medical students.

OBJECTIVE: to assess the prevalence of headaches and painful tempormandibular disorders (TMDs) and examine these via demographic and specific lifestyle parameters, as well as examine the relationship among TMDs, headaches, and depression rates. METHOD AND MATERIALS: a group of 359 medical and dental students completed a detailed questionnaire regarding demographic features and the presence of headaches and facial pain. The survey included a section on lifestyle (nutrition, alcohol and tobacco consumption, physical activity) and a Zung depression assessment. RESULTS: about eleven percent of the subjects reported pain: 8.6% from the jaw joint, 1.7% from the muscles of mastication, and 0.8% had both (ie, painful TMD). Eighty-three percent reported a lifetime prevalence of any headache, most of which were episodic tension-type headaches (56.9%) or migraines (19.2%). There was no significant correlation between headache diagnosis and the presence of painful TMD. Patients with painful TMD had higher depression scores than patients without and smoked more tobacco. This was not observed in headache patients. Patients with headache complained of significantly more dizziness and fatigue, particularly in the migraine and frequent episodic tension-type headache groups. CONCLUSION: TMD patients should be carefully assessed for the presence of emotional problems and referred to a suitable care provider.

Prolonged gingival cold allodynia: a novel finding in patients with atypical odontalgia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine atypical odontalgia (AO) patients with extraoral quantitative sensory testing (EQST) and an intraoral mucosal cold test. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-one subjects with AO and 18 control subjects underwent EQST for electrical and thermal pain and detection thresholds. Cold was applied to painful mucosal areas in AO patients and randomly in control subjects. RESULTS: Electrical pain thresholds were higher in AO patients than in control subjects in the same dermatome affected by the pain (P = .03), but no significant differences were observed in electrical detection thresholds and heat pain and detection thresholds at other sites. Cold application was painful in control and AO subjects, but duration of pain sensation was significantly longer in AO patients (P = .019 in contralateral side; P = .029 in affected side). CONCLUSIONS: The finding of extended painful aftersensation following cold application in AO patients supports the involvement of central mechanisms. The cold test is clinically easy to apply and of clinically significant value.

Classification of chronic orofacial pain: applicability of chronic headache criteria.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test the temporal definitions of chronic daily headache (CDH) in an orofacial pain population and examine the features of the so-defined chronic orofacial pain (COFP). STUDY DESIGN: Patients with orofacial pain presenting for >3 months were prospectively collected for 2 years. Temporal patterns were applied based on the headache literature, and patients were subdivided into: COFP: ≥15 days monthly, lasting >4 hours (long-lasting CDH); daily orofacial pain (DOFP): ≥15 days monthly, but mean attack duration ≤4 hours (short-lasting CDH); and episodic orofacial pain (EOFP): <15 days monthly (episodic headaches). RESULTS: A total of 328 patients were examined. The temporal criteria defined 149 patients as COFP, 116 as DOFP, and 41 as EOFP. COFP was not distinctive in the parameters used in the diagnostic process (laterality, severity, muscle tenderness, waking) or demographic features. These were, however, significantly associated with specific diagnosis. CONCLUSION: This study provides a base for the clear definition of COFP that has the distinctive advantage of being identical to that used in headache. Additionally, our results clearly show that COFP should be regarded as a temporal definition and not a diagnosis.