Influence of psychological symptoms on home-recorded sleep-time masticatory muscle activity in healthy subjects.

The present investigation attempts to describe the correlation between sleep-time masticatory muscle activity (MMA) and psychological symptoms by the use of a four-channel electromyography (EMG) home-recording device in a group of 15 healthy volunteers completing a battery of psychometric questionnaires for the assessment of anxiety, depression and anger. The integrated EMG signal was adopted to quantify the work (µV × s) produced by each of the four muscles (bilateral masseter and temporal) during the 5-h recording span and per each 1-h increment. The duration of MMA events and the muscle work during the first hour of sleep was related to trait anxiety scores for both masseter (P = 0·007) and temporalis muscles (P = 0·022). Trait anxiety was also significantly correlated to the total amount of MMA duration (in seconds) of the temporalis muscles (r = 0·558; P = 0·031). The present investigation provides support to the hypothesis that the duration of sleep-time masticatory muscle activity, especially during the early phases of a night's sleep, may be related to anxiety trait and not to anxiety state, depression or anger. These findings may support the view that features related to the individual management of anxiety, viz. trait, are likely to be more important than acute episodes of anxiety, viz. state, in the aetiology of sleep-time masticatory muscle activity. The role of other psychological symptoms is likely to be less important.

A comparison between horizontal splint and repositioning splint in the treatment of 'disc dislocation with reduction'. Literature meta-analysis.

We reviewed the literature from 1985 to 1996 concerning the preliminary treatment of disc dislocation with reduction (DDWR) by means of occlusal splints, pinpointing two main methods. The conflicting results of many papers induced us to make a literature meta-analysis of those articles with the necessary requirements in order to verify the effectiveness of the two therapeutic means more frequently used in DDWR; the repositioning splint and the bite plane. A statistical comparison between the two kinds of treatment has demonstrated that the repositioning splint is more effective both in the resolution of the articular click and of the pain at a level of P < or = 0.00001, which is noteworthy and highly significant.

[Position of the upper incisor after orthodontic therapy with Tweed philosophy and mechanics: statistical study of average incisal variations in 3 Angle dento-skeletal classes, with and without extraction]. / Posizione dell'incisivo superiore dopo terapia ortodontica in filosofia e meccanica Tweed: Studio statistico delle variazioni incisali medie nelle tre classi dento-scheletriche di Angle, con e senza estrazioni dentarie.

The skeletal characteristics of dento-alveolar malocclusions condition the orthodontic therapy plane and produce typical and recurrent variables in the final shape in "Tweed occlusion". The study effects with templates made out of cephalometric average values of treatment in the different dental malocclusions, shows direction and amount of therapeutics correction. The behaviour of upper and lower incisors to achieve the normal occlusion is in relation with the characteristics of Angle's Class and with the necessity of therapeutics dental extractions.

[Nasomaxillary protrusion. 1]. / Le protrusioni naso-mascellari. Nota I.

The Authors suggest, throughout this work, the clinical usefulness of selecting on the basis of an accurate symptomatological clinical analysis and an head-film assessment, a particular variety of malocclusions called naso-maxillary protrusions (N.M.Ps.), transversally distributed in different skeletal and dental classes. After having defined the general characteristics, the Authors take under examination the anatomical bases which constitute them, trying to single out, above all, the intrinsic mechanism of compensation of such malocclusions.

[Nasomaxillary protrusion. 2]. / Le protrusioni naso-mascellari. Nota II.

In note 1 we outlined the morphological characteristic typical of the anterior and middle base of the cranium and of the nose-maxillary system which constitute the anatomical substrate of the naso-maxillary protrusions. We also tried to specify the intrinsic mechanisms of compensation of such a malocclusion. These give a relevant amount of clinical information, particularly on the prognostic significance and the therapeutical possibilities allowed by the cranio-facial growth. Such a clinical approach into the interceptive, orthodontic and surgical-orthodontic therapy of the N.M.Ps is demonstrated by the cases presented in the II note.