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AIMS: The operational definitions for the Craniomandibular Index (CMI) were redesigned to conform precisely to those of the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD), resulting in a single examination protocol, the Temporomandibular Index (TMI). The objectives were to evaluate interexaminer reliability of the TMI as well as its criteria and construct validity for measurement of TMD severity. METHODS: Interexaminer reliability of the TMI was assessed on 12 subjects. Criterion validity of the TMI was evaluated relative to the CMI, the latter having established validity. Construct validity of the TMI was evaluated for its capacity to differentiate TMD patients (n = 79) from normal subjects (n = 20) and to detect changes in severity over time. RESULTS: The examiner's average TMI scores were 0.27 +/- 0.19 (SD) and 0.26 +/- 0.20. Agreement was excellent, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.93. The scores for the TMI and the CMI correlated highly, with an ICC of 0.97. Statistical contrasts between the symptomatic groups and the normal subjects were highly significant (P < .001). In 20 TMD patients who underwent treatment for their disorder, their mean change of 0.12 from their pretreatment TMI scores was highly significant (P < .001). CONCLUSION: This study has provided statistical evidence for the clinical reliability and validity of the TMI, which indicates that the RDC examination protocol is appropriate for determining TMD severity by the TMI algorithm, and diagnosis of TMD subtypes by the RDC algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been suggested that MRI-depicted effusions identify patients with TMJ arthralgia. The Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) propose a pressure-pain threshold (PPT) of 1 pound for the identification of TMJ arthralgia. The hypotheses in this study were that: (1) there is no association between MRI-depicted effusions and TMJ arthralgia, and (2) a PPT of 1 pound does not discriminate between subjects with and those without arthralgia. Thirty females with TMJ disc displacement with reduction were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of the self-report of TMJ pain. Bilateral TMJ PPTs and MRIs were obtained. Increasing palpation pressure from 1 to 3 pounds increased the sensitivity for identifying arthralgia from 22% to 100%, with a corresponding decrease in the specificity from 00% to 810%. The sensitivity and specificity of effusions for identifying arthralgia were 85% and 28%, respectively. These results suggest that the use of palpation pressures greater than 1 pound is a valid test for TMJ arthralgia. However, TMJ effusions lack adequate specificity for identifying TMJ arthralgia and were not associated with pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paradoxical masseteric bulging refers to an unexpected occurrence of masseter muscle bulging or protrusion following the administration of botulinum toxin injections, contrary to the anticipated muscle weakening effect. It may occur secondary to toxin failing to diffuse through the entire masseter muscle due to the presence of an inferior tendon structure within the superficial masseter that divides it into a superficial and deep belly. We report a clinical case of paradoxical masseteric bulging in a female in her late 40s who developed this adverse effect within a week of her masseter botulinum neurotoxin type A injections. We also describe the masseter two-site injection technique for the management of this complication., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published the Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain-United States, 2022 (CDCCPG) to replace the 2016 guideline. This guideline was designed to serve as a clinical tool to improve communication between clinicians and patients and empower them to make informed, person-centered decisions regarding pain management and the prescribing of opioids. It is intended for primary care and other clinicians, including dentists, who provide pain management for adults with acute, subacute, and chronic pain., Types of Studies Reviewed: This article summarizes the CDCCPG, with an emphasis on information of relevance to dentistry., Results: For dentists, the most important recommendations for pain management are that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications are first-line medications for acute dental pain, interdisciplinary care for chronic orofacial pain is indicated, and opioids should only be prescribed for acute dental pain for a maximum of 3 days after risk assessment., Practical Implications: The CDCCPG contains a great deal of relevant information that can help dentists and dental specialists make safe, effective, and evidence-based decisions in providing pain control for their patients., (Copyright © 2023 American Dental Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine has become rapidly implemented into both medical and dental practices. While guidelines for examination through telemedicine have been described in similar fields of oral medicine and neurology, the framework for a comprehensive telemedicine examination for a patient with symptoms of orofacial pain has not yet been described., Objective: The objective of this study is to introduce the format of a telemedicine examination for a new patient with orofacial pain as well as describe the success and utility of a telemedicine consultation in a hospital-based orofacial pain practice., Methods: A retrospective review was performed of all new telemedicine consults from April 2, 2020, to March 29, 2021. Medical records were reviewed for patient demographics as well as details of the initial telemedicine consult and in-office follow up., Results: Two hundred seventy new patients were seen. The most common diagnoses were myofascial pain of the masticatory muscles (37%), an articular disc disorder of the TMJ (21%), and TMJ arthralgia (16%), followed by obstructive sleep apnea (9%) and neuropathic orofacial pain (6%). 146 patients returned to the clinic for an in-office follow up, 78.8% of which had an accurate telemedicine diagnosis. Difficulty discerning between masticatory myofascial pain and TMJ arthralgia was the most common reason for inaccuracy during the telemedicine diagnosis., Conclusions: Telemedicine consultation for patients with orofacial pain can help facilitate an accurate diagnosis and expedite treatment for patients who face challenges presenting for an in-office consultation., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are a curriculum development and learner assessment tool that ensure a trainee is able to safely translate the skills they have learned during residency into unsupervised clinical practice. Although EPAs are used extensively across various health professions worldwide, dentistry is just beginning to call for their development at both the predoctoral and postgraduate levels. Given the complex, multifactorial nature of orofacial pain disorders and the need for an interdisciplinary approach to management, the specialty of orofacial pain is well suited to embracing EPAs to ensure program graduates are prepared for practice. Therefore, 10 EPAs have been developed in a combined effort from program directors from every CODA-accredited postgraduate orofacial pain residency program.

Dental education is at the intersection of affordable health care, opioid-abuse crisis, and collaborative practice benefits. Students must engage in interprofessional education (IPE) for pain management. Graduates must recognize appropriate management of acute dental pain and understand the dentist's role in interprofessional treatment of chronic disease, including management of temporomandibular disorders and orofacial neuropathic pain, chronic pain in general, and the consideration of opioids. This article reviews accreditation standards, compares these standards with recommendations from the International Association for the Study of Pain and regulatory boards, and presents examples of enhanced pain education., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Surveys were sent to Harvard School of Dental Medicine students and graduates from the classes of 2000 through 2006 to determine their current primary means of achieving mandibular anesthesia. Orthodontists and orthodontic residents were excluded. All subjects received clinical training in the conventional inferior alveolar nerve block and two alternative techniques (the Akinosi mandibular block and the Gow-Gates mandibular block) during their predoctoral dental education. This study tests the hypothesis that students and graduates who received training in the conventional inferior alveolar nerve block, the Akinosi mandibular block, and the Gow-Gates mandibular block will report more frequent current utilization of alternatives to the conventional inferior alveolar nerve block than clinicians trained in the conventional technique only. At the 95 percent confidence level, we estimated that between 3.7 percent and 16.1 percent (mean=8.5 percent) of clinicians trained in using the Gow-Gates technique use this injection technique primarily, and between 35.4 percent and 56.3 percent (mean=47.5 percent) of those trained in the Gow-Gates method never use this technique. At the same confidence level, between 0.0 percent and 3.8 percent (mean=0.0 percent) of clinicians trained in using the Akinosi technique use this injection clinical technique primarily, and between 62.2 percent and 81.1 percent (mean=72.3 percent) of those trained in the Akinosi method never use this technique. No control group that was completely untrained in the Gow-Gates or Akinosi techniques was available for comparison. However, we presume that zero percent of clinicians who have not been trained in a given technique will use the technique in clinical practice. The confidence interval for the Gow-Gates method excludes this value, while the confidence interval for the Akinosi technique includes zero percent. We conclude that, in the study population, formal clinical training in the Gow-Gates and Akinosi injection techniques lead to a small but significant increase in current primary utilization of the Gow-Gates technique. No significant increase in current primary utilization of the Akinosi technique was found.

Advances in imaging techniques have greatly enhanced the ability to visualize the internal anatomy of the temporomandibular joint and have increased understanding of the etiology of many temporomandibular disorders. When used together with careful history and physical examination, this knowledge can contribute to better treatment outcomes.

In this article, we describe a 46-year-old man with severe high-density lipoprotein (HDL) deficiency and his kindred. In the proband, HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein (apo) A-I levels were 5 and 4.5 mg/dL, respectively. Xanthomata, xanthelasma, arcus corneae, and hepatosplenomegaly were not present. The proband had coronary artery disease, but it was impossible to state whether the HDL deficiency cosegregated with premature coronary artery disease in this kindred. Pedigree analysis was suggestive of a codominant familial disease. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of the apoA-I gene of the proband, followed by subcloning and sequencing, did not reveal any mutation in either the coding regions or intron-exon junctions. A kinetic study using deuterated leucine to endogenously label apoA-I was performed to elucidate the metabolic basis of the apoA-I deficiency. We demonstrated marked hypercatabolism of apoA-I in the proband, with a fractional catabolic rate more than 10 times faster than normal; the plasma residence time of apoA-I in the proband was only 0.38 day compared with 4.10 days in a control subject. The apoA-I production rate was also substantially decreased in the proband. The association of a normal apoA-I gene sequence with marked hypercatabolism of apoA-I is similar to that described in Tangier disease. However, except for the presence of mild, diffuse, corneal deposits, this patient had no evidence of the reticuloendothelial cholesterol deposition characteristic of Tangier disease. This study establishes that a form of severe hypoalphalipoproteinemia distinct from Tangier disease can be caused by marked hypercatabolism of a normal A-I apolipoprotein.

11 beta-Hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone has been isolated from the urine of a 14-yr-old girl with a virilizing adrenal adenoma. Its excretion was estimated to be 0.4 mg/24 h by gas chromatography and the compound was further identified by mass spectrometry. When [7-3H]dehydroepiandrosterone was incubated with mitochondria prepared from the adenoma, approximately 10% was converted to 11 beta-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone. The identity of the radioactive 11 beta-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone was verified by reversed isotopic dilution, its conversion to 11 beta-hydroxyandrostenedione, and its mobility in several chromatographic systems. This is the first demonstration of an 11 beta-hydroxylase from a human source having an affinity for dehydroepiandrosterone.

A 17 year old female patient with hypertension, amenorrhoea and hirsutism was found to have subnormal levels of plasma and urinary cortisol, significant plasma levels of Reichstein's compound S and 21-deoxycortisol, high urinary levels of THS and pregnanetriolone as well as elevated levels of plasma and urinary testosterone. Treatment with 0.5 mg/day of dexamethasone or 25 mg/day cortisone reduced her hypertension and restored her menstrual cycles, but also resulted in the development of moon face, body striae and a gain in weight. Lower doses of cortisone were without effect. The deficient cortisol production coupled with the presence of unusual intermediates such as Reichstein's compound S and 21-deoxycortisol can be explained by a shift in the substrate specificity of 11beta-hydroxylase from C-21-hydroxylated substrates (i.e. compound S) to C-21-deoxy substrates (i.e. 17-hydroxyprogesterone).

Immature female rats (21 to 23 days old, 35 to 45 g) were injected subcutaneously with 2-5 i. u. HCG 18 hr before autopsy. Ovaries and uteri were removed; wet weight, dry weight and uterine protein content were determined. Ovarian and uterine weights, ovarian blood volume and uterine protein content were increased after HCG treatment. When immature female rats were pretreated with indomethacin, flufenamic acid or aspirin, the ovarian effects of HCG were inhibited: only slight increases in ovarian weight and blood volume were observed. Indomethacin attenuated the increases in uterine weight, and protein content, but neither flufenamic acid nor aspirin were effective in inhibiting these responses. The possible role of prostaglandins and of oestrogen as mediators of these responses is discussed.