• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.453-458
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• 2004

Mandibular fracture is less common in children than in adults. However, children are more susceptible to ankylosis and developmental disorders, and don't respond as well to intermaxillary fixation compared to adults. On the other hand, bone fracture is healed more quickly in children and complications are scarce. Mandibular fracture in children is usually treated successfully with acrylic splint therapy with or without the use of eyelet wires and intermaxillary fixation. Severe complications that include ankylosis and developmental disorders may occur. The frequency and severity of such complications can be mitigated with a shorter duration of intermaxillary fixation and good post-operative care. Encouraging mandibular physical therapy by increasing patient motivation may be necessary in such cases where the patient's response is poor and the duration of intermaxillary fixation increases; when the patient is unable to undergo physical therapy, or when intermaxillary fixation is not necessary with the patient showing only minor symptoms such as trismus. In this case report, a 6 year-old girl with bilateral condylar fracture was treated with elastic in both the upper and lower jaws to allow mandibular physical therapy using a Benoist's appliance, which allows opening, lateral, and protrusive retrusive movements of the mandible. A 7-month follow-up showed beneficial therapeutic effects such as increased mandibular movement and prevention of condylar ankylosis.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.231-236
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• 2006

Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is an of autoimmune inflammatory systemic disease. It is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of synovial tissue and a wide array multisystem comorbidities. The disease may involve any joint of the body, but often statrs in the peripheral joints. It was reported that more than 50% of RA patients exhibit clinical involvement of TMJ. This report is a case report of dental management and progression for 16 months in patients who had severe bony change in TMJ involved rheumatoid arthritis Dental management was included palliative treatment such as interocclusal splints, physical therapy, mouth opening exercise. Although it was progressed rapidly osteolytic bone change during follow-up, no more advanced occulsal change and improved symptom and jaw motion. Further investigations about rule of dentistry in TMJ involvement in RA maybe needed.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.177-183
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• 2006

The management of refractory pain and limitation of mouth opening in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is both challenging and controversial. Arthrocentesis is a simple technique and it can be used instead of more invasive surgical procedures for patients who failed to conventional conservative treatments. The patients in this case report had complained persistent severe pain and restricted mandibular movement of TMJ, although they had been treated with conservative therapy, e.g., stabilization splint therapy, behavioral therapy, physical therapy, pharmacological therapy. Therefore we employed arthrocentesis for these patients, and they showed significant reduction of pain and improvement of mandibular movement after repetitive arthrocentesis. We recommend arthrocentesis as an effective, minimally invasive technique for patients with continuing severe pain and restricted mobility in the TMJ that is unresponsive to conservative management.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.455-460
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• 2007

Majority of toothache is caused by abnormality of pulpal or periodontal tissues. However, there are numerous nonodontogenic sources that may be responsible for pain felt in the tooth. Nonodontogenic toothache may result from muscle, maxillary sinus, neuropathic, neurovascular, even cardiac and psychogenic problems. Myofascial pain is one of the most common abnormality characterized by palpation of a hard band which acts as the trigger point that causes stiffness and fatigue of the muscle, referral pain in tooth, tension-type headache, and hyperalgesia. Masseter muscle particularly induce referral pain in maxillary and mandibular molars. This case reported the treatment of the pain in right mandibular molar originated from myofascial pain of the right masseter. The pain is improved by general and reversible treatments such as muscle exercise, physical therapy, and medication. Nonodontogenic toothache should undergo proper differential diagnosis in order to avoid unnecessary dental treatments, such as endodontic, periodontic treatment, and tooth extraction, which would fail to alleviate the symptom of the patient.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.441-447
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• 2007

Internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint(TMJ) is defined as an abnormal relationship of the articular disc to the condyle. Mandibular manipulation is one of the conservative treatments to be considered first to manage the patients with anterior disc displacement without reduction. Mandibular manipulation is used to increase articular mobility and to restore the displaced disc into an anatomically normal position. While Farrar's technique has been popularly used, Minagi et al., Mongini and Suarez introduced the manipulation technique conducted by the patients themselves. But there is no study on the efficacy of self-manipulation technique, comparing with conventional one. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of the conventional and self-manipulation technique, which was modified to complement the previously described technique by Minagi et al., in the treatment of patients with anterior disc displacement without reduction. TMD patients, who visited Department of Oral Medicine of Seoul National University Dental Hospital from December, 2002 to November, 2004 and were diagnosed as anterior disc displacement without reduction by TMJ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were enrolled. Conservative treatments including physical therapy, exercise, behavioral therapy, stabilization splint therapy, and manipulation therapy were done to every single patient until the symptomsimproved enough to discharge the patient. The charts were reviewed retrospectively according to the type of manipulation. In the results, patients whose maximum mouth opening was more than 40 mm was higher in the self-manipulation group(69.9%) than in the conventional manipulation group(42.9%). But difference between two groups was not significant. According to the fact that we decided to discharge the patients whentheir mouth opening increased to more than 40 mm and subjective symptoms such as pain and discomfort were improved as well, treatment period of discharged patients was significantly shorter in the self-manipulation group($29.2{\pm}12.3$ weeks) than in the conventional manipulation group ($61.0{\pm}38.0$ weeks) (p<0.01). In conclusion, in the treatment of TMD patients with anterior disc displacement without reduction, the self-manipulation technique which is performed by patients themselves is an effective treatment modality for increasing the range of mouth opening and shortening the total treatment period.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.205-211
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• 2012

A 35 year-old female presented with the complaint of sudden occurrence of bite change and concurrent opening limitation, as well as pain in the right temporomandibular joint (TMJ) during mouth opening. From her history it was revealed that she had simple clicking of right TMJ for several years before onset of these symptoms, and that the clicking sound subsided recently after development of opening limitation. On clinical examination, anterior open bite, midline shift of the mandible to right, and premature contacts on left posterior teeth were observed. Maximum mouth opening and lateral movement to left were also restricted. On magnetic resonance images, the right TMJ showed anterior disc displacement without reduction and the posterior joint space is greatly collapsed by retrusion of the condyle. It was thought that the sudden occurrence of occlusal change would be resulted from abrupt displacement of the mandible associated with development of the anterior disc displacement without reduction. The stabilization appliance traction therapy was performed initially for first 3 months along with physical and pharmacologic therapy. However, the anterior open bite and opening limitation didn't resolve and the position of mandible still remained altered. So the stabilization appliance was changed to intermaxillary traction device. Then the mandible returned progressively to normal position and the occlusion became more stable and comfortable. After 5 months of intermaxillary traction therapy, the anterior open bite was dissolved completely and the occlusion became stabilized satisfactorily along with recovery of normal mouth opening range. On post-treatment magnetic resonance image, remodeling of condylar head was observed.