• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.217-225
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• 2009

As Pain is a comprehensive, biopsy chosocial phenomenon, improved understanding and successful management of pain need assessment of health-related quality of life and psychological states. The purpose of this study was to evaluate pain severity and pain-related interference to daily lives for patients with non-dental, orofacial pain(OFP) and a possible relation of OFP with psychological morbidity. Relation with such factors as gender, age, pain duration and diagnosis was also assessed. Inclusion criteria was all new patients with non-dental OFP attending the oral medicine.orofacial pain clinic of Dankook University Dental Hospital over 3 months' period, who completed the questionnaires of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Prior to the first consultation, the patients were asked to fill out the questionnaire in the waiting room and were diagnosed through consultation and clinical examination. Total subjects were 163 with M:F ratio of 1:1.5 and mean age of 34.6${\pm}$17.7 years. Mean duration of pain was 13.3${\pm}$26.2 months and all patients were divided into; Trigeminal Neuralgia group (TN, N=8), Neuropathic Pain group (NeP, N=9), Persistent Idiopathic Facial Pain group (PIFP, N=8), and Temporomandibular Disorders group (TMD, N=138), subdivided into muscle problem (TMD-m, N=73), joint problem (TMD-j, N=24) and muscle-joint combined problem (TMD-c, N=41). OFP patients showed moderate pain severity and moderate pain-related interference. There was no gender difference in overall pain severity and interference and levels of anxiety and depression. Elderly patients aged ${\geq}$ 60 years showed higher pain severity (p<0.05). Patients with chronic pain ${\geq}$ 3 months reported more increased level of anxiety and depression than those with acute pain (p<0.05). Compared to TMD patients, patients with TN, NeP and PIFP suffered from higher level of pain and pain-related interference and reported higher level of anxiety and depression (p<0.05). Pain interference was closely correlated with their pain severity and with psychometric properties such as anxiety and depression. Pain severity was weakly correlated with levels of anxiety and depression. The results suggest a need for psychosocial assessment and support for successful management of OFP in addition to control of pain itself.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.12-17
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• 2016

Background: The study aimed to determine if ultrasonography of masseter can be used to evaluate the outcome of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in subjects with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) such as myositis and myofascial pain. Methods: Fifteen TMD subjects with myofascial pain/myositis who satisfied the RDC/McNeil criteria were included in the study. All the subjects were administered TENS therapy for a period of 6 days (30 minutes per session). The mouth opening (in millimeters) and severity of pain (visual analogue scale score) and ultrasonographic thickness of the masseter (in millimeters) in the region of trigger/tender areas was assessed in all the subjects both prior and post TENS therapy. A comparison of the pre-treatment and post-treatment values of the VAS score, mouth opening and masseter thickness was done with the help of a t-test. Results: There was a significant reduction in the thickness of masseter muscle (P = 0.028) and VAS scores (P < 0.001) post TENS therapy. There was also a significant improvement in the mouth opening (P = 0.011) post TENS therapy. Conclusions: In the present study, ultrasonography was found to be an effective measuring tool in the assessment of TENS therapy in subjects with myositis and myofascial pain.

• Journal of TMJ Balancing Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.24-29
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to report the effect of Postural Yinyang Correction of the Temporomandibular joint (Functional Cerebrospinal Therapy, FCST) for phantogeusia. Methods: A patient with phantogeusia was treated at the Department of Acupuncture & Moxibustion, Dong-Eui University Korean Medicine Hospital from Oct 10th, 2018 to Dec 4th, 2018. A patient received 24 times of FCST with Customized TMJ Balancing Intraoral Appliance, upper cervical manipulation. To estimate the efficacy, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) and questionnaire. Results: The patient showed a certain degree of improvement in phantogeusia and other subject symtoms within 8 weeks. Adverse effects were not reported. Conclusions: These results showed that FCST using an Customized TMJ Balancing Intraoral Appliance, may be useful for reducing the symptoms of phantogeusia.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.259-272
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• 1994

The authors reviewed the etiology and essential treatment of temporomandibular disorders. The principal etiology was thought to the the myospasm of masticatory musculatures by stress (major cause) and dental irritation. Therefore, we attempted to control the myospasm by stress management, isometric exercise and regular daily physical exercises (walking, Jogging, bycycling, rope skipping, swimming & gymnastic exercise). The result was more favorable (95% success rate) without recurrence in 123 patients, who was referred to our department of dentistry(Oral & Maxillofacial surgery), Wonju Christian Hospital.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.83-91
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• 2010

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the characteristics of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms and to determine the correspondence between TMD symptoms and clinical examination findings. Material and methods: A total of 218 patients (143 females and 75 males; age=$31.3{\pm}14.0$) were enrolled in this study who completed a questionnaire and underwent a clinical examination and radiographic assessment. Patients were asked about all the symptoms and complaints, including onset or duration, and locations of the symptoms. Clinical examination included amounts of mouth opening, palpable temporomandibular joint (TMJ) sounds, and tenderness to palpation of the TMJ and all masticatory muscles. Tenderness scores obtained from palpation of the masticatory system were summated to define the variables for further analysis. Results: Pain was the most frequently reported symptom (78.9%), followed by joint sounds (45.4%), and limitation in mouth opening (17.0%). Jaw pain comprised 91.9% of pain complaints. The subjective intensity of jaw pain was low to medium in most patients (93.7%), but it was poorly correlated with the sum of tenderness scores of the TMJ and masticatory muscles (Kendall tau = 0.084). In contrast, the side in which pain was reported by patients was well associated with the clinical examination results (pain of the right side, p < 0.001, and left side, p < 0.001). There was moderate agreement in TMJ sounds between the side identified by patients as symptomatic and clinical examination findings (kappa = 0.482). Finally, patients who complained of restricted mouth opening showed about a 10 mm less opening in all three measurements, compared to other patients (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The most frequent symptoms reported by TMD patients were jaw pain, TMJ sounds, and mouth opening limitation. The side of jaw pain, the side of TMJ sounds, and the presence of opening limitation were highly concordant between symptom reports and examination findings.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.53-63
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• 2011

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, is a result of both mechanical and biological events that destabilize the normal coupling of degradation and synthesis of articular cartilage chondrocytes and extracelluar matrix, and subchondral bone. Although it is likely that the molecular basis of pathogenesis is similar to that of other joints, additional study of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is required due to its unique structure and function. This study was carried out to evaluate the epidemiologic characteristics of TMJ osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of TMJ OA in Patients with temporomandibular disorders (1405 men and 2922 women whose mean age was $30.2\; {\pm}\; 15.4$ and $33.1\;{\pm}\;15.2$ years, respectively) who had visited the TMJ and Orofacial Pain Clinic of Seoul National University Dental Hospital in 2007. Orthopantomograms, TMJ tomograms and transcranial radiographs were used to evaluate degenerative change of the mandibular condyle. The obtained results were as follows: 1. Degenerative change of the mandibular condyle was observed in 883 (20.4%) of 4327 subjects. The prevalence was significantly higher in women (706 patients, 24.1%) than in men (177 patients, 12.6%), and this significant difference between genders was observed in all age groups. 2. The prevalence of degenerative change of the mandibular condyle in TMD patients showed a gentle increase along with age. Such increase was statistically significant in women (P < 0.001), but not in men. 3. Sclerosis was observed the most frequently in all age groups and the mean age of the patients with osteophyte was the highest among four types of degenerative change. 4. Although men showed degenerative change in the left side more often and women showed degenerative change more frequently in both sides, the difference of distribution in sides between genders was not significant. In conclusion, the prevalence of degenerative change of the mandibular condyle in TMD patients is higher in women than in men, and increases steadily with aging, but not as dramatically as in other joints that show a steep increase in prevalence around the age of 45 years. It can be suggested that the epidemiologic characteristic of OA of the TMJ differs from those of other joints, and that a more extensive study based on the general population is necessary.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.105-111
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• 2007

Correlation between occlusal contact pattern and TMD have been hypothesized and partially investigated but results are controversial and not conclusive. The purposes of this study were to compare right-to-left difference of occlusal contact pattern, through contact points, contact force and occlusal balance, in the patients with unilateral TMD and also to evaluate its change related with TMD treatment. 36 patients with unilateral TMD from Department of Oral Medicine in Dankook University Dental Hospital were selected in this study (M:F=7:29, mean age of $29.2{\pm}14.8$ years). A computerized T-Scan II system (Tekscan, INC., USA) was employed for occlusal analysis and the simultaneity and occlusal balance through the number of tooth contact and magnitude of contact force were determined before and after TMD treatment. The number of contact points and contact force was more on the unaffected side than the affected side before treatment (p=0.056 and p=0.060, respectively) while significant difference between both sides was not found after treatment. The number of contact points and contact force on the affected sides significantly increased after treatment (p=0.038 and p=0.052), but the unaffected sides exhibited no significant difference between before and after treatment. In addition, sides difference in relative contact force decreased from about 27% to about 12% after TMD treatment (p=0.001). According to the results of this study, it is likely that unilateral TMD impairs right-to-left occlusal balance and that conservative TMD treatment alleviates the imbalance, subsequently leading to more symmetrical occlusal condition with increased contact points and force.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.241-250
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• 2007

We examined 104 patients(primary group, controlled group) who had visited PNUH from 1994 to 2002, having been diagnosed as temporomandibular disorders(TMDs) and treated in conservative ways such as Behavior modification, medications, physical therapies and splint therapies. We also examined 54 patients(recurred group, experimental group) who had visited PNUH from 1991 to 2001, having been diagnosed as TMDs and experienced recurrence after conservatively treated. To find out the symptoms of Recurred TMD patients and their results of conservative treatments, we compared these two groups mentioned above. The obtained results were as follows: 1. Both primary and recurred groups have showed great improvements with conservative treatments. 2. Both primary and recurred groups have showed no differences in pain, LOM, MCO in their first visits but the noise were louder in primary group. 3. Both primary and recurred groups have showed no differences in pain, LOM, MCO when the treatments were over but the noise were louder in recurred group. 4. Treatments modalities, diagnosis, sex, kind of disease had not affected the results of treatment in either of groups. 5. It has come out that much better results were achieved when the patients in primary group had treated for over 6 months and for more than 10 times.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.265-274
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• 2006

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) internal derangement, especially disc displacement with reduction (DDwR) is the most common TMJ arthropathy and has been thought to do some effects on masticatory performance. Measuring of maximal bite force has been widely used as objective and quantitative method of evaluating masticatory performance, but previous studies showed various results due to various characteristics of subjects and different measuring devices and techniques. In a few studies about the correlation of bite force and temporomandibular disorders (TMD), some authors reported that bite force and masticatory performance would be reduced in patients with TMD because of pain. But the correlation of changes in structure of articular disc and masticatory performance has not been well investigated yet. In this study, to investigate the influences of non-painful disc change on the masticatory performance, we measured the value of maximal bite force, occlusal contact area and occlusal pressure of 39 patients with non-painful DDwR of the TMJ using pressure sensitive film, and compared it with that of 59 controls. The results are summarized as follows: 1. The maximal bite force (P<0.01) and the occlusal contact area (P < 0.05) of the DDwR patients were greater than the controls. 2. There was no significant difference in occlusal pressure between the DDwR patients and the controls (P > 0.05). 3. The maximal bite force of the male group was greater than that of the female group (P < 0.05). However, the occlusal contact area and the occlusal pressure between the male and the female group didn't show significant difference (P > 0.05). From the results above, we can suggest that DDwR could be a factor of changing bite force, but more controlled, large scaled and EMG related further study is needed.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.43-52
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• 1988

The author studied masticatory muscle activity and bite force in normal persons without Temporomandibular Disorders(TMD) signs and symptoms, The number of subjects was 15, and the age of them was from 22 to 25 years. Electromyography was used to record the muscle activity in tapping and clenching movement with or without occlusal splint. 3 splints were made from 3 different mandibular position, that if, centric occlusion position, Rocabado's mandibular rest position, Dawson's centric relation position. The thickness of splint was 3.0-3.5㎜ at molar region. The muscle examined were Masseter and Anterior Temporalis attached with surface electrodes and the device used to measure the EMG level was Bioelectric processor Model EM2. After recording the EMG, the author measured the bite force level in clenching movement with bite force meter Model MPM-3000 in the dame position used in the EMG experiment. The obtained results were as follow : 1. With occlusal splints insetion, the amount of decreased muscle activity in Anterior Temporalis was more than those in Masseter. 2. In the three maxillomandibular relationships with occlusal splints, Masseter showed slightly increased level of muscle in centric occlusion but Ant. Temporalis showed decreased level of muscle activity reversely in that position. 3. Muscle activities between Rocabado's rest position and Dawson's centric relation position were generally similar whatever the muscles or the movements the author examined. 4. Bite force in clenching movement increased with splints insertion, especially with the splint registered in centric occlusion position.