Temporomandibular Disorders, Bruxism and Headaches

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) and headache disorders are highly prevalent in the population. TMDs can present headache symptoms as a secondary headache and, in addition, be comorbid with primary headache disorders. This overlap has significant clinical implications for which it is essential for the physician to be aware, and they should screen for the potential presence of TMDs in a headache patient. Bruxism is a parafunctional behavior also prevalent in the population which has a role in TMDs and may influence headache symptomatology, but it is still necessary to clarify this relationship.

Salivary Alpha Amylase, Dental Anxiety, and Extraction Pain: A Pilot Study

The primary intention of this study was to determine whether salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) factors or the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) was a better predictor of dental extraction pain. This study followed a cross-sectional design and included a convenience sample (n = 23) recruited from an outpatient oral surgery clinic. While waiting for their scheduled appointments, consenting patients completed both basic demographic/medical history questionnaires and Corah's DAS as well as submitted sublingual saliva samples. After their extractions, patients marked visual analog scales (VAS) to indicate the intensity of their intraoperative discomfort. Results of this study confirm that there is a relationship between a patient's dental anxiety and intraoperative extraction pain (r[21] = .47, P = .02). This study did not find that preoperative sAA factors (concentration and output rate) were related to either VAS extraction pain or DAS score. A strong positive relationship was observed between the concentration of sAA and the rate of sAA output (r[21] = .81, P < .001). Based on the results of our study, we conclude that dental anxiety has a moderate but significant correlation with intraoperative dental pain. Factors of sAA do not appear to be predictive of this experience. Therefore, simply assessing an anxious patient may be the best indication of that patient's extraction pain.

Evaluation of a Local Anesthesia Simulation Model with Dental Students as Novice Clinicians

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a local anesthesia (LA) simulation model in a facilitated small group setting before dental students administered an inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) for the first time. For this pilot study, 60 dental students transitioning from preclinical to clinical education were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (N=30) that participated in a small group session using the simulation model or a control group (N=30). After administering local anesthesia for the first time, students in both groups were given questionnaires regarding levels of preparedness and confidence when administering an IANB and level of anesthesia effectiveness and pain when receiving an IANB. Students in the experimental group exhibited a positive difference on all six questions regarding preparedness and confidence when administering LA to another student. One of these six questions ("I was prepared in administering local anesthesia for the first time") showed a statistically significant difference (p<0.05). Students who received LA from students who practiced on the simulation model also experienced fewer post-injection complications one day after receiving the IANB, including a statistically significant reduction in trismus. No statistically significant difference was found in level of effectiveness of the IANB or perceived levels of pain between the two groups. The results of this pilot study suggest that using a local anesthesia simulation model may be beneficial in increasing a dental student's level of comfort prior to administering local anesthesia for the first time.