Journal of Craniomandibular Function, 03/2024

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of two traditional acupuncture protocols on pain relief in temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients using either local or distal acupoints for mechanical needle stimulation. Materials and Methods: The sample was selected from female TMD patients with chronic pain from a specialized referral center. Clinical charts were retrieved to select patients treated by traditional acupuncture following either a protocol for application of needles in local acupoints (head and neck) or a protocol for application in distal acupoints (hands, legs, and feet). Pain intensity was recorded before and after each acupuncture session using an instrumental question with a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS). A control group was selected consisting of nontreated patients from the waiting list for TMD treatment. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, analysis of variance, and Tukey test, at a significance level of 0.05. Results: Out of 102 TMD patients, 32 were treated with acupuncture at local points, 22 were treated with acupuncture at distal points, and 48 were controls. A significant decrease of mean VAS score (approximately 70%) was found after acupuncture treatments in both the local and distal point groups. The final VAS of each acupuncture group was lower than the control group, but the acupuncture groups showed no difference. Conclusion: It can be concluded that acupuncture treatment reduces chronic pain in TMD patients and that the application of needle stimulation at local or distal acupoints has similar effects.

Osteoarthritis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a degenerative joint disease that leads to morphological and functional changes in the TMJ. Clinically, it can be associated with crepitation, pain, and functional limitations. The following article describes a patient case who presented with the above. First, the function-specific diagnostic cascade is explained. Based on these examinations, the diagnosis of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) with the components of occlusopathy, myopathy, and arthropathy was performed. Initially, a conservative treatment approach was chosen, which led to pain elimination. A follow-up examination 3 months later revealed a severely altered occlusion with only one single static occlusal contact, necessitating further measures. The focus was on slowing down the degenerative changes in the TMJ, eliminating the inflammation of the left TMJ, and restoring functional occlusion. These treatment goals were achieved only through the additional use of a tooth-colored CAD/CAM occlusal splint. For this purpose, the jaw relation was digitally transferred from the conventional centric splint to the CAD/CAM occlusal splint. The patient case is an example of a combined digital-conservative treatment approach for complex TMD cases. Keywords: osteoarthritis, TMJ effusion, function-specific diagnostic cascade, conservative treatment, tooth-colored fully anatomical CAD/CAM occlusal splint, digital transfer of the jaw relation

The 33rd Conference of the Society of Oral Physiology took place in Naples between 23 and 26 May 2024 (Figs 1–3). Under the expert guidance of Ambra Michelotti (Naples, Italy) and her team, the scientific congress unfolded seamlessly. Antoon De Laat (Leuven, Belgium), the society’s curator, provided invaluable support throughout the event (Fig 4), and the society’s scientific advisory board played a pivotal role in shaping the program consisting of 22 engaging lectures and 6 posters that delved into the intricacies of oral physiology. Approximately 50 participants actively participated in these lively discussions (Fig 5). The different conference theme blocks covered the following areas: muscle physiology; screening, diagnostic process, classification; clinical studies; training of masticatory function; patient case series and case–control studies; miscellaneous and poster presentations. Some of the presentations from the various fields covered are presented in more detail next.