Application of Low Level Laser in Temporomandibular Disorders

INTRODUCTION: The American Academy of Orofacial pain defined temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) as”a collective term that embraces a number of clinical problems that involve the masticatory muscles, the TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint), and the associated structures”. Pain and dysfunctional symptoms or signs such as limitations in opening, asymmetric jaw movements and TMJ sounds are the most common findings. TMD is a prevalent disease that is most common among 20 to 40 year-olds; not a disease of senility. Researches show that about 75% of the population has one sign of TMD, and approximately 33% has at least one TMD symptom. They reported that 3.6% - 7% of the population has severe TMD problems that cause patients to seek treatment. Low level laser is a conservative treatment method that has been introduced in recent years.The purpose of this article is to review the related investigations and introduce the applications of low level lasers in TMD treatment.METHODS: Electronic data bases were searched and hand search of published articles and texts was done.RESULT and CONCLUSION: Laser application can be beneficial in different ways for TMD problems. In many cases occlusal adjustment and taking impression for splint is necessary but the pain prevents conventional treatment. Pain relief can be achieved by irradiating the joint and tender points; musculature will be relaxed, and treatment can begin. It has been revealed in recent clinical experiences and clinical studies that for myogenic conditions rather high doses are needed and that the energy density itself is an important factor. The disagreement in result of older studies may be related to this fact

Primary care nurses' awareness of and willingness to perform children's oral health care

Peer reviewe

Physicians' knowledge of and adherence to improving oral health

Peer reviewe

Aneurysmal dilation of sinus of Valsalva in a patient with undiagnosed acromegaly

Key Clinical Message In patients presenting with aortic ectasia and myxomatous valve diseases at young ages, possible underlying acromegaly should be in mind. Abstract Acromegaly is a chronic systemic disease mainly caused by the benign pituitary adenoma secreting growth hormone (GH) in excess. Acromegaly is associated with various complications such as cardiovascular diseases. In this regard, timely diagnosis, and management of these patients could be life‐saving. Herein, a case of aneurysmal dilation of the sinus of Valsalva with severe aortic and mitral regurgitation in a patient with undiagnosed acromegaly is presented

Evaluation of an educational intervention in oral health for primary care physicians:a cluster randomized controlled study

Abstract Background: Family physicians are in frequent contact with patients, and their contribution to oral health promotion programs could be utilized more effectively. We implemented an oral health care (OHC) educational seminar for physicians and evaluated its impact on their knowledge retention in OHC. Methods: We conducted an educational trial for primary care physicians (n = 106) working in Public Health Centers in Tehran city. We launched a self-administered questionnaire about pediatric dentistry, general dental, and dentistry-related medical knowledge and backgrounds. Physicians in intervention group A (n = 38) received an educational intervention (Booklet, Continuous Medical Education (CME), and Pamphlet), and those in group B (n = 32) received only an OHC pamphlet. Group C (n = 36) served as the control. A post-intervention survey followed four months later to measure the difference in the physicians’ knowledge; the Chi-square test, ANOVA and linear regression analysis served for statistical analysis. Results: The intervention significantly increased the physicians’ oral health knowledge scores in all three domains and their total knowledge score (p <  0.001). Those physicians who had lower knowledge scores at the baseline showed a higher increase in their post-intervention knowledge. The models showed no associations between the background variables and the knowledge change. Conclusion: The primary care physicians’ OHC knowledge improved considerably after an educational seminar with a reminder. These findings suggest that OHC topics should be included in physicians’ CME programs or in their curriculum to promote oral health, especially among non-privileged populations