Evaluation of Orofacial and General Pain Location in Patients With Temporomandibular Joint Disorder—Myofascial Pain With Referral

Introduction: Pain is an emotional experience. As a subjective feeling, it is associated with pathophysiological processes occurring in the central nervous system, which in turn may negatively affect the psychophysical function, cognitive abilities, level of functioning and quality of life.The Aim: The aim of the study was to assess orofacial and general pain location in patients with temporomandibular joint disorder—myofascial pain with referral.Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 50 randomly selected, generally healthy people with complete natural dentition (37 women and 13 men) at the age of 23.36 ± 2.14 years, referred to the Department of Prosthodontics of the Medical University. All patients underwent clinical examination according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (Axes I and II). The subjects were classified as people with myofascial pain with referral. The evaluation of severity of temporomandibular disorders was based on the Temporomandibular Disorder Pain Screener and the Graded Chronic Pain Scale. In order to assess orofacial and general pain location, a bodychart drawing of pain was used.Results: The study group indicated 40 different areas of the body affected by pain. 2–3 isolated pain locations were declared by a total of six subjects. One person identified 17 affected areas. Forty four people reported pain in at least four regions of the body. 70% of patients suffered from pain within the right masseter muscle. Pain of the left masseter muscle was noted in 68% of cases. Cervical ailments were reported by 56% of people. Pain of the left temporomandibular joint was observed in 68% of patients, and of the right one in 54%.Conclusion: The patients with myofascial pain with referral suffer from general ailments in different regions of the body. Only the frequency of pain in the right masseter muscle and right temporomandibular joint differed with respect to gender. The suggestion that the prevalence of pain in other areas of the body varies between men and women has not been confirmed. Due to a small sample size, such differences cannot be excluded. Further studies in this area are needed

Bacteria Residing at Root Canals Can Induce Cell Proliferation and Alter the Mechanical Properties of Gingival and Cancer Cells

Understanding the importance of oral microbiota in human health and disease also leads to an expansion of the knowledge on functional, metabolic, and molecular alterations directly contributing to oral and systemic pathologies. To date, a compelling number of studies have documented the crucial role of some oral cavity-occurring microbes in the initiation and progression of cancers. Although this effect was noted primarily for Fusobacterium spp., the potential impact of other oral microbes is also worthy of investigation. In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of Enterococcus faecalis, Actinomyces odontolyticus, and Propionibacterium acnes on the proliferation capability and mechanical features of gingival cells and cell lines derived from lung, breast, and ovarian cancers. For this purpose, we incubated selected cell lines with heat-inactivated bacteria and supernatants collected from biofilms, cultured in both anaerobic and aerobic conditions, in the presence of surgically removed teeth and human saliva. The effect of oral bacteria on cell population growth is variable, with the highest growth-promoting abilities observed for E. faecalis in relation to human primary gingival fibroblasts (HGF) and lung cancer A549 cells, and P. acnes in relation to breast cancer MCF-7 and ovarian cancer SKOV-3 cells. Notably, this effect seems to depend on a delicate balance between the pro-stimulatory and toxic effects of bacterial-derived products. Regardless of the diverse effect of bacterial products on cellular proliferation capability, we observed significant alterations in stiffness of gingival and lung cancer cells stimulated with E. faecalis bacteria and corresponding biofilm supernatants, suggesting a novel molecular mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of diseases in oral cavities and tooth tissues. Accordingly, it is proposed that analysis of cancerogenic features of oral cavity bacteria should be multivariable and should include investigation of potential alterations in cell mechanical properties. These findings corroborate the important role of oral hygiene and root canal treatment to assure the healthy stage of oral microbiota