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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Muscle hardness and masticatory myofascial pain: Assessment and clinical relevance

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Author(s):
Costa, Y. M. [1, 2] ; Ariji, Y. [3] ; Ferreira, D. M. A. O. [4, 1] ; Bonjardim, L. R. [1, 2] ; Conti, P. C. R. [4, 1] ; Ariji, E. [3] ; Svensson, P. [5, 6, 7]
Total Authors: 7
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Bauru Orofacial Pain Grp, Bauru - Brazil
[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Bauru Sch Dent, Dept Biol Sci, Sect Head & Face Physiol, Bauru - Brazil
[3] Aichi Gakuin Univ, Dept Oral & Maxillofacial Radiol, Sch Dent, Nagoya, Aichi - Japan
[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Bauru Sch Dent, Dept Prosthodont, Bauru - Brazil
[5] Karolinska Inst, Dept Dent Med, Huddinge - Sweden
[6] SCON, Aarhus - Denmark
[7] Aarhus Univ, Dept Dent & Oral Hlth, Sect Orofacial Pain & Jaw Funct, Aarhus - Denmark
Total Affiliations: 7
Document type: Review article
Source: Journal of Oral Rehabilitation; v. 45, n. 8, p. 640-646, AUG 2018.
Web of Science Citations: 0
Abstract

The impression of increased muscle hardness in painful muscles is commonly reported in the clinical practice but may be difficult to assess. Therefore, the aim of this review was to present and discuss relevant aspects regarding the assessment of muscle hardness and its association with myofascial temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain. A non-systematic search for studies of muscle hardness assessment in patients with pain-related TMDs was carried out in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase and Google Scholar. Mechanical devices and ultrasound imaging (strain and shear wave elastography) have been consistently used to measure masticatory muscle hardness, although an undisputable reference standard is yet to be determined. Strain elastography has identified greater masseter hardness of the symptomatic side in patients with unilateral myofascial TMD pain when compared to the contralateral side and healthy controls (HC). Likewise, shear wave elastography has shown greater masseter elasticity modulus in patients with myofascial TMD pain when compared to HC, which may be an indication of muscle hardness. Although assessment bias could partly explain these preliminary findings, future randomised controlled trials are encouraged to investigate this relationship. This qualitative review indicates that the muscle hardness of masticatory muscles is still a rather unexplored field of investigation with a good potential to improve the assessment and potentially also the management of myofascial TMD pain. Nonetheless, the current evidence in favour of increased hardness in masticatory muscles in patients with myofascial TMD pain is weak, and the pathophysiological importance and clinical usefulness of such information remain unclear. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 15/09913-4 - The effect of cutaneous afferents in the mechanical somatosensory profile of masticatory myofascial pain.
Grantee:Yuri Martins Costa
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral