Cortical neuroplasticity alterations are implicated in the pathophysiology of chronic orofacial pain. However, the relationship between critical cortex excitability and orofacial pain maintenance has not been fully elucidated. We recently demonstrated a top-down corticospinal descending pain modulation pathway from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to the spinal dorsal horn that could directl...

Background Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) has been used in clinical and experimental settings to establish sensory assessment for different types of pains, and may be a useful tool for the assessment of orofacial pain, but this premise needs to be tested. Objective The aim of the study was to evaluate responses to thermal stimuli between painful and non-painful facial sites in subjects wi...

OBJECTIVE Cultural or ethnic factors may play an important role in subjects' pain reports. The aim of the study was to compare the prevalence of orofacial pain symptoms between Finnish and Thai populations. MATERIALS AND METHODS The Finnish study population comprised the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, of which 5696 subjects participated in the present study. The Thai sample consisted of ...

Dr Dermot Canavan BDentSc, MGDS (Edin), MS U Calif 69 Eglinton Road, Donnybrook, Dublin 4 Tel: 01 2694022 Fax: 01 2694004 Introduction Orofacial pain is an important issue for both patients and clinicians alike. Pain within the oral cavity is most frequently dental in origin (odontogenic) and extra-orally the most common source of pain is musculoskeletal (TMD). Once these conditions have been e...

BACKGROUND Hyperexcitability of nociceptive afferent fibers is an underlying mechanism of neuropathic pain and ion channels involved in neuronal excitability are potentially therapeutic targets. KCNQ channels, a subfamily of voltage-gated K(+) channels mediating M-currents, play a key role in neuronal excitability. It is unknown whether KCNQ channels are involved in the excitability of nocicept...

Abstract Neuropathic pain induced by chemotherapy drugs such as oxaliplatin is a dose-limiting side effect in cancer treatment. The mechanisms underlying chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain are not fully understood. KCNQ2 channels are low-threshold voltage-gated K+ channels that play a role in controlling neuronal excitability. Downregulation of KCNQ2 channels has been proposed to be an under...

conclusions twenty years after the original survey, the knowledge and beliefs regarding tmds among experts in this field have not changed significantly. results thirty-four dentists but only three psychologists responded to the survey. therefore only responses from dentists were used in the analysis. overall there was a high level of agreement between the original sample and the current sample....