Orofacial Pain

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a severe type of non-dental orofacial pain that can feel like sudden electric shocks in the face and is often mistaken for tooth pain or other dental problems. This can lead to delays in referral and unnecessary, sometimes irreversible, dental treatment. The goal of this observational study is to evaluate how well a new questionnaire (IDentification of possible Trigeminal Neuralgia - IDTN) identifies adults with possible trigeminal neuralgia among patients attending hospital clinics with orofacial pain, with the aim of supporting its use in dental and general medical practice to improve early recognition and referral. The main questions it aims to answer are: * How accurately does the IDTN questionnaire identify patients with possible trigeminal neuralgia compared with the specialist clinical diagnosis? * Which combination of questionnaire items best supports a practical screening score for use in dental and/or general medical practice? Participants will: 1. Complete the IDTN questionnaire before their clinical appointment (either electronically or on paper) 2. Undergo their usual specialist clinical assessment, during which the final diagnosis will be recorded 3. Allow the research team to compare questionnaire responses with the specialist diagnosis (the reference standard) A subset of participants will also be asked to complete the questionnaire again a few days later to assess test-retest reliability.

Dentists and physiotherapists have two options for treating these conditions: splint therapy and physiotherapy. Right now, the gold standard is individual physiotherapy, which contains manual therapy and active exercises too. Since not many dentists and physiotherapists are experts in this area, patients have to wait for months or even years to get their treatment. Thanks to social media, patients can find many information about their condition while they are waiting, but it's our responsibility to provide safe and effective information. In view of this situation, our aim is to find out if online or group physiotherapy is as effective as individual physiotherapy.

Professional musicians are often exposed to significant physical and psychological strain. Long hours of playing, high muscle tension in the head and neck area, and performance-related stress can lead to problems such as musculoskeletal pain, jaw joint disorders, facial pain, and reduced oral health. Although these health issues are common, preventive strategies and structured health education are often insufficiently integrated into music training programs. This study aims to assess how topics related to musicians' health and performing arts medicine are currently included in the curricula of music universities in Germany, Austria, and the German-speaking part of Switzerland (D-A-CH region). Professors and lecturers responsible for musicians' health or curriculum planning at 39 music universities will be invited to complete a short questionnaire (approximately 10 minutes). The survey collects information about whether and how health-related topics are taught, including whether they are mandatory or elective, their duration, and the specific subjects covered. This is a non-interventional survey study. No medical examinations or treatments will be performed. Participation consists solely of completing the questionnaire. The results will help identify gaps in health education for professional musicians and support the future development of preventive and educational programs.

Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) causes chronic oral pain and significantly affects quality of life. Effective treatments are limited and often provide only temporary relief. This prospective N-of-1 study evaluates the effect of an intraoral Essix appliance on pain intensity and salivary secretion in patients with BMS. Saliva samples are collected and analysed for volume and composition.

A prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial comparing the safety and efficacy of intravenous lidocaine, ketamine, and their combination as treatment options for patients suffering from treatment-resistant orofacial pain. The study measures pain reduction primarily using the Visual Analog Scale and evaluates safety and tolerability over a follow-up period of 6 months.

To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of chlorzoxazone in comparison to orphenadrine Citrate in relieving the orofacial pain in bruxers. Subjects and Methods: 60 patients above 15-years old complaining of orofacial and temporomandibular disorder/pain, with no history of chronic systemic illness, will be recruited. Patients will randomly be allocated into two groups (n=30): the first group will receive Relaxon (chlorzoxazone) twice daily for two weeks, while the second group will receive Norgesic (orphenadrine Citrate) twice daily for two weeks as well. Pain severity will be assessed by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at day 0, 7, and day 14. In addition, a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) evaluation form will be utilized to assess the TMJ parameters before and after initiation of the treatment protocol, i.e at 0 and 14 days. Non parametric statistical analysis will be conducted to explain the results using SPSS V29.

Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) encompass various conditions that affect the temporomandibular joint and associated tissues, often causing or being associated with other symptoms such as jaw pain, myofascial pain, neck pain, and headaches. TMDs are classified according to the DC/TMD instrument in which the joint and pain axes are evaluated. However, there is no evaluation of mandibular function, and TMDs can result in a decrease in jaw strength and resistance. This leads to an increase in the chewing fatigue. Reliable and time-effective diagnostic methods for evaluating masticatory function are crucial in the clinical setting because of the high prevalence of TMD. Chewing efficiency is essential for food preparation and nutrient absorption, and muscle fatigue is a common problem affecting chewing ability. Despite this, there is a lack of validated tests to evaluate chewing fatigue in patients with TMD, which makes its consideration unnoticed in clinical practice. The modified six-minute functional chewing test (F-6MMT) was proposed as a tool to evaluate chewing ability and fatigue in patients with TMD. This test is an adaptation of a previously designed test in which subjects with mitochondrial pathology were evaluated; however, the subjects were not instructed to perform functional chewing during the test. In this version, modifications are added so that the test is as functional as possible, allowing chewing to be evaluated in a standardized way, and cut-off points established between healthy subjects and subjects with TMD in terms of chewing capacity in general and fatigue in particular. This study will follow standardized reporting guidelines and recruit participants from diverse clinical settings.