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Biomedical subjects

Gary D Klasser

Publications and source records attributed to Gary D Klasser.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The clinical usefulness of surface electromyography in the diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular disorders.

BACKGROUND: This article presents a comprehensive review of the recent literature regarding the scientific support for the use of surface electromyography (SEMG) in diagnosing and treating temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). TYPES OF STUDIES REVIEWED: The authors conducted a Medline search involving human studies using the key words "surface electromyography or electromyography" and "masticatory muscles or temporomandibular disorders or craniomandibular disorders." They also reviewed relevant articles regarding the clinical usefulness of SEMG based on reliability, validity, sensitivity and specificity, as well as additional references included in some of the articles. RESULTS: The clinical use of SEMG in the diagnosis and treatment of TMD is of limited value when one considers reliability, validity, sensitivity and specificity as measurement standards. SEMG does not appear to contribute any additional information beyond what can be obtained from the patient history, clinical examination and, if needed, appropriate imaging. CONCLUSIONS: Clinically, the determination of the presence or absence of TMD does not appear to be enhanced by the use of SEMG. However, the modality may be useful in a meticulously controlled research setting. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: SEMG has limited value in the detection or management of TMD and in some instances may lead to unnecessary dental therapy as a solution for those disorders.

Craniomandibular Disorders↗
PubMed2006

Emerging approaches for prophylaxis and management of oropharyngeal mucositis in cancer therapy.

Oral mucositis is a common treatment-limiting side effect of cancer therapy that may have a significant impact on quality of life and on the cost of care. Oral mucositis is the most distressing complication of cancer therapy as reported by head and neck cancer patients, in patients receiving dose-dense myelosuppressive chemotherapy and in patients receiving haematopoietic stem cell transplant. Mucositis may increase the risk of local and systemic infection, particularly in myelosuppressed patients. Severe oral mucositis can lead to the need to interrupt or discontinue cancer therapy, and thus may impact cure of the primary disease. Current care of patients with mucositis is essentially palliative, and includes appropriate oral hygiene, nonirritating diet and oral care products, topical palliative mouth rinses, topical anaesthetics and use of systemic opioid analgesics. Emerging approaches for prevention and treatment of oral mucositis are developing based on an increasing understanding of the pathobiology of mucosal damage and repair. New interventions are expected to be administered based on the mechanisms of initiation, progression and resolution of the condition. The approval by the FDA of keratinocyte growth factor (palifermin; Amgen) in 2004 represents a new step in prevention of oral mucositis in stem cell transplant patients based on the increasing understanding of the pathogenesis of mucositis. Progress in the prevention and management of mucositis will improve quality of life, reduce cost of care and facilitate completion of more intensive cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy protocols. Improved management of mucositis may allow implementation of cancer treatment protocols that are currently excessively mucotoxic, but have potentially higher cure rates of the malignant disease.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2005

Are female patients with orofacial pain medically compromised?

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain has been linked to various medical conditions. The authors assessed whether certain medical conditions are more prevalent in female patients with orofacial pain than in age-matched controls. METHODS: The study sample consisted of 87 female adult subjects from a university-based orofacial pain center (OPC) and 87 age-matched female subjects from a university-based undergraduate dental clinic (UDC). Subjects were evaluated between February 2003 and July 2003, and they completed a standardized, 78-question medical history questionnaire as part of routine clinical protocol. Using the subjects' medical histories, the authors compared 11 major medical categories and 77 individual conditions for both groups. For statistical analyses, the authors used nonparametric Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z tests and chi2 tests and calculated odds ratios (ORs). RESULTS: The medical histories of subjects in the OPC group indicated a significantly greater number of medical conditions than did those of the subjects in the UDC group (Z = -4.411, P < .0001). Specifically, subjects in the OPC group reported having significantly more neurological (Z = -5.304, P < .0001), gastrointestinal (Z = -2.897, P = .004), pulmonary (Z = -2.298, P = .022), dermatologic (Z = -2.984, P = .003) and other conditions (Z = -2.885, P = .004) than did subjects in the UDC group. Subjects in the OPC group reported having 12 individual medical conditions significantly more often (P < .05, ORs ranged from 2.5 to 9.7) than did subjects in the UDC group. CONCLUSIONS: Female patients with orofacial pain complaints appear to have more systemic problems than do female patients seeking routine dental care. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The presence of multiple medical conditions can influence orofacial pain management options and treatment outcomes. Patients with more medically complicated orofacial pain may require treatment on a multidisciplinary basis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: confusion, controversy and dental implications.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been used in the treatment of pain, including pain of dental origin, for many years. Even though they are effective in relieving symptoms, they are not without adverse events, most notably upper gastrointestinal toxicity. To prevent this side effect, the pharmaceutical industry developed NSAIDs that selectively inhibit the cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) isoenzyme, which is inducible and expressed at sites of inflammation, while sparing the COX-1 isoenzyme, which is associated with gastric protection. On September 30, 2004, the company that produced rofecoxib (Vioxx), a COX-2 inhibitor, voluntarily withdrew this product from the market based on the discovery of its association with increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events reported in an ongoing large clinical trial. This unexpected event caused the medical community to review existing literature regarding this and related medications and also led to the emergence of novel research to improve understanding of the potential mechanisms for this serious side effect. However, instead of clarifying the situation, reports created confusion and controversy regarding the safety of all types of NSAIDs. The major concern is an increase in adverse cardiovascular events with the use of individual drugs as well as the potential for a class effect. In this article, we review recent events and findings and discuss the implications for dentistry.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2005

Methamphetamine and its impact on dental care.

Dental professionals should be aware that methamphetamine (MA) use is on the rise in North America. MA is a potent central nervous system stimulant with limited therapeutic effects. The allure of this drug is its availability in many different forms that are relatively easy to make and distribute and inexpensive to purchase and that produce prolonged euphoria for the user. This euphoria results from alteration of the normal physiologic processing of several centrally acting neurotransmitters, which also causes neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration with long-term use. Long-term use of MA has been associated with severe oral health effects, the most notable being a distinctive pattern of caries called methamphetamine-induced caries. Dental professionals need to recognize and understand patients who may be using MA and the risk factors associated with its deleterious oral effects. This knowledge will allow appropriate and effective preventive and treatment strategies for users of this drug.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Self-report health questionnaire: a necessary and reliable tool in dentistry.

This study was designed to assess whether the number and type of medical conditions elicited by self-report on a questionnaire were equivalent to those obtained through verbal inquiry by blinded trained dentists. The study sample consisted of 100 adult patients who were seeking treatment from the University of Kentucky Orofacial Pain Center. Evaluations occurred between September 2003 and January 2004. Patients completed a standardized medical health questionnaire containing 92 questions. Subsequently, the patients were questioned verbally about their medical history by uniformly trained dentists, using a systems review approach as part of routine clinical protocol. The medical histories obtained by both methods were statistically analyzed using Kappa values, paired and independent sample t-tests. The nature of the questionnaire did not distinguish between past and present conditions, and did not give information regarding onset, severity, duration, and impact of the marked conditions. It was concluded that even though a self-reported health questionnaire is precise and consistent, more detailed information can be obtained by verifying marked medical conditions through a verbal inquiry. Every history and examination should include a combination of both a self-reported medical health questionnaire and a verbal inquiry to aid in diagnosis and treatment.

Adult↗