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Changes in TrkB-like immunoreactivity in rat trigeminal ganglion after tooth injury.

The purpose of this study was to characterize the impact of tooth injury on the distribution of tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB) among trigeminal ganglion neurons and assess the time course for tooth injury-induced TrkB distribution changes. In addition, we sought to further characterize the subpopulation of the afferents expressing TrkB receptors. Fifteen adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were studied. Pulpal inflammation was induced and ganglia were subsequently harvested and processed at different time points. Standard immunohistochemical fluorescence techniques were used to visualize TrkB-like immunoreactivity and isolectin B4 binding. Results indicate that full-length TrkB receptors are present in 36.6% of trigeminal ganglion neurons. This percentage decreases for the first 48 h and then increases to 41% by 7 days after tooth injury. Finally, TrkB appears to be present in a large percentage (54%) of isolectin B4+ neurons, suggesting that it is present in nociceptive afferents. These data highlight the fact that even mild injury results in sustained changes in nociceptive circuitry and raise the possibility that the brain-derived neurotrophic factor/TrkB system may contribute to persistent pain after tooth repair.

Animals↗

Trephination for acute pain management.

Surgical trephination can and does provide immediate relief of pain, surgical drainage of the infection and related fluids, and in most cases does not require supplementary administration of antibiotics and only minimal amounts of analgesics. This paper outlines the diagnosis and technique of surgical trephination.

Drainage↗

Tissue levels of immunoreactive substance P are increased in patients with irreversible pulpitis.

Odontogenic pain often involves inflammation of dental pulp tissue. Dental pulp is highly innervated with a subpopulation of sensory neurons containing neuropeptides. Substance P, released from afferent fibers (e.g. nociceptors) is associated with the development of neurogenic inflammation. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that irreversible pulpitis is associated with increased activity of peptidergic neurons, as measured by increased pulpal levels of immunoreactive substance P (iSP). We determined in vivo pulpal levels of immunoreactive substance P in human teeth with a diagnosis of normal pulp or irreversible pulpitis using CMA/20 microdialysis probes inserted into vital pulps of 24 teeth from 21 patients. Probes were perfused with a modified Locke-Ringer's buffer and immunoreactive substance P levels in the dialysate were measured using a radioimmunoassay. Mean extracellular levels of immunoreactive substance P were significantly higher (>8-fold) in teeth diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis than immunoreactive substance P levels in dental pulp diagnosed as normal (147.7 +/- 34.0 pM versus 18.2 +/- 6.2 pM). These observations suggest that biochemical measures of inflammatory mediators exhibit significant change during irreversible pulpitis and may contribute to clinical signs and symptoms.

Adolescent↗

Effect of an intraosseous injection of depo-medrol on pulpal concentrations of PGE2 and IL-8 in untreated irreversible pulpitis.

The purpose of this prospective, randomized, double-blind study was to evaluate the pulpal concentrations of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in untreated teeth with irreversible pulpitis after the administration of an intraosseous injection of Depo-Medrol. Forty emergency patients with a clinical diagnosis of irreversible pulpitis experiencing moderate to severe pain participated. After receiving local anesthesia, patients randomly received, in a double-blind manner, an intraosseous injection of either 1 ml of Depo-Medrol (40 mg) (20 patients) or 1 ml of sterile saline placebo (control) (20 patients). No endodontic treatment was initiated. At 1 or 3 days after the intraosseous injection, the teeth were extracted and the pulpal tissue harvested. Prostaglandin E2 and interleukin-8 concentrations were determined by enzyme immunoassay. Results demonstrated a significantly (p < 0.05) lower concentration of prostaglandin E2 compared to the saline group at day 1. There were no significant (p > 0.05) differences between the two groups at day 3. The pulpal concentrations of prostaglandin E2 were reduced at 1 day after the intraosseous injection of Depo-Medrol.

Adult↗

Incidence of flare-ups and evaluation of quality after retreatment of resorcinol-formaldehyde resin ("Russian Red Cement") endodontic therapy.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the quality of treatment and incidence of flare-ups when teeth with resorcinol-formaldehyde resin are retreated in a postgraduate endodontic clinic. Fifty-eight cases were included in this study. Obturated and unfilled canal space was measured on radiographs. Forty-eight percent of the total canal space was filled before retreatment; 90% was filled after retreatment. After retreatment, obturations were rated as optimal in 59%, improved in 33%, unchanged in 6%, and worse in 2%. Seven patients (12%) had postretreatment flare-ups. Data were statistically analyzed using the Cochran-Armitage Test for Discrete Variables. No statistical difference in the incidence of flare-ups was found in teeth that before treatment had more than half the canal space filled compared to teeth with less than half, cases with pre-existing periradicular radiolucencies compared to cases with normal periradicular appearance, symptomatic cases compared to asymptomatic cases, or cases with optimal fillings after retreatment compared to less than optimal cases. It was concluded that teeth with resorcinol-formaldehyde fillings might be retreated with a good prognosis for improving the radiographic quality, but a higher than normal incidence of flare-ups may occur.

Acute Disease↗

Calcium hydroxide as an intracanal medication: effect on posttreatment pain.

Calcium hydroxide is advocated as an intracanal medication for various purposes, including prevention of posttreatment symptoms. This study assessed whether calcium hydroxide had a pain-controlling effect at different times when compared with no intracanal medication. One hundred forty patients participated. Conditions diagnosed were pulp/periapical pathosis with or without symptoms. At least partial cleaning and shaping was completed. At random, either Ca(OH)2 plus H2O paste or a dry cotton pellet was placed in the canals of half the teeth, respectively. All teeth were temporized with Intermediate Restorative Material. Patients assessed posttreatment pain up to 48 h as none, mild, moderate, or severe. The pain levels in each test group [Ca(OH)2 versus cotton pellet] at each time period were compared statistically with a multiple-regression analysis. There was no significant difference in posttreatment pain between the two groups at any time period or with any diagnosis or symptom. The use of calcium hydroxide as an intracanal medication was unrelated to the incidence and/or severity of posttreatment pain.

Adult↗

The significance of needle deflection in success of the inferior alveolar nerve block in patients with irreversible pulpitis.

The purpose of this prospective, randomized, blinded study was to compare the anesthetic efficacy of the conventional inferior alveolar nerve block, administered with the needle bevel oriented away from the mandibular ramus, to the bidirectional-needle-rotation technique, administered using the computer-assisted Wand II anesthesia system, in patients diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis. Sixty-four emergency patients diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis of a mandibular posterior tooth randomly received, in a blinded manner, 2.8 ml of 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine using either a conventional inferior alveolar nerve block or a bidirectional-needle-rotational technique using the Wand II injection system. The conventional inferior alveolar nerve block was administered with the needle bevel oriented away from the mandibular ramus so the needle would deflect inward toward the mandibular foramen. The bidirectional-needle-rotation technique was administered by rotating the Wand handpiece assembly in a clockwise-counterclockwise movement (like an endodontic hand file) to minimize needle deflection. Endodontic access was begun 17 min after solution deposition, and all patients were required to have profound lip numbness. Success was defined as none or mild pain (VAS recordings) on endodontic access or initial instrumentation. The results of this study showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) between the success rates of the two techniques. The conventional inferior alveolar nerve block, with the needle bevel oriented away from the mandibular ramus, had a 50% success rate. The bidirectional-needle-rotation technique with the Wand II had a 56% success rate. Neither technique resulted in an acceptable rate of anesthetic success in patients with irreversible pulpitis.

Adult↗

Evaluation of meloxicam (A cox-2 inhibitor) for management of postoperative endodontic pain: a double-blind placebo-controlled study.

Successful management of endodontic pain represents a continuing challenge. The purpose of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial was to compare the pain reducing effect of oral preparations of meloxicam, piroxicam, and placebo in endodontic emergency patients. A total of 51 patients who presented to the Tehran University endodontic clinic and one private dental clinic were invited to participate. Patients were asked to evaluate their pretreatment pain with a visual-analog scale. After root canal therapy they were randomly assigned to one of three groups: meloxicam, piroxicam, or placebo. Each patient was sent home with a visual-analog scale to fill out at 8 and 24 h after completion of therapy. The results of this study showed no significant differences between efficacy of meloxicam, piroxicam, and placebo, but a significant effect of the time factor in reducing postoperative pain in all treatment groups was observed.

Adult↗

Ethnographic assessment of pain coping perceptions.

A sample consisting of 54 patients and 31 dentists of Chinese, Anglo-American, and Scandinavian ethnic origin were interviewed about their ways of coping with pain. Instruments designed to assess pain coping were constructed from the descriptions elicited by the interviews. The interview data thus served as the basis for cross-cultural quantitative indices. Content analysis of the interviews revealed significant differences between patients and dentists and an East-West ethnic difference between patient groups. Anglo-American patients and all dentists preferred internally applied medicines (pills, injections etc.). Chinese patients preferred external agents (salves, oils, massage, etc.) significantly more than Chinese dentists or Western subjects. Swedish and Chinese patients preferred not to use local anesthesia for dental treatment. These results were corroborated by nonparametric and multidimensional scaling analyses of the cross-cultural quantitative data. Professional socialization had a stronger influence on pain remedy description than did ethnicity, while patient descriptions of remedies appeared to be more ethnospecific, especially showing East-West differences. These anthropologic methods appeared to be valid and reliable in revealing cognitive processes involved in the pain coping preferences of these subjects.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Orofacial Pain--Part II: Assessment and management of vascular, neurovascular, idiopathic, secondary, and psychogenic causes.

Chronic orofacial pain is a common health complaint faced by health practitioners today and constitutes a challenging diagnostic problem that often requires a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and treatment. The previous article by the same authors in this issue discussed the major clinical characteristics and the treatment of various musculoskeletal and neuropathic orofacial pain conditions. This second article presents aspects of vascular, neurovascular, and idiopathic orofacial pain, as well as orofacial pain due to various local, distant, or systemic diseases and psychogenic orofacial pain. The emphasis in this article is on the general differential diagnosis and various therapeutic regimens of each of these conditions. An accurate diagnosis is the key to successful treatment of chronic orofacial pain. Given that for many of the entities discussed in this article no curative treatment is available, current standards of management are emphasized. A comprehensive reference section has been included for those who wish to gain further information on a particular entity.

Aortic Dissection↗

Decision making for the patient who presents with acute dental pain.

Patients who require dental emergency care for pain or trauma may not be able to see a dental practitioner for treatment. The patients often seek care in alternative medical facilities when the symptoms are too severe to be managed by over-the-counter medications. Nurses, physicians, and allied medical staff may be required to triage these patients and provide palliative treatment until the patient is able to seek definitive dental treatment. By using criteria to assess the etiology of the dental pain and implementing possible alternative treatments, these patients can receive palliative care until dental treatment becomes accessible. With the potential for development of resistant forms of microorganisms, the indiscriminate use of antibiotics for dental pain is to be avoided. Occasionally, dental patients presenting to medical settings exhibit symptoms and signs of dental-related problems that are potentially life threatening. Identification of signs of impending life-threatening complications is of paramount importance, since prompt treatment will significantly affect the prognosis.

Acute Disease↗

Effect of MTAD on postoperative discomfort: a randomized clinical trial.

The purpose of this study was to compare levels of postoperative discomfort after cleaning and shaping of root canals using two protocols for removal of smear layer. Seventy-three consecutive patients requiring root canal treatment were included. At random, canals were cleaned and shaped with one of the following protocols. In group 1, 5.25% sodium hypochlorite was used as the root canal irrigant. The smear layer was removed by placing 17% EDTA in the canal(s) for 1 min followed by a 5-ml rinse with 5.25% NaOCl. In group 2, canals were irrigated with 1.3% NaOCl; the smear layer was removed by placing MTAD in the canal(s) for 5 min. Access cavities were closed with a sterile cotton pellet and Cavit. The patients recorded degree of discomfort at various time intervals after cleaning and shaping on a visual analogue scale for 1 wk. No significant statistical difference was found in the degree of discomfort between the two groups (p = 0.58).

Adult↗

Neutrophil elastase levels in periapical exudates of symptomatic and asymptomatic teeth.

The aim of this study was to determine neutrophil elastase levels (NE) in periapical exudates and to evaluate its relationship with clinical signs and symptoms of endodontically involved teeth. A total of 42 teeth with periapical periodontitis of 37 patients were clinically examined and spontaneous pain, swelling, pain on palpation or percussion, sinus tract formation and pus discharge were recorded. Additionally, periapical lesion size was measured on periapical radiographs. Periapical exudate samples were obtained during routine root canal treatment by using paper points. Enzyme levels were determined by spectrophotometric assays using the NE specific substrate N-methoxysuccinil-Ala-Ala-Pro-Val-p-nitroanilide. The teeth with signs and symptoms showed higher NE levels than the teeth without symptoms (p<0.05). The differences were significant when NE levels were presented as total amounts instead of concentration. This study demonstrated that NE in periapical lesions related with clinical symptoms and total enzyme amount may be more reliable mode of data presentation.

Adult↗

Effects of pre-emptive morphine, ibuprofen or local anesthetic on fos expression in the spinal trigeminal nucleus following tooth pulp exposure in the rat.

In the present study, we used Fos expression as an index of nociceptive input to the spinal trigeminal nucleus after exposure of the coronal pulp tissue of maxillary right first molars and examined the effects of pretreatment with an opioid, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug or a local anesthetic before pulp exposure. Exposure of the tooth pulp produced a significant increase in Fos-like immunoreactivity in the superficial laminae of subnucleus caudalis; pretreatment with a control infiltration injection of saline directly above the maxillary molar 30 min before pulp exposure had no effect on Fos expression. Pretreatment with morphine 30 min before pulp exposure dose-dependently (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg subcutaneously) reduced Fos expression in subnucleus caudalis whereas pretreatment with ibuprofen (10-100 mg/kg subcutaneously) did not significantly affect Fos expression. Local anesthetic pretreatment was effective in reducing Fos expression only for the long acting bupivacaine; lidocaine without and with epinephrine (1:100,000) failed to significantly affect Fos expression. These results suggest that pre-emptive opioid treatment can decrease postoperative central nervous system changes associated with tooth pulp injury, and therefore, may decrease postoperative pain. Given the effects of local anesthetic on Fos expression, a combination of long acting local anesthetic with pre-emptive opioid would likely be most efficacious in decreasing postoperative dental pain.

Analgesics, Opioid↗

The effect of endodontic therapy on periapical exudate neutrophil elastase and prostaglandin-E2 levels.

This study aimed to investigate periapical exudate neutrophil elastase (NE) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels and their relationships with clinical symptoms, and to determine the changes of their levels following first treatment visit. Periapical exudate samples were collected from the canals of 34 nonvital single-rooted teeth at two sequential treatment visits. Periapical exudate NE and PGE2 levels were found to be higher in the presence of clinical symptoms (pus discharge, swelling) (p < 0.05). The canals of teeth with larger periapical radiolucent area (>or=1 cm) contained more PGE2 levels than with smaller ones (<1 cm) (p < 0.05). Periapical exudate NE levels were significantly correlated with PGE2 levels (p < 0.05), and their levels at first treatment visit did not change following root canal therapy (p > 0.05). The periapical exudate NE and PGE2 levels may regulate periapical disease expression, but the results of this study were unable to reveal this association.

Adult↗

Facial pain.

Facial pain is a common symptom that may be a feature of a primary headache disorder or a secondary feature of organic disease. A thorough clinical history and physical examination may reveal the characteristic clinical features and assist in diagnosis. However, in some cases, the etiology may remain indeterminate.

Aged↗

Peripheral and central aspects of trigeminal nociceptive systems.

Three aspects of trigeminal pain are considered: the peripheral mechanisms of pain from teeth and from the cornea, and the role of the trigeminal brainstem nuclei in pain. Pain is probably the only sensation that can be evoked by stimulation of dentin or dental pulp in man. Five nerve-endings enter dentinal tubules from the pulp but do not extend into the outer dentine, which is nevertheless sensitive. In teeth of limited growth in experimental animals, the dental pulp is supplied by A beta, A delta and C fibres and these are associated with two categories of receptor: one responds to cooling and to other stimuli that cause displacement of the contents of the dentinal tubules such as probing and drying the dentine, and the other group responds most vigorously to heating. Some cold sensitive units have A beta fibres and the evidence suggests that stimulation of these is capable of evoking both muscle reflexes and pain and, near threshold, 'pre-pain' sensations. Thermal stimulation of the cornea produces sensations of pain and, with less intense stimuli, irritation, Mechanical stimulation also produces pain but it is not clear whether, below the pain threshold, such stimuli produce touch sensation or some other sensation related to pain. Histologically, the nerve-endings in the corneal epithelium consist of fine, bare processes closely associated with the surface of the epithelial cells. Recordings in experimental animals have shown that many of the receptors respond to several different forms of stimulus and their properties correlate well with those predicted from psychophysical experiments in man. The results of trigeminal tractotomy in man and recordings from the trigeminal brainstem nuclei in anaesthetized animals, have generally indicated that nucleus caudalis is the main relay in the pain pathway from the face and associated structures. Recent observations have, however, shown that tractotomy does not produce complete analgesia of this region and responses to thermal stimulation of teeth and noxious stimulation of other oro-facial tissues have been recorded from the more rostral parts of the brainstem nuclear complex. The surgical procedures employed to set up an animal for stereotaxic recording may induce long-lasting depression in the excitability of neurons in these nuclei, which masks some of their properties. The mechanism of this depression has not been established.

Animals↗

Cortical nociceptive systems.

There is evidence that the cerebral cortex is involved in the perception of pain but no specific area appears to be the 'pain centre'. Limited knowledge exists on the cortical processing of the noxious input. The nociceptors are most likely to activate at least two different systems with different characteristics. One has a bilateral cortical projection, no apparent topographical pattern, low synaptic security and excites cells in large areas. This system may give rise to the widespread increase in blood flow and the widely distributed surface potentials recorded in man following a painful stimulus. Noxious stimuli also excite a system with contralateral topographical projection, high synaptic security and termination in lamina IV. This system produces EPSP-IPSP sequences in cells in a restricted cortical area. Pronounced inhibition of cells in lamina IV and more superficial layers is induced by activity in low threshold afferents. Thus, similarly as at the segmental spinal level, the nociceptive input to cortical cells is processed and integrated with the activity in other afferent systems.

Anesthetics↗