Botulinum toxin type A (BTA) injection is considered an available alternative treatment for myofascial pain. However, its efficacy in treating masticatory myofascial pain syndrome (MMPS) remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the BTA injection into the affected muscles would significantly reduce pain and improve function, and to assess its efficacy, safety, and therapeutic indications in a randomized, single-center clinical trial. Sixty patients with MMPS were randomized into three groups evenly to receive a single session injection of saline solution (SS group), lidocaine (LD group), and BTA (BTA group) in the masseter, temporal, and pterygoid muscles after an electromyographic study. Patients’ pain was classified as localized or referred according to the DC/TMD classification. Assessments were performed on pre-treatment, and subsequently, on days 7, 14, 28, 60, 90, and 180. A significant reduction in pain and improvement of mandibular movements was found in the BTA group compared to the SS and LD groups. The response lasted until day 180 and was more intense in patients with localized myalgia and focused myofascial pain than in referred remote pain. No significant adverse reactions were observed. A single BTA injection can be considered an effective treatment option in patients with localized MMPS by reducing pain and improving mandibular movements, which persisted up to 6 months.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) tumors are rare and difficult to diagnose. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the clinicopathologic characteristics of twenty-one patients with primary TMJ tumors between 2010 and 2019 and to analyze the surgical outcome and morbidity after ablative surgery and TMJ replacement. This case series confirmed the difficulty of diagnosis and reaffirmed the need for early recognition and management of TMJ tumors. There were no pathognomonic findings associated with TMJ tumors, although single or multiple radiopaque or radiolucent areas were observed on plain or panoramic radiographs. Occasionally, bone resorption or mottled densities caused by pathologic calcification and ossification were seen. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging played an important role in the diagnosis. In our study, the distribution of histologic types of TMJ tumors was quite different from that of other joint tumors. The recommended treatment was surgical intervention by ablation of the joint and TMJ replacement. The results of this retrospective study support the surgical exeresis and replacement with TMJ stock and custom-made prostheses and show that the approach is efficacious and safe, reduces pain and improves mandibular movements, with few complications.

The diagnosis and treatment of maxillofacial cystic lesions requires careful evaluation and correlation of the clinical presentation and radiological studies. The Pindborg tumor, also known as the calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor, is a locally invasive benign neoplasm, with only around 300 cases being published to date. This study presents a new case of this already uncommon neoplasm, not associated with an impacted tooth, and describes the clinicopathological features of this rare entity, along with a review of other reported cases. Despite surgery having been recognized as the treatment of choice for the Pindborg tumor, no firm consensus exists concerning the extension of surgical resection.