Pain related to temporomandibular disorders (TMD) is a common problem in modern societies. The aim of the article is to present the concepts of TMD pain clinical management. A survey was performed using the PubMed, SCOPUS and CINAHL databases for documents published between 1994 and 2014. The following search keywords were selected using MeSH terms of the National Library of Medicine in combination: TMD pain, TMD, TMJ, TMJ disorders, occlusal splint, TMD physiotherapy, TMJ rheumatoid disorders and TMJ surgery. Original articles and review papers which presented the clinical relevance and practical validity regarding the possibility of application in TMD management have been included. Authors have excluded articles without outstanding practical aspect and evidence-based background. A first selection was carried out by reviewing titles and abstracts of all articles found according to the criteria. After that the full texts of potentially suitable articles were assessed. In line with these criteria, among 11467 results the writers have included 66 papers. The most commonly reported conservative treatments are massage therapy and individually fabricated occlusal splints. In addition to massage, other popular methods include manual therapy and taping, warming/cooling of aching joints, and light and laser therapy. Drugs are also commonly used. In the most severe cases of the temporomandibular joint degeneration, surgical restoration of the joint is sometimes applied. The authors concluded that conservative treatment including counselling, exercises, occlusal splint therapy, massage, manual therapy and others should be considered as a first choice therapy for TMD pain because of their low risk of side effects. In the case of severe acute pain or chronic pain resulting from serious disorders, inflammation and/or degeneration pharmacotherapy, minimally invasive and invasive procedures should be considered.

Background: Bruxism is receiving increasing attention from both clinicians and researchers over the past decades. Recently, it has become clear that some aspects of the currently proposed, expert‐driven bruxism definitions raise questions and cause confusion among clinicians, researchers, educators and patients.Objectives: The aim of this report is threefold: (1) to provide the reader with a glossary of the existing definitions, (2) to discuss frequently asked questions regarding these definitions and (3) to suggest a road map for the next steps to be taken towards a better understanding of bruxism.Material and Methods: A closed (invitation‐only) full‐day workshop at the 2024 General Session & Exhibition of the International Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (IADR) convened international bruxism experts to discuss the current definitions. Insights from these discussions were compiled, analysed and summarised.Result: The present report provides a glossary of the constituent terms of the currently proposed definitions, an overview of the frequently asked questions and insights into the next steps to be taken. By current consensus and to avoid any further confusion, the addendum ‘in otherwise healthy individuals’ has been removed from the specific definitions of sleep and awake bruxism. In addition, the grading system's hierarchical organisation, as proposed previously, was revised and clarified, proposing the inclusion of terms based on self‐reporting, clinical examination and device‐based assessment tools.Conclusion: To ascertain that we all use the same terminology, we recommend using the current publication when referring to the definitions of bruxism and its constituent terms.

Background: In late December 2019, a new pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) infection began to spread around the world. The new situation gave rise to severe health threats, economic uncertainty, and social isolation, causing potential deleterious effects on people’s physical and mental health. These effects are capable of influencing oral and maxillofacial conditions, such as temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and bruxism, which could further aggravate the orofacial pain. Two concomitant studies aimed to evaluate the effect of the current pandemic on the possible prevalence and worsening of TMD and bruxism symptoms among subjects selected from two culturally different countries: Israel and Poland. Materials and Methods: Studies were conducted as cross-sectional online surveys using similar anonymous questionnaires during the lockdown practiced in both countries. The authors obtained 700 complete responses from Israel and 1092 from Poland. In the first step, data concerning TMDs and bruxism were compared between the two countries. In the second step, univariate analyses (Chi²) were performed to investigate the effects of anxiety, depression, and personal concerns of the Coronavirus pandemic, on the symptoms of TMD, and bruxism symptoms and their possible aggravation. Finally, multivariate analyses (logistic regression models) were carried out to identify the study variables that had a predictive value on TMD, bruxism, and symptom aggravation in the two countries. Results: The results showed that the Coronavirus pandemic has caused significant adverse effects on the psychoemotional status of both Israeli and Polish populations, resulting in the intensification of their bruxism and TMD symptoms. Conclusions: The aggravation of the psychoemotional status caused by the Coronavirus pandemic can result in bruxism and TMD symptoms intensification and thus lead to increased orofacial pain.

Sleep bruxism (SB) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are co-occurring sleep conditions. The study aimed to evaluate the association of selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) occurring within the genes of the serotonin and dopamine pathways in SB and OSA and investigate the relationship between them. The study group included 100 Caucasian patients. SB and OSA were diagnosed in 74 and 28 patients, respectively. In addition, 125 unrelated Caucasian healthy blood donors served as randomly selected controls to enable comparison of polymorphisms. The following SNPs were analyzed: rs2770304 and rs6313 within the serotonin receptor encoding gene (HTR2A), rs4680 polymorphism of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene, and rs686 within the dopamine receptor (DRD1) encoding gene. The prevalence of the DRD1 rs686 G variant (GG homozygosity) was found to be high in the study group compared to the control group. Bruxism episode index (BEI) was found to be significantly increased in the HTR2A rs6313 TT homozygotes compared to the heterozygous patients. Moreover, within a group of the HTR2A rs2770304 TT homozygous cases, a statistically significant correlation was observed between BEI and apnea–hypopnea index. These results indicate that DRD1 rs686 may potentially affect predisposition to SB, that HTR2A rs6313 SNP may be involved in SB pathogenesis, and that HTR2A rs2770304 polymorphism might contribute to the association between SB and OSA. This suggests a possible genetic contribution to the etiology of primary SB.

The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and oral parafunctions, as well as their correlation with psychoemotional factors in Polish university students. The research was conducted in a group of 456 students (N=456). The examination form comprised of two parts: survey and clinical examination. The research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (RDC/TMD) was used in order to assess TMD. Symptoms of TMD were observed in 246 (54%) students after clinical examination. The largest group involved students with disc displacement (women: 132, 29%; men: 70, 15%). Women (164; 36%) suffered more frequently than men (82; 18%) from problems related to the stomatognathic system (P<0.05), described themselves as easily excitable and emotionally burdened, and reported symptoms as tightness of the facial and neck muscles (P<0.05). In 289 (64%) students intraoral symptoms concerning occlusal parafunctions were observed. In 404 (89%) examined students, nonocclusal parafunctions were recorded. A significant correlation between TMD and psychoemotional problems could be detected. TMD symptoms more often concern women. Emotional burden and excitability are factors predisposing muscular disorders.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep disorder. Sleep bruxism (SB) is a masticatory muscle activity during sleep that commonly co-occurs with OSA. The presented study aimed to assess this relationship and to identify factors affecting this co-occurrence. Adult patients (n = 110) were evaluated for OSA and SB in a sleep laboratory using polysomnography. The episodes of bruxism and respiratory events were scored according to the standards of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The prevalence of OSA and SB was found to be 86.37% and 50%, respectively. The bruxism episode index (BEI) was increased in the group with mild and moderate OSA (apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) <30) compared to that in the group with severe OSA (AHI ≥ 30) (5.50 ± 4.58 vs. 1.62 ± 1.28, p < 0.05). A positive correlation between AHI and BEI was observed in the group with AHI < 30. Regression analysis indicated that higher AHI, male gender, and diabetes were independent predictors for the increased BEI in group with AHI < 30. The relationship between OSA and SB depends on the degree of severity of OSA. OSA is correlated with SB in mild and moderate cases of OSA in the group of patients with increased risk of OSA.