It seems extremely important to know the biomechanical properties of the orofacial tissues among patients with increased activity of masticatory muscles, such as bruxism. The aim of this study was to evaluate biomechanical properties of the masseter muscle by using MyotonPRO in adults with probable bruxism and to define gender relations. This study was conducted in the Temporomandibular Disorders Department at Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland (June 2021–November 2021) among patients that reported bruxism symptoms The patients underwent a clinical examination, then the biomechanical properties of the masseter muscles were assessed. The MyotonPro measured masseter tone, stiffness and elasticity in 36 patients with a self-assessment of bruxism (18 women and 18 men). Data were collected from relaxed and contracted muscles. In relaxed masseter muscles there were no statistically significant differences between the sexes in muscle tone, stiffness and elasticity. During contraction significant differences were found between the sexes in the tension and the stiffness of the masseter muscles. Moreover, women often experienced headaches in the temporal region and pain in the masseter muscles during palpation. Among patients with a self-assessment of bruxism, accompanying pain was significantly more frequent in women. Male gender was associated with increased muscle tension and stiffness of the contracted masseter muscle.

Background: Chronic stress is one of the leading predisposing factors in bruxism aetiology, but the influence of genetic factors is also suggested. We aimed to study whether sequence variants in genes involved in stress regulation pathways: NTRK2 and BDNF, may be associated with awake bruxism susceptibility, clinical presentation, and patients’ perceived stress level. Methods: The study group included 104 patients with probable awake bruxism and 191 population controls. Patients underwent dental examination concerning the symptoms of bruxism and psychological testing. Genotyping was performed using HRMA and sequencing. Statistical analyses were conducted, and P values below 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: We observed a positive correlation of measured stress level and pathological teeth attrition in the anterior segment (r = 0.45, P < 0.001), enamel attritions (r = 0.44, P < 0.001), tongue impressions (r = 0.50, P < 0.001) and posterior teeth attrition (r = 0.27, P = 0.005). Moreover, the c.196A variant (p.66Met) of the BDNF gene and c.1397-31392G allele of the NTRK2 gene were present with elevated frequency, comparing to controls. Conclusions: This study hence the thesis that perceived stress level is a substantial contributing factor to awake bruxism occurrence and its clinical manifestations. Moreover, sequence variants in genes related to stress coping may be correlated with awake bruxism’s susceptibility via elevated perceived stress level.

Background/Objectives: Chronic stress has an undeniable effect in generating emotional disorders and physiological changes. It results in excessive muscle tension throughout the body, also in the masticatory system. A situation of chronic stress was the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this paper was to assess the prevalence of specific masticatory pain symptoms, their severity, and the co-occurrence of associated symptoms (otological symptoms and headaches) in patients diagnosed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A total of 202 patients were divided into two groups: Group A (mean age of 36.46; F = 64; and M = 37) and B (mean age of 26.04; F = 70; and M = 31) included patients who presented for the study before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. The Oral Behaviours Checklist (OBC) questionnaire was used: patients with result ≥2 scores in the OBC were evaluated by DC/TMD. To evaluate the intensity of pain in masticatory structures, the elements of the RDC-TMD questionnaire were used. Otologic symptoms and headaches were assessed as coexisted complaints. Results: A significant increase in pain occurrence was observed in Group B mainly for masseter muscles (p < 0.0001), temporalis (p = 0.0044), and medial pterygoid muscles (p = 0.0153). A significantly more frequent reporting of pain/tenderness was observed among men in most of the evaluated muscles. For the lateral pterygoid muscles, changes in palpation pain did not reach statistical significance. There was a statistically significant difference in the intensity of pain in the temporomandibular joint area between both the entire groups A and B (p = 0.000152), as well as between women in Group A and B (p = 0.006453) and men in the study groups (p = 0.007990). An increase in the incidence of headaches was observed among men in Group B (Group A with 40.6% vs. Group B with 67.3%). The most commonly reported otological symptom in both groups was ear pain and/or discomfort in the preauricular region, with the frequency of otological symptoms being higher in Group B. Conclusions: (1) The COVID-19 pandemic affected the incidence and severity of masticatory muscle pain and associated complaints. (2) A decrease in the age of patients reporting complaints of masticatory mm pain was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. (3) An increase in the frequency of headaches was observed in the male group during the pan-demic, while in women there was an increase in palpation tenderness of masticatory muscles.

Background/Objectives: Dentofacial deformities may adversely affect facial aesthetics, oral function, psychological well-being, and social functioning. The Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire (OQLQ) is a condition-specific instrument developed to assess these effects, but no validated Polish version has previously been available. This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the OQLQ into Polish and evaluate its reliability and construct validity, including structural validity. Methods: The OQLQ was translated and culturally adapted in accordance with established guidelines. The study included 161 adults: 49 patients with dentofacial deformities awaiting orthognathic surgery, 55 orthodontic patients without dentofacial deformities, and 57 untreated controls. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Thirty participants completed the questionnaire again after one week to assess test–retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Measurement error was quantified using the standard error of measurement (SEM) and the minimal detectable change at the 95% confidence level (MDC95). Structural validity was examined by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the original four-factor model using diagonally weighted least squares for ordinal items. Known-groups, convergent, and discriminant validity were evaluated using predefined hypotheses. Results: The Polish OQLQ demonstrated excellent internal consistency for the total score (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.957), with domain-level coefficients ranging from 0.879 to 0.948. The total-score ICC was 0.942 (95% CI, 0.88–0.97), and domain ICCs ranged from 0.766 to 0.931. For the total score, the SEM was 3.37 points and the MDC95 was 9.3 points. CFA showed mixed fit (scaled CFI = 0.960, TLI = 0.954, RMSEA = 0.125 [95% CI, 0.115–0.134]; robust SRMR = 0.080), while standardized factor loadings ranged from 0.762 to 0.997. Patients awaiting orthognathic surgery had significantly higher OQLQ scores than both comparison groups (p < 0.001), with large total-score effects versus the non-orthodontic control group (Hedges’ g = 1.55; 95% CI, 1.12–1.99) and the orthodontic group (g = 1.27; 95% CI, 0.85–1.69). Fourteen of the 15 predefined primary construct-validity hypotheses (93.3%) were supported. Conclusions: The Polish OQLQ demonstrated good-to-excellent reliability and satisfactory known-groups, convergent, and discriminant validity. The CFA provided partial rather than unequivocal support for the original four-factor structure. The instrument may be used with appropriate caution to assess condition-specific quality of life in Polish-speaking patients with dentofacial deformities; replication of its structural validity in a larger independent clinical sample and evaluation of responsiveness are warranted.