PMID- 12836503
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20030904
LR  - 20061115
IS  - 1064-6655 (Print)
IS  - 1064-6655 (Linking)
VI  - 17
IP  - 2
DP  - 2003 Spring
TI  - Pressure pain threshold of the posterior aspect of the temporomandibular joint 
      measured with a semi-spherical probe.
PG  - 145-50
AB  - AIMS: To develop and test a probe for measurement of the pressure pain threshold 
      (PPT) over the posterior aspect of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in healthy 
      individuals, including determination of PPT levels, reliability, and the smallest 
      detectable difference (SDD) between measurements. METHODS: A semi-spherical probe 
      was designed to measure PPT levels over the posterior aspect of the TMJ through 
      the external auditory meatus. The probe was connected to an electronic algometer. 
      Three consecutive measurements were performed with this probe over the posterior 
      and lateral aspects of the left and right TMJs as well as over a reference point 
      on the forehead (glabella) in 31 healthy subjects: 10 male and 21 female. 
      Measurements were also performed for comparison with a conventional flat probe 
      with a 1 cm2 area over the lateral aspect of the TMJ and the reference point. 
      RESULTS: The PPT measured with the semi-spherical probe and the conventional 
      probe showed similar degrees of interindividual variation and reproducibility. 
      The relative SDD, expressed as the percentage of the mean PPT for 2 measurements, 
      showed similar levels for the flat and semi-spherical probes, i.e., 28% to 32% of 
      the mean PPT at the TMJ. CONCLUSION: The semi-spherical probe shows similar 
      reliability and relative SDD for measurement of PPT levels over the posterior 
      aspect of the TMJ in healthy individuals as measurement over the lateral aspect 
      with a flat probe. Measurement of the posterior PPT with a semi-spherical probe 
      may be a useful adjunct to conventional lateral PPT measurements.
FAU - Nordahl, Silvi
AU  - Nordahl S
AD  - Department of Clinical Oral Physiology, Institute of Odontology, Karolinska 
      Institutet, Box 4064, S-141 04 Huddinge, Sweden. silvi.nordahl@swipnet.se
FAU - Kopp, Sigvard
AU  - Kopp S
LA  - eng
PT  - Comparative Study
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - United States
TA  - J Orofac Pain
JT  - Journal of orofacial pain
JID - 9418507
MH  - Analysis of Variance
MH  - Differential Threshold
MH  - Electronics/instrumentation
MH  - Equipment Design
MH  - Female
MH  - Forehead/physiology
MH  - Humans
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Pain Measurement/*instrumentation
MH  - Pain Threshold/*physiology
MH  - Pressure
MH  - Reproducibility of Results
MH  - Sex Factors
MH  - Statistics, Nonparametric
MH  - Surface Properties
MH  - Temporomandibular Joint/*physiology
EDAT- 2003/07/03 05:00
MHDA- 2003/09/05 05:00
CRDT- 2003/07/03 05:00
PHST- 2003/07/03 05:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2003/09/05 05:00 [medline]
PHST- 2003/07/03 05:00 [entrez]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Orofac Pain. 2003 Spring;17(2):145-50.