Research progress in neuromechanism of painful temporomandibular disorders revealed by functional magnet-ic resonance imaging
HUANG Qi
WU Yan
HU Sang-ni
DAI Hong-wei
Abstract：Chronic pain around the temporomandibular joint and masticatory muscles is usually the primary complaint of patients with temporomandibular disorders(TMD).As pain is a brain response,the development of chronic pain in TMD is closely related to alterations in the central nervous system(CNS),though the underlying neuropathological mecha-nisms remain incompletely understood,which poses significant challenges in clinical management.Functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI),a non-invasive medical imaging technology for measuring cerebral activity,has been exten-sively employed in pain-related research and various clinical fields.This paper will review the findings from both task-state fMRI and resting-state fMRI studies investigating cerebral activity changes related to painful TMD.Furthermore,the effects of occlusal splint therapy on cerebral activity in painful TMD patients will also be reviewed.By providing neu-roimaging perspectives on the mechanisms underlying orofacial pain generation in TMD,this paper aims to offer valuable insights for clinical diagnosis and treatment of painful TMD.
Keywords：temporomandibular disordersorofacial painfunctional magnetic resonance imagingocclusal splint therapy
Publication Date：2025-07-30
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：9( 481-489 )