Facial expressions frequently involve multiple individual facial actions. How do facial actions combine to create emotionally meaningful expressions? Infants produce positive and negative facial expressions at a range of intensities. It may be that a given facial action can index the intensity of both positive (smiles) and negative (cry-face) expressions. Objective, automated measurements of fa...

Bilateral hyperplasia of the coronoid process is infrequent. It consists of an elongation of the coronoid process of the mandible and is, accordingly, a mechanical problem, limiting mouth opening. This article looks at the case of a 28 year-old male with significant limitation on opening his mouth, secondary to bilateral hyperplasia of the coronoid process. We reviewed the literature and analys...

Passing a retrograde catheter/wire into the pharynx through a cricothyroid puncture can facilitate tracheal intubation in difficult situations where either a flexible fibre-optic bronchoscope or an expert user of such a device is not available. Some mouth opening is essential for the oral and/or nasal retrieval of the catheter/wire from the pharynx. Two patients with temporo-mandibular joint (T...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of herbal medicines (1 gm tulsi and 1 gm turmeric mixed in glycerine base) for the treatment of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF). Forty-one patients in the age group of 17- 56 years without any systemic complications were included in the study. The patients were treated with medicines, which were to be applied 3-4 times a day. ...

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is an insidious chronic disease affecting any part of the oral cavity and sometimes the pharynx with epithelial atrophy leading to stiffness of the oral mucosa, causing trismus and inability to eat. However, a more serious complication of this disease is the risk of the development of oral carcinoma. A case of OSMF reported with initial interincisal mouth opening;...

From a retrospective evaluation of data on accidents and deaths during dental procedures, it has been shown that several patients who refused dental treatment died of asphyxia during dental procedures. We speculated that forcible maximum opening of the mouth by using a mouth prop triggers this asphyxia by affecting the upper airway. Therefore, we assessed the morphological changes of the upper ...

BACKGROUND The temporomandibular joint is a unique bi-condylar joint involved in mastication and speech. Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) have a range of symptoms, including aural symptoms, and are present in approximately 75% of normal populations. The present study examined the relationship between signs and symptoms of TMD and mouth opening, gender, joint and aural symptoms, and heari...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to evaluate temporomandibular joint (TMJ) involvement in patients with rheumatoid arthritis by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), jaw clenching force, mouth opening, and Fonseca's questionnaire, and to establish the relationship between these findings and clinical, radiologic, and laboratory activity parameters that are unique to rheumatoid arthritis. METHOD...

BACKGROUND Reduced mouth opening may be a major contributing factor to the deterioration in the view obtained at laryngoscopy when a semi-rigid cervical collar is in place. We set out to assess the degree to which mouth opening is restricted by a cervical collar. METHODS We measured maximal inter-incisor distance in 52 volunteers. It was measured again after application of each of three appro...

Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (laser) is one of the most recent treatment modalities in dentistry. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is suggested to have biostimulating and analgesic effects through direct irradiation without causing thermal response. There are few studies that have investigated the efficacy of laser therapy in temporomandibular disorders (TMD), especiall...