Complete morphofunctional oral rehabilitation by physiological increase of occlusal vertical dimension according to computerized mandibular scanner.

Increasing the occlusal vertical dimension (OVD) is often indicated in complex oral rehabilitation to gain restorative space and improve the occlusal relationship and aesthetics. The effect of increasing the OVD on lower facial height and facial aesthetics is not well understood and evaluated. The authors present the philosophy of the neuromuscular concept and illustrate it through a case report of a 58-year-old female patient who presented severe deep bite, bruxism, and temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). After clinical evaluation, the extraoral examination showed a reduction of the lower facial height, protuberant lips, wrinkles, and over-closed commissures. In addition, intraoral examination showed a severe anterior deep bite articulation, and the upper incisors completely covering the lower incisors labial surfaces. Through the philosophy of the neuromuscular concept the diagnostic ability, the quality and stability of the treatment increases. A temporary long-term fixed prosthesis was made at the enlarged OVD to be used in the first stage of the rehabilitation. Compared to the initial situation, the new prosthesis was delivered at a vertical dimension (VD) higher with 7 mm. The purpose of the neuromuscular philosophy and methodology is to harmonize the facial profile, functional occlusion, the joint function, and neuromuscular control. Through the neuromuscular methodology, we can assess the patient's ability to manage a significant increase in VD and to restore a functional OVD by physiological measurements.

Sensory trigeminal ULF-TENS stimulation reduces HRV response to experimentally induced arithmetic stress: A randomized clinical trial.

Ultra Low Frequency Transcutaneous Electric Nervous Stimulation (ULF-TENS) is extensively used for pain relief and for the diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). In addition to its local effects, ULF-TENS acts on the autonomic nervous system (ANS), with particular reference to the periaqueductal gray (PAG), promoting the release of endogenous opioids and modulating descending pain systems. It has been suggested that the PAG participates in the coupling between the emotional stimulus and the appropriate behavioral autonomic response. This function is successfully investigated by HRV. Therefore, our goal is to investigate the effects of trigeminal ULF-TENS stimulation on autonomic behavior in terms of HRV and respiratory parameters during an experimentally-induced arithmetic stress test in healthy subjects. Thirty healthy women between 25 and 35years of age were enrolled and randomly assigned to either the control (TENS stimulation off) or test group (TENS stimulation on). Heart (HR, LF, HF, LF/HF ratio, DET, RMSSD, PNN50, RR) and respiratory (BR) rate were evaluated under basal, T1 (TENS off/on), and stress (mathematical task) conditions. Results showed that HRV parameters and BR significantly changed during the arithmetic stress paradigm (p<0.01). Independently of stress conditions, TENS and control group could be discriminated only by non-linear HRV data, namely RR and DET (p=0.038 and p=0.027, respectively). During the arithmetic task, LF/HF ratio was the most sensitive parameter to discriminate between groups (p=0.019). Our data suggest that trigeminal sensory ULF-TENS reduces the autonomic response in terms of HRV and BR during acute mental stress in healthy subjects. Future directions of our work aim at applying the HRV and BR analysis, with and without TENS stimulation, to individuals with dysfunctional ANS among those with TMD.

Mechatronic Wearable Exoskeletons for Bionic Bipedal Standing and Walking: A New Synthetic Approach.

During the last few years, interest has been growing to mechatronic and robotic technologies utilized in wearable powered exoskeletons that assist standing and walking. The available literature includes single-case reports, clinical studies conducted in small groups of subjects, and several recent systematic reviews. These publications have fulfilled promotional and marketing objectives but have not yet resulted in a fully optimized, practical wearable exoskeleton. Here we evaluate the progress and future directions in this field from a joint perspective of health professionals, manufacturers, and consumers. We describe the taxonomy of existing technologies and highlight the main improvements needed for the development and functional optimization of the practical exoskeletons.