This book is a result of our combined major interests in oral and facial function. Since most of our research efforts have been concentrated on fundamental neural mechanisms, the book emphasizes basic research in this area. However, our back grounds in clinical dentistry have always made us acutely aware of the relevance of these findings to clinical problems in dentistry and medicine, and such correlations are emphasized throughout the text. The term, "oral and facial function," will here include the sensory and motor neural mechanisms of the face, mouth, pharynx, and larynx. Detailed discussions of nasal function, olfaction, and speech mechanisms have been omitted; these areas would encompass a book in themselves. A chapter on the subject of taste presents a brief overview in relation to other chapters in the book and clinical significance. We have not intended each chapter to be a review of the literature in a given area but have chosen to emphasize significant findings for total function of the area. References are limited to review articles whenever possible and the reader is invited to search such reviews for original articles of interest. Where such reviews are not available, original articles are usually referenced so that the book provides a path to source material for those so inclined. Some of the chapters on special areas of interest such as teeth, periodontium, and jaw reflexes, however, are extensively referenced because of their unique relationship to the subject matter of the book.

In this, the post-genomic age, our knowledge of biological systems continues to expand and progress. As the research becomes more focused, so too does the data. Genomic research progresses to proteomics and brings us to a deeper understanding of the behavior and function of protein clusters. And now proteomics gives way to neuroproteomics as we beg

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), are a set of more than 30 health disorders associated with both the temporomandibular joints and the muscles and tissues of the jaw. TMDs have a range of causes and often co-occur with a number of overlapping medical conditions, including headaches, fibromyalgia, back pain and irritable bowel syndrome. TMDs can be transient or long-lasting and may be associated with problems that range from an occasional click of the jaw to severe chronic pain involving the entire orofacial region. Everyday activities, including eating and talking, are often difficult for people with TMDs, and many of them suffer with severe chronic pain due to this condition. Common social activities that most people take for granted, such as smiling, laughing, and kissing, can become unbearable. This dysfunction and pain, and its associated suffering, take a terrible toll on affected individuals, their families, and their friends. Individuals with TMDs often feel stigmatized and invalidated in their experiences by their family, friends, and, often, the health care community. Misjudgments and a failure to understand the nature and depths of TMDs can have severe consequences - more pain and more suffering - for individuals, their families and our society. Temporomandibular Disorders: Priorities for Research and Care calls on a number of stakeholders - across medicine, dentistry, and other fields - to improve the health and well-being of individuals with a TMD. This report addresses the current state of knowledge regarding TMD research, education and training, safety and efficacy of clinical treatments of TMDs, and burden and costs associated with TMDs. The recommendations of Temporomandibular Disorders focus on the actions that many organizations and agencies should take to improve TMD research and care and improve the overall health and well-being of individuals with a TMD.

Oral Physiology and Occlusion: An International Symposium contains the proceeding of the ""Bite Centennial"" conceived as part of the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration of the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The symposium aims to provide a broad based review of the ""state of science"" of oral physiology and occlusion. Organized into 13 chapters, this book first discusses the effects of lesions of jaw muscle spindle afferents on mastication and regulation of the incisal biting force in monkeys. Subsequent chapters describe the occlusal forces and mandibular movements; muscle spindles and tooth mechano-receptors in the control of mastication; relationship between integrated EMG and tension in opening of the mandible; and sensory regulation of brain stem motoneurons. Other chapters explain electrophysiological properties of nerve endings in teeth; measurement of the behavioral aspects of pain; mechanisms of oral-facial pain; hemodynamic considerations of oral-facial physiology.