Pin Zhou1,2, Yaming Chen1,3, Jinglu Zhang1,3, Kelun Wang4, Peter Svensson5,6,7. 1. a Department of General Dentistry , Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University , Nanjing , China. 2. b Department of Stomatology , The first people's hospital of Lianyungang City , Lianyungang , China. 3. c Orofacial Pain and TMD Research Unit , Institute of Stomatology, Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University , Nanjing , China. 4. d Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction (SMI), Aalborg University , Aalborg , Denmark. 5. e Section of Orofacial Pain and Jaw Function, Department of Dentistry and Oral Health , Aarhus University , Aarhus , Denmark. 6. f Department of Dental Medicine , Karolinska Institutet , Huddinge , Sweden. 7. g Scandinavian Center for Orofacial Neurosciences (SCON), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This narrative review provides an overview of the quantitative sensory testing (QST) to assess somatosensory function in human oral mucosa. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A literature search was conducted in the PubMed database to identify studies in vivo on human oral mucosa using QST methods. A list of 149 articles was obtained and screened. A total of 36 relevant articles remained and were read in full text. Manual search of the reference lists identified eight additional relevant studies. A total of 44 articles were included for final assessment. RESULTS: The included studies were divided into six categories according to the study content and objective. In each category, there was a great variety of aims, methods, participants and outcome measures. The application of QST has nevertheless helped to monitor somatosensory function in experimental models of intraoral pain, effects of local anesthesia, after oral and maxillofacial surgery and after prosthodontic and orthodontic treatment. CONCLUSIONS: QST has been proved to be sufficiently stable and reliable, and valuable information has been obtained regarding somatosensory function in healthy volunteers, special populations and orofacial pain patients. However, as most of the studies were highly heterogeneous, the results are difficult to compare quantitatively. A standardized intraoral QST protocol is recommended and expected to help advance a mechanism-based assessment of neuropathies and other intraoral pain conditions.
OBJECTIVE: This narrative review provides an overview of the quantitative sensory testing (QST) to assess somatosensory function in human oral mucosa. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A literature search was conducted in the PubMed database to identify studies in vivo on human oral mucosa using QST methods. A list of 149 articles was obtained and screened. A total of 36 relevant articles remained and were read in full text. Manual search of the reference lists identified eight additional relevant studies. A total of 44 articles were included for final assessment. RESULTS: The included studies were divided into six categories according to the study content and objective. In each category, there was a great variety of aims, methods, participants and outcome measures. The application of QST has nevertheless helped to monitor somatosensory function in experimental models of intraoral pain, effects of local anesthesia, after oral and maxillofacial surgery and after prosthodontic and orthodontic treatment. CONCLUSIONS: QST has been proved to be sufficiently stable and reliable, and valuable information has been obtained regarding somatosensory function in healthy volunteers, special populations and orofacial painpatients. However, as most of the studies were highly heterogeneous, the results are difficult to compare quantitatively. A standardized intraoral QST protocol is recommended and expected to help advance a mechanism-based assessment of neuropathies and other intraoral pain conditions.
Authors: Alona Emodi-Perlman; Deia Altarescu; Pessia Frideman-Rubin; Ilana Eli Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-06-30 Impact factor: 4.614