Orofacial Sensations Flashcards
List some functions of sensory info
Protection/safety Control of movement Future reference Maintain consciousness Emotion
How are receptors classified? And what are the different types?
By type:
- Mechano (hearing, touch)
- Chemo (taste, smell)
- Photo (light)
- Thermo (temperature)
- Proprio (position)
- Noci (pain)
By range
- Telo (source of stimulus far from target, e.g. sight, sound)
- Extero (source of stimulus must make contact e.g. touch, smell, taste)
- Intero (detect internal conditions e.g. carotid sinus baroreceptors)
By speed of adaptation:
Phasic: fast e.g. touch
Tonic: slow e.g. pain
What is kinaesthesia? How is it different from proprioception?
Detection of position of body parts, involves use of teloreceptors (sight, sound), internoreceptors (proprioceptors) and exteroreceptors (touch+pressure)
Proprio different in that it only detects muscles/joints–>part of kinaesthesia
What are the main types of extero + interoreceptors in the oral cavity and where are they found?
Extero: -PMR’s: PDL, gingiva, alveolar mucosa, periosteum
Intero: -TMJ receptors: muscle spindles
What is the pre-dominant type of PMR receptor? They are most sensitive to force applied in which direction? Are they more sensitive to high force or low force?
- Ruffini endings
- Force applied in labial direction
- Low force
What do TMJ receptors mainly consist of? What is their function?
- Ruffini endings + GTO’s: Static mechanoreceptors that detect proprioception (slow adapting)
- Nociceptors: Detect pain
- Vater-pacinian corpuscles: Dynamic mechanoreceptors for proprioception (fast adapting)
What factors affect conversion of stimulus to a signal/influence properties of signal?
Modality
Intensity
Duration
Location
What is the distribution of cold receptors relative to warm receptors?
-More of cold + cold located more superfically
How is referred pain produced?
When two primary neurons from different locations converge, resulting in receptor field of secondary neuron encompassing both primary neurons. This results in painful stimulus in one area potentially also causing painful sensations in another location.
What can measuring oral stereognosis give an indication of?
- Effectiveness of therapy
- Extent of oral dysfunction
- Current oral function
What functions does OSA play physiologically?
- Control of mastication
- Speech
- Swallowing
- Denture adaptation
(think of this like proprioception)
What can affect OSA?
Test piece
-Size, shape, order of presentation, texture
Subject:
- Number of teeth present
- All teeth present>dentures>edentulous/no denture
- Age
- Perio breakdown
- Muscle spindle dystrophy
External factors:
-LA reduce OSA
What are the types of receptors involved in OSA?
- Muscle spindles
- PMR’s
- Tongue + palate mucosal receptors
- TMJ + jaw muscle receptors
List 3 different types of abnormal pain response.
Allodynia: Non-painful stimulus produce pain
Phantom pain: No stimulus but pain produced
Neuropathic pain: pain due to damage to somatosensory system
What are some factors that affect pain intensity?
- Race/ethnicity
- Emotions
- Intensity of stimulus/extent of damage
- Concomitant experience
- Placebo
- Memory of experience
What is a polymodal nociceptor?
Detects pain from multiple sources (i.e. chemical, thermal, mechanical) rather than from just one source type
What do nociceptors respond to?
Thermal, chemical, mechanical
Explain the double pain sensation?
A-delta fibres located more superfically and thus stimulated first
Results in initial short, sharp pain sensation that is well localised
C fibres are located deeper and thus are stimulated a short time after, resulting in a dull, throbbing poorly localised sensation (the receptors are polymodal)
What chemicals can produce pain and sensitise nociceptors?
Produce pain:
- Potassium: damaged cells
- Bradykinin: damaged vessels
- Serotonin: damaged endothelial cells + platelets
- Histamine: mast cells
Sensitise:
- Prostaglandin: From damaged cells
- Substance P: from primary afferent neurons
Explain antidromic activation of receptor endings.
Rather than nociceptors detecting pain and transmitting signal to CNS, the opposite occurs.
I.e., CNS sends signal to nociceptors to release substances which cause them to become sensitised (e.g. substance P)
Describe what occurs in hot pulps.
Release of substance P:
- Release of histamine-> increase pain in nociceptors
- Cause increased permeability + extravasation -> edema -> Trigger release of bradykinin
CGRP-> vasoliation->edema->release of bradykinin
-Bradykinin increases pain
Explain central sensitisation?
- Activation of slow conducting C fibres
- Alters second messengers
- Activation of protein kinases
- Results in increased excitibility and synaptic efficiency
What are the effects of P substance?
- Vasodilation
- Increased blood flow
- Increased blood pressure
- Increased permeability
- Synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines
- Chemotaxis of inflammatory cells
- Increased pain sensitisation
What are WDR neurons?
-Detect both noxious and non-noxious (touch, pressure, temp,etc.) stimuli (i.e. responsible for both pain and non-painful stimuli)
What are the subdivision of the spinal nucleus?
- Oralis
- Interpolaris
- Caudalis
Explain the different theories of pain
- Specific: Specific neuron type detects pain
- Intensity: pain is not a sensation but an emotion, detected as pain after it exceeds a certain intensity
- Pattern: neurons produce different patterns which code for different types of pain
- Gate control:
- Small neuron stimulates pain by inhibiting inhibitor neuron and stimulating projection neuron
- Large neuron inhibits pain by stimulating inhibiting neuron and inhibiting projection neuron
Neuromatrix:
- Pain is sensation produced by neurons in the brain
- These neurons can be triggered to fire by signals from the periphery or can fire independantly
What are some contributing factors to the neuromatrix?
Endocrine, Immune, Autonomic activity Afferent Medullary descending inhibition Pain perception Pain behaviour Psychosocial and health factors Attention Pathological input Central nervous system plasticity
Where are the referred pain areas for the temporalis muscle?
- Supraorbital ridge
- Temporal headache
- Side of face
- Upper jaw + teeth
Where are the referred pain areas for the upper part of the masseter?
-Upper + lower jaws and teeth
Where are the referred pain areas for the lower part of the masseter?
-Lower jaw
-Supraorbital ridge
(this was the one that made the least sense)
Where are the referred pain areas for the lateral pterygoid?
- Cheeks
- TMJ
Where are the referred pain areas for the sternal head of SCM?
- Sternum
- Occipital area
- Top of head
- Side of face
Where are the referred pain areas for clavicular head of SCM?
-Ear
-Behind ear
-Forehead
(arrow one)
What causes headache during stress?
- Clenching of scalp muscles
- Prevent blood flow to area
- Medications control bloodflow
What are some causes for neuralgia?
- Compression of trigeminal ganglion
- Peripheral nerve changes
- Degenerative changes in nerve fibres
What are the theories of dentine hypersensitivity?
Direct nerve detection: Stimulus directly detected by nerves in dentine-> disproved as nerves are too deep down + application of pain inducing substances to surface does not illicit pain
Odontoblast transduction: odontoblast detect stimulus/act as receptor and transmit signal to nerves-> disproved as processes do not extend all the way to surface, no evidence of neurotransmitters, odontoblast electrical threshold too low to stimulate nerves
Hydrodynamic theory: movement of water in tubules detected by nerves and interpreted as pain (mainly outward flow e.g. by air drying)
What nerves are particularly susceptible to LA? What order do nerves get de-sensitised?
- Smaller nerves
- Myelinated nerves
- Fast conducting nerves
In order first to last:
- C-fibres
- A delta
- A beta (crude touch + pressure)
What are the functions of taste?
- Protective: poisons taste bitter/unpleasant
- Stimulate physiological response i.e. digestion and absorption
- Elicit mastication and swallowing
What are the factors that affect taste perception?
- Age
- Pregnancy
- Temperature
- Hunger
- Disease
- Smoking
- Adaptation
- Order of eating
- Obesity
What are the primary taste sensations and what triggers them?
Umami: MSG Sweet: carbohydrates (poly+disaccharides) Sour: hydrogen ions Salty: sodium ions Bitter: alkaloids + nitrogen Fat: lipids
What extra lingual areas can have taste buds?
- Pharynx
- Larynx
- Epiglottis
- Palate
How can taste acuity be measured?
Detection threshold: lowest concentration at which substance can be distinguished from de-ionised water but not necessarily recognised
Recognition threshold: minimum concentration of tastant needed to recognise taste type
How can damage to taste buds from smoking increase blood pressure?
- Loss of sensitivity to salty taste
- Take in more sodium->increased BP
What is the structure of a taste bud?
- Taste cells
- Sustentacular support cells
- Grouped together in sphere
- Receptors at cell tip
- Life span 1-2 weeks
- Trophic effect: can regenerate