Bruxism is considered an oral parafunction of involuntary grinding and clenching of the teeth. Occlusal splints are the most common method of preventing bruxism and its consequences. Their application significantly reduces the pathologies of the dental and periodontal structures. Infrared thermography is a noncontact method of temperature measurement whereby the detector is pointed remotely at a single spot. The purpose of the study is registering by means of infrared thermography the changes in the muscular activity during the period of occlusal splint prophylaxis. In the presence of pathological changes, splint therapy aims to return the joint-muscular complex of the masticatory apparatus to normal, which is associated with the activation of the adaptive capabilities of the organism. This dynamic process is associated with a rise in temperature. When achieving balance after wearing the splints for one and three months, a decrease in the registered temperature is naturally observed due to the created preconditions for elimination of the inflammation of the joint and the overload of the muscles.
Two interesting case reports are presented that prove the many advantages of infrared thermography as a new diagnostic tool that can be successfully used in detecting hidden pathological processes. The first case report is about a 40-year-old female patient with alopecia areata – head lesion. The dermatological treatment gave no results, so the patient was sent for focal diagnostics. The infrared thermography showed two sites with hidden infection. The first one was of dental origin – periapical granuloma on the first mandibular left molar; the second site was in the genital area – endometriosis. A root canal retreatment of the molar and a gynecological operation were performed. After elimination of the focal infection, the hairless lesion recovered fully. The second case report is of a 34-year-old healthy male with alopecia areata of the beard and no other complaints. Infrared thermography detected active sinusitis of the ethmoidal left sinus. A microbiology test confirmed the presence of Staphylococcus Aureus and after an antibiotic course the beard recovered fully. These cases clearly illustrate the advantages of infrared thermography as a novel promising, non-invasive and objective diagnostic tool for clarification of difficult-to-diagnose cases.
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