Does the effect of glutamate-evoked masseter muscle pain on the human jaw-stretch reflex differ in men and women?
These results suggest that there is a significant sex-related difference in human jaw-stretch reflex responses and their modulation by painful stimuli. Since one possible function of facilitated jaw-stretch reflex responses during jaw muscle pain may be to reduce jaw mobility and thus protect against further exacerbation of an existing injury, the finding of a sex-related difference in modulation of jaw-stretch reflex responses may prove to be important in clarifying why the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders is greater in women than in men.
These findings suggest that individuals with mild to moderate KOA had primary and secondary hyperalgesia, independent of unilateral or bilateral involvement. These results suggest that the pain have to be an assertive focus in the clinical practice, independent of the level of severity or involvement of KOA.