Dynamic
pillow
(TMJ Research)
Individual Project (2020- Current)
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Mark Baldwin (UCI)
Sponsored by UCI UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program)
Medical Advisors: Dr. Steven B. Kupferman, Dr. Alexander Waldman (Los Angeles, CA)
Designed 4 experimental approaches to research safe ranges of sleep positions to avoid joint stress.
Adjusts head positions during sleep to minimize joint stress.
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TMD: A disease that locks mouth
Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) is a problem affecting the joints between the lower jaw and the base of the skull.
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TMD & sleep positions: Under-researched
“The effect of head positions during sleep are under-explored.”
“I’ve never read research on that”
“It’s hard to measure”
“If you are conducting research on it, keep me in loop”
Dr. Steven B. Kupferman
Dr. Alexander Waldman
Director of Los Angeles Center for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Director of Waldman Orthodontics
The relationship between Joint/Jaw pressure and head positions during sleep was barely studied.
Interview with TMJ Specialists - Harvard Medical Alumni
Background
expert interview
Personal Background
Common Symptoms
I have been living with TMD for 11 years, undergone 3 tough surgeries; until 2 Harvard medical alumni cured me
Pain in the jaw joint ; Locking of the jaw; Painful popping when opening the mouth; Ringing in the ears, hearing loss
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[1]
Research QUESTION
safe range of head positions
What’s the safe range of head positions in sleep that could potentially alleviate TMD?
How might we assist people in sleep to adjust head positions to that safe range?
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I investigated existing literature and discovered that no studies have been conducted on the effects of sleep on TMD.
Emily He
Alex Su
“I usually wake up sleeping on my right side. ”
“Usually click when I just woke up”
“It’s been 5-6 years.”
The relationship between Joint/Jaw pressure and head positions during sleep was barely mentioned during clinical visits
Before
After 2h’s Sleep
initial exploration
I hypothesized that more pressure on the jaw leads to thinner powder residue compared to other areas.
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Interview with Patient
Jaw popping upon waking
Interview with TMD patients
The decrease in neon powder can be attributed to the duration of jaw contact with the pillow and the varying pressures from different sleeping positions. This decrease confirms jaw-pillow contact but does not specify the pressure or contact duration.
Reflection
Literature Research
Tested hypothesis on individuals with and without TMD.
Applied UV powder before sleep; observed residue after waking.
Three out of five subjects showed notably thinner powder around jaws.
Observation done under regular and UV light.
Electromyography (EMG), as noted by Szyszka-Sommerfeld et al. (2020), effectively measures the electrical activity of masticatory muscles, like the masseter, in both TMD patients and those without TMD. EMG's ability to detect differences in masseter muscle activity across these groups suggests it as a viable alternative for monitoring myoelectric activity, which reflects muscle response to pressure, in a sleep environment. [2]
EMG: A Viable Alternative for Monitoring Jaw Pressure in Sleep Environments
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