Diagnosis of occlusal dysesthesia utilizing prefrontal hemodynamic activity with slight occlusal interference

Clinical diagnosis of occlusal dysesthesia (OD), also referred to as phantom bite syndrome, is currently based on the absence of objective occlusal discrepancy despite the persistent complaint of uncomfortable bite sensation. We previously demonstrated that the subjective feeling of occlusal discomfort generated by artificial occlusal interference can be objectively evaluated using prefrontal hemodynamic activity in young healthy individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate whether dental patients with and without OD show distinct prefrontal activity during grinding behavior with an occlusal interference. Six dental patients with OD (OD group) and eight patients without OD (control group) grinded piled occlusal strips placed between their first molars and reported their perception and discomfort thresholds during continuous monitoring of prefrontal hemodynamic activity with a portable functional near‐infrared spectroscopy. Although patients without OD showed the typical hemodynamic pattern of increased oxyhemoglobin and reduced deoxyhemoglobin (HHb) concentration, those with OD showed persistent incremental increases of HHb concentration that began at the loading of occlusal strips on their molars before they executed grinding. The intensities of the task‐related HHb activities showed statistically significant differences between OD and control groups, particularly at channel 3, arranged over the left frontal pole cortex. When the discrimination criterion was set using the intensity values of channel 3 from both groups, the overall accuracy of the OD discrimination was 92.9%. Although physiological interpretation has yet to be elucidated, the task‐related response of an increase in HHb may be a useful neuronal signature to characterize dental patients with OD.