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Neurologist Presents Benefits of NTI™ at International Conference
Feb 19, 2009 -At the September 2008 International Headache Society (IHS) Conference Dr. Andrew Blumenfeld presented a study of migraine patients who were treated with the NTI-tss Plus™. Dr. Blumenfeld is a neurologist specializing in migraine treatment and is the Director of the Headache Center of Southern California.
Below is an abstract of the study:
“Chronic daily headache; migraine-prevention therapy and tension type headaches
PD.01
Chronic daily headache treated non-pharmaceutically with an nociceptive trigeminal inhibition dental splint
Blumenfeld A., Barker L.A.The Headache Center of Southern California, Encinitas, California, USA
Background: The NTI (Nociceptive Trigeminal Inhibition) intraoral device is FDA approved for the prophylactic treat-ment of medically diagnosed migraine pain and is hypothe-sized to reduce noxious afferent activity through reduction of intensity of nocturnal hyperactive trigeminal motor activity (jaw clenching).
Methods: 20 consecutive CDH patients, all who scored ‘severe and disabling’ on their HIT-6 questionnaire, were properly fitted with an NTI device and wore nightly for 9 months. HIT-6 questionnaires were complete at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 9 months following the initial fitting.
Results: By the fourth week of nocturnal NTI use, nearly 75% reported significant positive improvements in their HIT-6 scores. By the second month, all HIT-6 scores had stabilized. Following seven months of continual nocturnal NTI use, 50% reported considerable improvement in the quality of their lives, with half of those reporting that their headaches no longer had any impact on their lives, while another reported experiencing only ‘some’ negative impact.
Conclusions: The considerable long-term improvement on the lives of the majority of patients with severe and disabling intractable Chronic Daily Headache over a nine-month period, well after the cessation of placebo effect as a confounding factor, suggests that intense nocturnal jaw clenching and resultant nociceptive input to the trigeminal sensory nucleus should be considered as a perpetuating co-factor of CDH attack frequency and severity. An NTI device, provided by an experienced and knowledgeable practitioner, should be con-sidered an important non-pharmacologic prescribed thera-peutic option for improving the quality of life of severe headache patients.”
Click here for the full poster of Dr. Blumenfeld's presentation.