The primary responsibility of the Clinical Core is to facilitate the scientific progress of Subprojects 1-4 by providing them with orofacial sensory disorder patients and age and gender-matched controls for participation in their experimental protocols. The Clinical Core was developed during the current funding period and has been quite successful in recruiting and evaluating patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and trigeminal nerve injury, as well as healthy controls, for participation in experimental studies. During the funding period requested by this proposal, the Clinical Core will provide the following services: 1) Recruitment of TMD and trigeminal nerve injury patients and controls, 2) Clinical diagnostic evaluations of patients and controls, and 3) Maintaining a database of demographic, clinical, and psychosocial information on TMD and nerve injury patients and controls. Clear and effective mechanisms for each of these activities have been well established and will continue to be implemented during the next funding period. The Clinical Core will provide all relevant demographic, clinical and psychosocial data to the individual Subprojects to assist them in the conduct of their studies and interpretation of their experimental findings. The central Clinical Core represents the most efficient and scientifically efficacious mechanism for meeting the patient management needs of Subprojects 1-4.
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