Researchers at UNC Greensboro and High Point University are collaborating on two studies to improve treatments for concussion and burning mouth syndrome – a complex neuropathic condition that is often seen in cancer patients – also known as glossodynia.
Dr. Derek Monroe, assistant professor in UNCG’s Department of Kinesiology, has fitted about a dozen local mixed martial arts athletes with mouth guards that use sensors to measure the frequency and magnitude of impacts they sustain. The mouth guards are being fit for each athlete using a specialized dental scanner at HPU’s Workman School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Monroe plans to work with the athletes to analyze their mouthguard data alongside images of their brain, collected using advanced MRI at UNCG, for patterns that might put them at risk for a concussion.