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Oro-Facial Pain represents an important clinical pain issue affecting a large number of patients, from childhood to old age.

Oro-Facial Pain consists of a varied group of conditions ranging from simple tooth ache to jaw joint problems to classical neuralgias.

Patients with these condition will often have been treated by a spectrum of healthcare professionals, ranging from dentists, GP’s, ENT surgeons, psychologists, neurologists and surgeons with a different approach to history, examination, classification and treatment.

It is not unusual to see the same patient being sent from one specialist to another without communication between the healthcare providers. The results can be frustrating and disappointing for all the parties involved.

In this section of the website, the more ‘commonly encountered’ oro-facial pains such as Atypical Facial Pain, Atypical Odontalgia, Trigeminal Neuralgia and Burning Mouth Syndrome are covered (these reflect the oro-facial pains I tend to see most of on clinics in hospitals).

Useful Articles & Websites

American Academy of Orofacial Pain (AAOP)

Brain & Spine Foundation

Emedicine

Trigeminal Neuralgia Association UK

Brain and Spine Foundation Online

Medscape Today News

Oro-Facial Pain.Org.Uk

Headache & Facial Pain

A Brain & Spine Disorders Booklet – Face Pain

Austral Dent J 1998. Pain Description & Severity of Chronic Oro-Facial Pain Conditions

Dental Update 1999. Orofacial Pain

Lancet 1999. Neuropathic Pain – Aetiology, Symptoms, Mechanisms & Management

British Medical Journal 2000. ABC of Oral Health – Oro-facial Soreness and Pain

British Dental Journal 2001. Chronic idiopathic orofacial pain – I. What is the evidence base?

British Dental Journal 2001. Chronic idiopathic orofacial pain – II. What can the General Dental Practioner do?

J Canadian Dent Assoc 2004. Diagnostic Challenges of Neuropathic Tooth Pain

J Canadian Dent Assoc 2005. Why do some patients complain of a toothache long after a successful endodontic procedure?

British Dental Journal 2006. Oral Medicine, Update for the GDP – Oro-Facial Pain

Dent Clin N Am 2007. Central Mechanisms of Orofacial Pain

The Lancet (Neurology) 2006. Facial Pain – Clinical Differential Diagnosis

Cochrane Reviews 2007. Antidepressants for Neuropathic Pain (Review)

Dental Update 2007. Diagnosis & Management of Non-Dental Oro-Facial Pain.

British Dental Journal 2008. Unexplained Orofacial Pain – Is an early diagnosis possible?

British Association of Oral Surgeons 2008. “Diagnostic Dilemmas in Facial Pain”

NICE Guidelines – Neuropathic Pain (March 2010)

BDJ 2011. Patients’ Satisfaction after a Comprehensive Assessment for Complex Chronic Facial Pain at a Specialised Unit – Results from a Prospective Audit

Pain 2011. Review. Orofacial Pain

Dental Update 2011. Differential Diagnosis for Orofacial Pain, Including Sinusitis, TMD, Trigeminal Neuralgia

Cochrane Collaboration 2011. Psychosocial Interventions for the Management of Chronic Oro-Facial Pain (Review)

British Dental Journal 2011. Patients’ satisfaction after a comprehensive assessment for complex chronic facial pain at a specialised unit – Results from a prospective audit

J Can Dent Assoc 2012. Neuropathic Orofacial Pain Patients in Need of Dental Care

J Headache & Pain 2012. Occipital Nerve Block is Effective in Craniofacial Neuralgias but not in Idiopathic Persistent Facial Pain

Orofacial Pain. A Guide to Medications & Management. 2012

Patient.co.uk 2012. Facial Pain

Brit J Anaesthesia 2013. Differential diagnosis of facial pain and guidelines for management

Dent Update 2013. Oral Medicine 9. Oro-Facial Pain

J Headache & Pain 2013. Effectiveness of Antidepressants for Treatment of Idiopathic Orofacial Pain

World Appl Sci J 2014. Orofacial Pain – An Update for General Dental Practioners

BDJ 2016. An Update on the Causes, Assessment & Management of 3rd Division Sensory Trigeminal Neuropathies

BDJ 2016. Referrals to a Facial Pain Service

British J General Practice 2016. Understanding & Managing Dental & Orofacial Pain in General Practice

BDJ 2017. Oral Surgery II. Part 5. Chronic Orofacial Pain

J Am Acad Physician Asst 2017. Evaluation & Management of Orofacial Pain

BMJ 2018. Orofacial Pain

Acta Clin Croat 2019. Orofacial Pain – Diagnostic & Therapeutic Challenges

BJOMS 2019. The specialist management of non-temporomandibular orofacial pain – Maxillofacial Surgery’s known unknown