Refractory craniofacial pain: is there a role of periodontal disease as a comorbidity?

Objective: To evaluate the influence of the periodontal disease (PD), a chronic infection, in patients with chronic craniofacial pain complaints.

Method: Twenty patients with chronic craniofacial pain and PD (CFP group) and 20 patients with PD (PD group) were assessed before and after periodontal treatment (baseline, 30 and 180 days after treatment). The parameters evaluated were: plaque index, bleeding index, clinical probe insertion, Visual Analogic Scale (VAS) for pain intensity and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) for the 'chief complaint'.

Use of topical medication in orofacial neuropathic pain: a retrospective study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of topical medications as a single treatment or in combination with systemic medications in the treatment of orofacial neuropathic pain conditions.

Study Design: A retrospective chart review of 39 patients treated for orofacial neuropathic pain at the Orofacial Pain Clinic in the New Jersey Dental School was performed. In line with the treatment selection, the subjects were divided into 3 groups: topical medications only (n = 12), systemic medications only (n = 10), and a combination of both (n = 17).

Burning mouth complaints: clinical characteristics of a Brazilian sample.

Objective: Evaluation of the clinical characteristics of burning mouth complaints (BMC) in a series of Brazilian patients referred to a large teaching hospital.

Materials And Methods: 66 patients with burning mouth complaints were evaluated through a standardized protocol.

Results: 56 women and 10 men were examined, ranging in age from 35-83 years.

Clinical study of patients with persistent orofacial pain.

Objective: [corrected] To evaluate a sample of patients with persistent facial pain unresponsive to prior treatments.

Methods: Hospital records of 26 patients with persistent facial pain were reviewed (20 female and 6 male).

Results: Patients were classified into three groups according to their presenting symptoms: a)Group I, eight patients (30.

Orofacial pain: basic mechanisms and implication for successful management.

Orofacial Pain is the field of dentistry devoted to the diagnosis and management of chronic, complex, facial pain and oromotor disorders. This specialty in dentistry has developed over a number of years out of the need for better understanding of a group of patients who somehow were not clearly suffering from dental pain disorders, but still did not seem to have a clearly defined medical problem. After a long period of treating patients based on the mechanicist aspect of the disease, our profession has realized the importance of basic knowledge and differencial diagnosis in order to proper manage these patients.