OROFACIAL DENTAL PAIN AND ITS MANAGEMENT – A GENERAL GUIDE AND SYSTEMIC REVIEW

Pain is one of the main symptoms for which patients seek medical attention. Pain has been designated as the “Fifth vital sign” to mark its importance as health status indicator. Orofacial dental pain may be due to various conditions affecting numerous structures local to or distant to the oral cavity including the meninges, cornea, oral, nasal, sinus mucosa, dentition, musculature, salivary glands and temporomandibular joint. Evidence support the fact that the most commonly experienced orofacial pain is dental in nature. The dental reasons should be well thought of as the first step even in cases where orofacial pain is poorly localized. One of the most common reasons for seeking dental care is said to be pain and dysfunction, usually involving the teeth and surrounding tissue. Musculoskeletal, vascular and neuropathic causes of orofacial pain occur very frequently. Orofacial disorders may have pain and associated symptoms arising
from a discrete cause, such as postoperative pain or pain associated with a malignancy, or may be syndromes in which pain constitutes the primary problem, such as TMJ disorder pain or headaches.