Introduction to Pain

Abstract

This edition of PDJ is intended to provide a wide overview on orofacial pain for dental and medical teams. Both acute and chronic orofacial conditions relevant to dentistry and medicine will be covered, and emphasising a holistic and pragmatic approach. Orofacial pain is the most common presenting symptom for patients presenting to their dentist and increasingly commonly presenting to doctors in general practice and A&E departments. Pain in the trigeminal system causes much higher psychological and neurophysiological distress compared with other body regions, as the trigeminal nerve is the great sensory protector to the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and meninges, the senses that underpin our very existence. It is an anathema that surgery in and around the face and mouth is predominantly undertaken by dentists on conscious patients, unlike other surgical specialties. This explains the expectation of pain by patients when seeing their dentists, sadly an expectation which is frequently fulfilled, fuelling high levels of anxiety and fear, which in turn increases the pain experience.