• L-A Elias, Z Yilmaz, J G Smith, M Bouchiba, R A van der Valk, L Page, S Barker, and T Renton.
• Department of Oral Surgery, King's College London Dental Institute, London, UK.
• Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2014 Jan 1;43(1):120-6.

AbstractThe PainDETECT questionnaire (PD-Q), originally developed and validated in a multicentre study of neuropathic pain (NeP) patients with back pain, is increasingly being applied to other pain conditions. The present study assessed whether the PD-Q would be a suitable screening tool for detecting NeP in patients with post-traumatic inferior alveolar nerve injury (IANI) and lingual nerve injury (LNI). A prospective cohort of patients with clinically diagnosed neuropathy was given the PD-Q at their clinic appointment, or it was sent to them after their consultation. Eighty-nine patients (IANI = 56, LNI = 33) were included in the study, 75 of whom suffered from painful neuropathy. Of the patients who completed the questionnaire fully (n = 56), allowing a summary score to be calculated, 34% were classified as having 'likely NeP' according to the PD-Q; 41% of patients scored in the uncertain classification range and the remaining quarter in the 'likely nociceptive' classification. There was a significant association between PD-Q scores and pain intensity levels across the sample, with those classified as likely NeP reporting high levels of pain. The results suggest that the PD-Q in its current format is not a suitable screening tool for NeP associated with IANI or LNI.Copyright © 2013 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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