Journal of oral and maxillofacial surgery : official journal of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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J. Oral Maxillofac. Surg. · Jun 2003
Case ReportsOral and maxillofacial surgery in patients with chronic orofacial pain.
In this investigation, we evaluated a population of patients with chronic orofacial pain who sought treatment at a pain center in an academic institution. These patients were evaluated with respect to 1) the frequency and types of previous oral and maxillofacial surgery procedures, 2) the frequency of previous significant misdiagnoses, and 3) the number of patients who subsequently required surgical treatment as recommended by an interdisciplinary orofacial pain team. The major goal of this investigation was to determine the role of oral and maxillofacial surgery in patients with chronic orofacial pain. ⋯ Misdiagnosis and multiple failed treatments were common in these patients with chronic orofacial pain. These patients often have multiple diagnoses, requiring management by multiple disciplines. Surgery, when indicated, must be based on a specific diagnosis that is amenable to surgical therapy. However, surgical treatment was rarely indicated as a treatment for pain relief in these patients with chronic orofacial pain, and it exacerbated and perpetuated pain symptoms in some of them.