title: Prevalence of oral and facial pain and discomfort: preliminary results of a mail survey.
abstract: A mail survey was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of oral and facial pain and discomfort in the City of Toronto. Self-complete questionnaires were sent to a random sample of 1014 persons drawn from the voter's list. Replies were received from 72% of those eligible. Overall, 53% of respondents had experienced some pain or discomfort in the 4 wk prior to the completion of the questionnaire. The most common kinds of pain and discomfort reported were pain in the teeth with hot or cold fluids (28.8%), sore and bleeding gums (26.3%) and toothache (14.1%). Pain in jaws, face and oral mucosa was reported by less than 10% of the subjects. While much of the pain experienced by the respondents was classified as mild, half (50.1%) said that it was moderately severe or severe. Only 40% of those reporting pain had sought the advice of a dentist or doctor. Sex differences in the reporting of pain were small and statistically non-significant, although age differences were marked and significant. The younger age groups were more likely to report both pain and discomfort than the older age groups. The survey has revealed a substantial amount of oral and facial pain in the community, much of which is not subject to professional attention.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Locker
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grushka
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003807:Dentin Sensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth; D011897:Random Allocation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014098:Toothache / Q000453:epidemiology