Ineffective dental and surgical treatment associated with atypical facial pain.
Patients with atypical facial pain (AFP) are subject to ineffective dental and surgical procedures for their pain complaints. Twenty-one of fifty-eight patients (36.2 percent) with AFP had sixty-five dental and surgical treatments, with only one patient showing less pain as a result of the treatment. While the majority of patients (69 percent) with AFP suffered from a psychiatric illness, fourteen (24 percent) of the patients referred for AFP had a specific medical or dental disorder that was causal in their pain complaints. There is a trend for the AFP patient with a psychiatric diagnosis to receive more ineffective treatments than those AFP patients for whom a specific medical or dental diagnosis was made. Patients with AFP should receive conservative dental and medical treatment and a psychiatric assessment before dental and surgical procedures are contemplated.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003729:Dental Care / Q000379:methods*; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D059408:Pain Management