A 6-year clinical assessment of electronic facial thermography.
OBJECTIVE
To report the findings a 6-year clinical application of ET on patients with orofacial pain.


METHODS
ET was conducted (in a blinded manner) using an Agema 870 unit at 0.1 degree C thermal accuracy. A newly devised thermal classification system was applied: 'normal' when zone delta T was from 0.0 to +/-0.25 degree C, "hot' when zone delta T was > +0.35 degree C, 'cold' when zone delta T was < -0.35 degree C, and 'equivocal' when zone delta T was +/-(0.26-0.35) degree C. Study populations consisted of 164 dental patients mainly with diagnostic problems and 164 matched (control) subjects.


RESULTS
Our prospective, matched study determined that subjects with 'hot' thermograms had the clinical diagnoses of sympathetically maintained pain, peripheral nerve mediated pain, TMJ arthropathy, and maxillary sinusitis. Subjects with 'cold' thermograms were found to have the clinical diagnoses of peripheral nerve-mediated pain and sympathetically independent pain. Subjects with 'normal' thermograms were found to have the clinical diagnosis of cracked tooth syndrome, trigeminal neuralgia, pretrigeminal neuralgia, or psychogenic facial pain. The new system of thermal classification resulted in 92% (301 of 328) agreement in classification of pain patients and matched controls.


CONCLUSIONS
These studies suggest that ET has promise in aiding the formation of a differential diagnosis of orofacial pain and may help in understanding mechanisms of pain as well as directing therapies.
Gratt
B M
BM
Section of Oral Radiology, UCLA School of Dentistry, USA.
Graff-Radford
S B
SB
Shetty
V
V
Solberg
W K
WK
Sickles
E A
EA
D000328:Adult; D003387:Cracked Tooth Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015523:Maxillary Sinusitis / Q000175:diagnosis; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D013817:Thermography; D014098:Toothache / Q000175:diagnosis; D014277:Trigeminal Neuralgia / Q000175:diagnosis