title: Bilateral facial pain from cardiac origin. A case report.
abstract: A case of a 65-year-old female patient is reported. Her chief complaint was facial pain, so she sought care from her general dental practitioner for evaluation of a suspected temporomandibular disorder, after repeated visits to the emergency department due to excruciating facial pain associated with exertion. The dental examination revealed an edentulous upper and lower jaw. Radiographs of the facial bones revealed no abnormalities. Eventually, she was referred for cardiological evaluation, as her pain radiated to the chest and there was a medical history of myocardial infarction. Cardiac pain may radiate to the face and lead patients to seek dental care. In these settings, dentists may contribute to the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease and refer patients for cardiological evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas and Heart Institute (InCor), University of Säo Paulo Medical School, Rua Alves Guimarães 408, Apto. 184, Säo Paulo, SP 05410-000, Brazil. carolina_of@hotmail.com
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Oliveira Franco
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: de Siqueira
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Mansur
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis