Elusive dental pain.
The dental profession is devoted to treating and preventing dental pain. Such pain can be referred from teeth in one jaw to teeth in the opposing jaw, and the origin of the pain a patient describes may not be the same as the source of that pain. As a result, dental procedures often produce no relief for the patient. This article discusses the neural mechanisms involved in referred pain from one tooth to another and from muscles to teeth.
Markman
Stanley
S
Department of Oral Diagnosis, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, USA.
Khan
Junad
J
Howard
Jennifer
J
D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D007571:Jaw Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008410:Masticatory Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology; D009209:Myofascial Pain Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000502:physiology; D053591:Referred Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014070:Tooth / Q000294:innervation; D014098:Toothache / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D014278:Trigeminal Nuclei / Q000502:physiology