title: Similarity of suffering: equivalence of psychological and psychosocial factors in neuropathic and non-neuropathic orofacial pain patients.
abstract: The degree to which neuropathic and non-neuropathic pain conditions differ in psychological and psychosocial status remains largely unexplored. A better understanding of these aspects would be of considerable benefit in helping to define whether similar psychological treatment strategies (eg, cognitive-behavioural therapy) can be adopted in the management of neuropathic pain as in non-neuropathic pain conditions. Chronic orofacial pain disorders present a unique opportunity to compare nociceptive and neuropathic pain in the same body region. Twenty-four patients with trigeminal neuropathic pain, 21 patients with temporomandibular disorder, and 38 healthy controls were assessed with a psychological/psychosocial battery encompassing the 4 dimensions of the pain experience; sensory-discriminative, affective-motivational, cognitive-evaluative, and psychosocial. Although patients with trigeminal neuropathic pain (neuropathic pain) and temporomandibular disorder (non-neuropathic pain) described the sensory aspects of their pain differently, they exhibited comparable negative affective-motivational, cognitive-evaluative, and psychosocial states, although these were significantly different compared to healthy controls. These findings support growing evidence that the negative affective, cognitive, and psychosocial state of chronic pain is universal, regardless of a neuropathic or nociceptive nature. Further characterisation of these 4 dimensions of the pain experience in different chronic pain subtypes may improve the efficacy of cognitive-behavioural therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy & Histology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia Jaw Function and Orofacial Pain Research Unit, Faculty of Dentistry, Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney 2145, Australia.
authors.forename: Sylvia Maria
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gustin
authors.forename: Sophie L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wilcox
authors.forename: Chris C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Peck
authors.forename: Greg M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Luke A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Henderson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D058748:Pain Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D020433:Trigeminal Nerve Diseases / Q000150:complications*