title: Hemicrania continua in a patient with concomitant dental disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are nonodontogenic headache disorders that mimic dental pain. One such headache disorder is hemicrania continua (HC). HC is a primary headache syndrome characterized by a continuous, unilateral headache that is completely responsive to indomethacin. Patients may have signs and symptoms that the dentist should differentiate from odontogenic pain and temporomandibular disorders. These symptoms can make the diagnostic process a challenge for dentists if patients' pain has multiple causes. Dentists, thus, must have thorough knowledge of odontogenic and nonodontogenic causes of pain so they can make accurate diagnoses and prepare treatment plans.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors describe the case of a 41-year-old woman with a six-year history of continuous headaches and a one-year history of temporomandibular dysfunction and odontogenic pain. She sought treatment from a number of dentists and received a diagnosis of right-side facial pain and headache on the basis of the results of clinical and radiologic examinations, which was followed by dental treatment. She did not experience any pain relief. Additional results of our examination led to a diagnosis of HC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dentists must consider headache disorders in patients who have continuous headaches after undergoing dental treatment for odontogenic pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Diagnosis, Division of Clinical Research, Dental Research Center, Nihon University School of Dentistry, Tokyo, Japan. noma@dent.nihon-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Noma
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kamo
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Plaza-Villegas
authors.forename: Shunichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Imamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D051270:Headache Disorders, Primary / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000150:complications; D051302:Paroxysmal Hemicrania / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D007213:Indomethacin