Orofacial pain and sensory disorders in the elderly.

Many orofacial pain conditions occur in the elderly. Specifically,this article reviews the prevalence of general and orofacial-related pain in the elderly. The authors also describe and discuss the likely disorders and diseases that produce facial pain and burning pain in the mouth. They do not cover jaw joint pain, oral sores, or ulceration-induced pain, as these conditions are better discussed in the context of arthritis and oral pathologies of the mouth. The authors discuss oral motor disorders, myogenous pain, vascular pain, headaches, trigeminal neuralgia, trigeminal neuropathic dis-ease, postherpetic neuralgia, burning mouth syndrome, and occlusal dysesthesia.