Facial pain: an update.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Review current literature in the field of chronic nondental facial pain as recent clinical research findings need to be put into practise.

RECENT FINDINGS: The areas covered include epidemiology and risk factors for facial pain, management of temporomandibular disorders, burning mouth syndrome, atypical odontalgia and trigeminal neuralgia.

SUMMARY: There is an increasing awareness that facial pain is common and has similar risk factors to other chronic pain conditions. Some oral pain conditions are now being recognized as being probably neuropathic in origin rather than being due to psychological factors. A more biopsychosocial approach to management of these conditions is essential. The first international guidelines on management of trigeminal neuralgia have now been published and should help all clinicians seeing these patients.