Primary headaches in patients with temporomandibular disorders: Diagnosis and treatment of central sensitization pain.

OBJECTIVES

Central sensitization (CS) has been found in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD), craniofacial pain (CP) and primary headaches, but its clinical implications remain uncertain. The first aim was to provide a synthesis of the current state of knowledge about the link between CS and TMD associated with primary headaches; the second goal was to find methodologies to assess and treat CS in this subgroup of patients.

METHODS

A narrative review of the literature was conducted.

RESULTS

CS is described in literature as an aggravating factor in patients with TMD-related primary headaches. Further studies are required to support this assertion.

CONCLUSIONS

The importance of excluding chronic neuropathic pain and recognizing CS as the main component using a top-down approach to target the best pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments is evident. Some useful tools to discriminate patients with CS from others have become available, but more research is required to enable an appropriate diagnosis.