Oral Health | Clinical and Risk Asessment | The accurate assessment and diagnosis of symptoms of pain and discomfort

The accurate assessment and diagnosis of symptoms of pain and discomfort
Session overview
Description
This session considers the different categories of pain and discomfort that dental patients may experience, and how they can be correctly assessed and diagnosed.

Learning objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• dtate the causes of the different categories of pain that dental patients experience
• explain how the clinical history of pain is determined
• list the key factors considered in clinical investigation of pain

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should:

• be familiar with the trigeminal nerve/sensory nerve supply

Historically, dental pain has long been recognised as a frequent human condition. In the poem 'Address to the toothache' by Robert Burns, the poet describes vividly the severity and nature of toothache, including referral of pain to his ear. Later in the poem, Burns refers to toothache as 'the hell of all diseases'.

However, not all pain experienced by dental patients is necessarily related to their teeth. They may be suffering from pain or physical discomfort associated with any part of the mouth or face (orofacial pain). As clinicians, it is important to correctly assess and diagnose the symptoms of pain that the patient presents with, in order to identify the most appropriate treatment.

This session looks at the sources of orofacial pain and how these should be assessed and diagnosed.