Xerostomia and salivary flow in patients with orofacial pain compared with controls

Pain in the orofacial region is frequently reported by patients in dental and medical offices. Facial pain, headache, masticatory abnormalities and other complaints often become chronic and may be associated with local disturbances, such as xerostomia and teeth abnormalities. The objective of this study was to investigate salivary flow and xerostomia in patients with orofacial pain.

This was a case-control study; we evaluated 82 patients with chronic orofacial pain compared with 56 healthy subjects using a Clinical Pain Questionnaire (pain characteristics, duration, intensity and descriptors), complete dental examination (including static and dynamic evaluation of the jaw) and a Xerostomia Inventory. The salivary flow was quantitatively evaluated. Data was compared through Pearson's chi-square, Fisher's exact, analysis of variance (ANOVA) 1 factor and Mann-Whitney tests.

Patients often had temporomandibular disorder (TMD) (P=0.001) and pain during facial (P<0.001) and neck palpation (P=0.002). There were no differences in dental examination or other structural aspects of the jaw between the groups. There were more complaints associated with xerostomia in the study group, including burning sensation in the oral mucosa (P=0.003), in the throat (P=0.035) and in the stomach (P=0.050). Patients had lower salivary flow (P=0.008).

Orofacial pain patients need to be evaluated with regard to their salivary function, which was often found abnormal in this sample and may have contributed to the complaints of these patients. Assessing salivary flow and xerostomia may help in the treatment of chronic orofacial pain.