Atypical odontalgia: a systematic review following the evidence-based principles of dentistry

Atypical odontalgia (AO) is a severe and persistent pain involving controversial pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical management. Presented here is a systematic review of the literature on AO, using the SORT criteria (Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy) to assess the level of evidence and the quality of randomized clinical trials (RCT). A total of 54 articles were obtained of which 34 belonged to level 3 evidence, 17 to level 2, and 3 to level 1. Of these, only 8 RCT had an average quality of four points. The main finding of this systematic review is that only a few studies have systematically evaluated AO. It also determines a strength recommendation of level B to the theory of neuropathic origin of pain in AO and strength of recommendation level C for the pharmacological management of this condition. The aim of this study was to carry out a systematic review of the published literature on AO in order to determine the physiopathology and treatment based on the level of scientific evidence and following the evidence-based principles of dentistry.