Electronic thermography in the diagnosis of atypical odontalgia: a pilot study

Atypical odontalgia (AO) is a dental condition that is usually diagnosed by exclusion after failure of multiple dental treatments. A functional definition of AO includes (1) continuous pain in and about a tooth or teeth, (2) pain present for longer than 4 months, (3) inadequate local cause (no abnormality detected on dental radiographs), and (4) anesthetic blockade gives equivocal relief of toothache. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential role of electronic thermography in the diagnosis of AO. Results from measurements of facial thermal symmetry indicated that normal subjects = 83.5%, AO group = 65.8% (p less than 0.01). Electronic thermography interpreted by thermography experts has promise as a diagnostic test for AO among patients with toothache for which the dentist can find no convincing dental explanation.