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Facial presentations of primary headache disorders
Yair Sharav1, Zaza Katsarava2, Andrew Charles3
11 Department of Oral Medicine, Sedation & Maxillofacial Imaging, School of Dental Medicine, Hebrew University-Hadassah, Jerusalem, Israel.
Cephalalgia : an International Journal of Headache
|April 13, 2017
Summary
A new condition, neurovascular orofacial pain (NVOP), is identified. This distinct facial pain disorder mimics dental issues, highlighting the need for better differentiation from headache disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pain Medicine
- Dentistry
Background:
- Craniofacial pain is often misdiagnosed as atypical migraines or trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias (TACs).
- Headache disorders present with specific temporal patterns, associated symptoms (e.g., photophobia, nausea), and cranial autonomic features, differentiating them from local pain sources.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and define neurovascular orofacial pain (NVOP) as a distinct clinical entity.
- To emphasize the diagnostic and therapeutic importance of differentiating NVOP from dental pathology.
Main Methods:
- Observation and characterization of intraoral neurovascular pain.
- Hypothesized mechanism involving neurogenic inflammation within dentine.
Main Results:
- Neurovascular orofacial pain (NVOP) presents with signs mimicking dental pulpitis.
- The condition involves paroxysmal pain and allodynia to cold stimuli, suggesting neurogenic inflammation.
Conclusions:
- Facial pain from headache disorders and primary facial pain disorders, though sharing trigeminal input, are distinct.
- Further research into facial pain presentations may clarify the relationship between headache and facial pain.