Dental patients in a general pain clinic

Case histories of 15 patients with dental pain who were examined at the Royal Adelaide Hospital Pain Clinic were reviewed. These were the only patients with dental pain seen at the clinic over a 10-year period and represent less than 1% of the total patients fully examined at the clinic. Only one patient had an underlying organic problem; the remainder had a diagnosis of atypical facial pain. Common characteristics that pointed to the diagnosis of intractability were the duration of the pain, extensive and multiple ineffective treatments, a history of pain elsewhere in the body, and a history of psychologic disturbance. Ten of the 12 patients who were offered and accepted psychotherapeutic treatment had appreciable symptomatic relief. No dental or surgical treatments resulted in any pain relief.