MULTIDIMENSIONALITY AND MULTIDISCIPLINARITY OF CHRONIC NEUROPATHIC NONODONTOGENIC OROFACIAL PAIN.

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Pain Medicine
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Chronic neuropathic nonodontogenic orofacial pain (NOFP) presents a significant challenge in diagnosis and management.
• The impact of NOFP on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and the co-occurrence of depression require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare HRQoL and depression levels in patients with NOFP versus healthy controls.
• To assess the relationship between NOFP, depression, and HRQoL.

Main Methods:

• A controlled cross-sectional study involving 100 NOFP patients and 119 healthy controls.
• Utilized the Short Form Survey (SF-36) for HRQoL and Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) for depression assessment.
• Assessed neuropathic pain characteristics using the Leeds assessment for neuropathic signs and symptoms (LANSS).

Main Results:

• NOFP patients exhibited significantly lower SF-36 HRQoL scores across all domains compared to controls, except for vitality.
• Mean BDI-II scores were higher in the NOFP group (18.31) than in controls (5.87), indicating a link to depression development.
• A significant correlation was found between depression and reduced quality of life in NOFP patients.

Conclusions:

• NOFP substantially diminishes self-reported HRQoL.
• NOFP is associated with the development of depression, though not necessarily its severity.
• Effective management of NOFP is crucial for improving patients' overall well-being and quality of life.