Behavioral and psychosocial factors in chronic craniofacial pain

Patients with chronic pain have a multifactoral problem that exhibits both physical and psychosocial symptoms. Evaluation includes determination of the physical diagnosis and psychosocial contributing factors on an equal and integrated basis. Contributing factors include any factor that plays a role in initiation and perpetuation or results from and thus, complicates the problem. Management follows with both reduction of contributing factors and treatment of the diagnosis. Contributing factors are classified as biological, behavioral, social, cognitive, emotional, and environmental. Individual factors in each group for chronic craniofacial pain are reviewed.