Practical differential diagnosis of chronic craniofacial pain

Chronic craniofacial pain afflicts more than one in every ten persons in the United States and Europe. Successful management of chronic craniofacial pain closely follows the thorough evaluation and understanding of the patient and the problem and, subsequently, a correct diagnosis or diagnoses. Evaluation of the patient includes a complete medical, dental, and personal history, physical examination, and appropriate diagnostic studies and consultations. Special consideration should be given the possibility of multiple diagnoses as well as complicating emotional, behavioral, or perceptual factors common in persons with chronic pain. Differential diagnosis is simplified by the use of a practical classification of chronic craniofacial pain.