To assist clinicians in the difficult and often complicated task of managing patients suffering from oral and facial pain, this textbook provides documented information concerning pain and pain behavior so that one may better understand what pain is, how it behaves, and how it might best be managed; develops a useful classification of orofacial pain disorders; offers practical diagnostic criteria by which the different orofacial pain disorders can be identified on a clinical level; and suggests guidelines for the effective management of patients who suffer from pain in the region of the mouth and face. The concepts and techniques discussed are supplemented with case reports as well as new, full-color photographs and illustrations to help the clinician better understand orofacial pain disorders and how to treat them effectively.

Author Information

Jeffrey P. Okeson DMD is Chief, Division of Orofacial Pain, University of Kentucky College of Dentistry. He earned his dental degree from the University of Kentucky, College of Dentistry and is board certified by the American Board of Orofacial Pain.

Table of Contents

PART ONE: The Nature of Pain

1. Defining the Problem
2. The Neural Anatomy of Oral and Facial Pain
3. The Neurophysiology of Peripheral Nociception
4. The Neurophysiology of Nociception in the Dorsal Horn and Brainstem
5. The Central Processing of Pain
6. The Processing of Pain at the Supraspinal Level

PART TWO: Clinical Considerations of Oral and Facial Pain

7. The Various Clinical Presentations of Pain
8. Category Classification of Oral and Facial Pain
9. Principles of Pain Diagnosis
10. General Considerations in Managing Oral and Facial Pain

PART THREE: Clinical Pain Syndromes

11. Cutaneous and Mucogingival Pains
12. Dental Pains
13. Pains of Muscle Origin
14. Temporomandibular Joint Pains
15. Other Musculoskeletal Pains
16. Visceral Pains
17. Vascular and Neurovascular Pains
18. Neuropathic Pains
19. Psychologic Factors and Oral and Facial Pain