Prevalence of Chronic Orofacial Pain in Elderly Patients Referred to Shiraz Dental School From 2005 to 2017

BACKGROUND: Orofacial pain is presented mainly as a pain in the front part of the head, including the oral cavity. Adult and elderly patients are important target groups affected by this chronic pain, which may cause several problems. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the characteristics of patients who suffered from orofacial pain were evaluated. The data such as patients’ gender, age, pain diagnoses, treatments, responses to treatments, duration and severity of pain, and disability were collected from their records. The diagnoses were provided based on the characteristics of pain, X-ray findings, physiological findings, lab tests, nerve block injection, and a drug challenge test. RESULTS: Among all the 5,221 patients referred to Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine and Prosthodontics Department, 583 (11.16%) reported orofacial pain as the chief complaint. The frequency of orofacial pain was more prevalent among women than men. Burning mouth syndrome was the most prevalent cause of orofacial pain in the elderly, followed by temporomandibular disorder and trigeminal neuralgia. CONCLUSIONS: Most cases of orofacial pain in elderly patients were burning mouth syndrome, temporomandibular disorder, and neuralgia. It was more observed in females than males with the mean age of 55.3 ± 10.7 years old.