Prevalence of Various Orofacial Pain Symptoms and Their Overall Impact on Quality of Life in a Tertiary Care Hospital in India

Abstract

Background: Pain is a major public health problem and is the most commonly reported symptom of oral and dental disease that has a significant impact on both individual and community. The present study was prevalence of various orofacial pain symptoms and their overall impact on the quality of life in a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in the outpatient department of the Government Dental College and Research Institute, Bangalore. The severity of the chronic orofacial pain symptoms was assessed using the Chronic Pain Grade Questionnaire by Von Korff. Results: The results showed that toothache (57.6 %) was the most commonly reported symptom and burning mouth sensation (6.4 %) was the least commonly reported. Majority of the patients had grade 3 level of pain-related disability (34.8 %) followed by grade 2 (26.8 %), grade 1 (22.4 %) and grade 4 levels (16 %). The mean pain intensity was reported to be more among females and maximum among patients with facial pain. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that orofacial pain symptoms have a significant impact on the patients suffering from it. Therefore, proper measures should be taken for the management of the patients with these symptoms and associated conditions.