Fifty years of development of neuroscientific insights into oro-facial pain and its control

Abstract

When the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation was established in 1973, there was very limited understanding of the mechanisms underlying neurally based functions, including those unique to the face, mouth and jaws (e.g. dental pain, taste, chewing, swallowing and salivation). Since that time, technological and other advances have led to new insights into the structure, connectivity and function of cranial nerves and areas of the central nervous system (CNS) involved in oro-facial functions and disorders or related functions (e.g. cognition, emotion, stress, consciousness, sleep, learning and memory). This review focuses on the advances in understanding of the neural basis of oro-facial pain and its control over the past five decades. The review first briefly considers how oro-facial pain conditions are now classified, diagnosed and managed. It then outlines novel insights that have been gained over this period through neuroscience research into the neural basis of these oro-facial pain conditions and the clinical relevance to these insights to the diagnosis and management of these conditions. The review also identifies promising research directions and gaps in knowledge that still need to be addressed to improve the understanding, diagnosis and management of oro-facial pain conditions.