Managing acute orofacial pain: reflections from ‘Down Under’

The diagnosis and successful management of a patient presenting with acute orofacial pain can prove complex and challenging to clinicians. While the identification of dentoalveolar pathology in a carious or periodontally involved tooth may be relatively straightforward, underlying causes of orofacial pain are many and varied, and include a wide range of both dental and non-dentally related conditions. Misinterpretation of the cause of orofacial pain risks misdiagnosis and delivery of ineffectual or potentially inappropriate treatment. The aim of this paper is to review the principles supporting patient assessment, history taking, reliable diagnostic decision making and effective treatment provision, and to assist dental practitioners to identify and treat patients whose pain is odontogenic in origin.