A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO OROFACIAL PAIN: BRIDGING DIAGNOSTIC GAPS BETWEEN DENTISTRY AND OTOLARYNGOLOGY
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Abstract
Orofacial pain (OFP) encompasses a diverse and debilitating spectrum of conditions affecting the head, face, and neck, presenting a critical diagnostic challenge across healthcare disciplines. The complexity of OFP, which often includes chronic symptoms, significantly impairs patient quality of life and frequently results in protracted, ineffective treatment journeys. A major driver of this difficulty is the considerable clinical overlap between pathologies traditionally managed by dentists (such as temporomandibular disorders, odontogenic pain, and neuralgias) and those managed by otolaryngologists (including ear, sinus, and atypical facial pain).
This diagnostic ambiguity often leads to misreferral and unnecessary interventions, such as tooth extractions for non-odontogenic conditions or prolonged antibiotic courses for musculoskeletal issues. This paper argues for the essential integration of a structured, multidisciplinary diagnostic paradigm for OFP management.
We synthesize contemporary literature and common diagnostic pitfalls to develop a collaborative clinical algorithm. This framework is specifically designed to bridge existing specialty gaps through integrated patient history assessment, standardized physical examination protocols (encompassing both masticatory and otologic structures), and shared interpretation of diagnostic imaging.
The adoption of a co-management strategy involving dental pain specialists and ENT physicians is shown to significantly minimize diagnostic delays, reduce treatment failure rates attributable to misdiagnosis, and optimize the delivery of appropriate, specialized care. Ultimately, this multidisciplinary approach ensures all potential etiologies are systematically evaluated, delivering improved precision and superior patient outcomes for this challenging disorder group.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in JPTCP are licensed under Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Dr. Sankarsan Choudhury
Assistant Professor, Department of Dentistry, Gouri Devi Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital, Durgapur.
Dr. Ankur Mukherjee
Assistant Professor, Department of ENT, Gouri Devi Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital, Durgapur.