Orofacial Pain-An Introduction to the New Dental Specialty

As per the American Academy of Orofacial Pain (AAOP), Orofacial Pain (OFP) is the discipline of dentistry which includes the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients with orofacial pain disorders, including temporomandibular disorders, oro-motor and jaw behavior disorders, neuropathic and neurovascular pain disorders, related orofacial sleep disorders, and chronic orofacial, head and neck pain, as well as the pursuit of knowledge of the underlying pathophysiology and mechanisms of these disorders. In April 2020, American Dental Association (ADA) has approved the OFP as the 12th dental specialty in United States. The significance of orofacial pain specialty is that a trained specialist in OFP can identify all symptoms, diagnoses and causes of the pain based on the thorough evaluation. Treatment plan is developed to treat the condition which also includes training of the patient to reduce the patient-centered causes of the condition. This patient care and management will also prevent incidence of chronic pain and its consequences such as opioid addiction and other drugs, limitation in work and function, other comorbidities such as depression and anxiety, and long-term dependency on treatment. This review will briefly discuss the different aspects of OFP diagnosis.