Acupuncture, Kampo, and Psychotherapy for Atypical Odontalgia or Atypical Facial Pain

摘要

Atypical odontalgia is a poorly understood chronic pain disorder that presents as a persistent pain in apparently normal teeth and adjacent oral tissues. Atypical facial pain is a persistent pain in the face or intraoral region that does not fit into the diagnostic criteria associated with specific orofacial pain disorders. The causes of chronic pain are generally divided into three kinds of pain; organic pain, neuropathic pain, and psychogenic or psychiatric pain. However, organic pain as the cause of atypical odontalgia and atypical facial pain is usually ruled out. Neuropathic pain is an abnormal pain state that arises from a damaged peripheral nervous system or central nervous system related to surgical procedures or injuries in orofacial region. Psychogenic pain arises from a psychological problem and psychiatric pain is caused by psychiatric diseases such as depression and neurosis.