Orofacial pain is defined as pain arising from the regions of the face and mouth. Dental pain is the most common inflammatory pain presenting in this region; however, chronic pain conditions presenting frequently, including temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs), primary headaches (neurovascular), neuropathic pain and idiopathic pain conditions, can often mimic toothache. Dentists are familiar with TMDs but have no training or experience in diagnosing or treating headaches that mainly present in the first trigeminal division. The anatomical complexity of the region and the potential possible diagnoses, mean that correct diagnosis is often delayed resulting in patients often undergoing inappropriate surgical and medical treatments that themselves may complicate the presentation of the pain by changing its phenotype and further complicating diagnosis and appropriate management.
Due to the variable pain presentation of toothache, it can mimic many different chronic episodic orofacial pain conditions, resulting in many inappropriately prescribed courses of antibiotics and surgical interventions. Dentists are not the only profession to fall foul of the misdiagnosis but ear, nose and throat (ENT) and maxillofacial surgeons fall into the same trap.