Continued persistent facial pain despite several surgical interventions in the temporomandibular joint

Annika Rosèn; Espen Helgeland; Torbjørn Ø Pedersen

doi:10.1016/j.cden.2022.07.005

Continued persistent facial pain despite several surgical interventions in the temporomandibular joint

Dent Clin North Am. 2023 Jan;67(1):61-70. doi: 10.1016/j.cden.2022.07.005. Epub 2022 Oct 28.

Authors

Annika Rosèn¹, Espen Helgeland², Torbjørn Ø Pedersen²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. Electronic address: Annika.Rosen@uib.no.
² Department of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.

PMID: 36404081
DOI: 10.1016/j.cden.2022.07.005

Abstract

This article describes a woman in her forties who spontaneously developed facial pain 19 years after double-jaw orthognathic surgery. The focus of her pain was the left side of the face, including the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Conservative treatment was initiated, including several occlusal splints, in addition to injections with local anesthesia, botulinum toxin, and corticosteroids, with limited effects. Surgical treatments with arthroscopy and discectomy, and ultimately a TMJ prosthesis, improved the patient's joint function but did not reduce pain. The question is whether the degenerated joint was due to progression of the original disease process or to multiple surgical procedures.

Keywords: Chronic pain; Multiple surgical procedures; Postoperative pain; Risk factors; Temporomandibular joint.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Facial Pain / etiology
Facial Pain / surgery
Female
Humans
Joint Prosthesis*
Temporomandibular Joint
Temporomandibular Joint Disorders* / surgery