Preclinical orofacial pain assays and measures and chronic primary orofacial pain research: where we are and where we need to go

Shirin Sadighparvar; Faez Saleh Al-Hamed; Reza Sharif-Naeini; Carolina Beraldo Meloto

doi:10.3389/fpain.2023.1150749

Preclinical orofacial pain assays and measures and chronic primary orofacial pain research: where we are and where we need to go

Front Pain Res (Lausanne). 2023 May 24:4:1150749. doi: 10.3389/fpain.2023.1150749. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Shirin Sadighparvar^{1

2}, Faez Saleh Al-Hamed³, Reza Sharif-Naeini^{2

4}, Carolina Beraldo Meloto^{2

5}

Affiliations

¹ Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
² The Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
³ College of Dental Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
⁴ Department of Physiology and Cell Information Systems, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
⁵ Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Abstract

Chronic primary orofacial pain (OFP) conditions such as painful temporomandibular disorders (pTMDs; i.e., myofascial pain and arthralgia), idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (TN), and burning mouth syndrome (BMS) are seemingly idiopathic, but evidence support complex and multifactorial etiology and pathophysiology. Important fragments of this complex array of factors have been identified over the years largely with the help of preclinical studies. However, findings have yet to translate into better pain care for chronic OFP patients. The need to develop preclinical assays that better simulate the etiology, pathophysiology, and clinical symptoms of OFP patients and to assess OFP measures consistent with their clinical symptoms is a challenge that needs to be overcome to support this translation process. In this review, we describe rodent assays and OFP pain measures that can be used in support of chronic primary OFP research, in specific pTMDs, TN, and BMS. We discuss their suitability and limitations considering the current knowledge of the etiology and pathophysiology of these conditions and suggest possible future directions. Our goal is to foster the development of innovative animal models with greater translatability and potential to lead to better care for patients living with chronic primary OFP.

Keywords: burning mouth syndrome (BMS); orofacial pain; preclinical studies & animal models; primary pain; temporomandibular disorder; trigeminal neuralgia.

Publication types

Review