Anxiety and depression levels in patients with chronic orofacial pain

Orofacial pain can be highly distressing, affecting 10% of the population and is associated with psychological symptoms. This study aims to assess the frequency of such psychological symptoms in orofacial pain patients compared to a control group and how these symptoms change with treatment. The effect of social deprivation will also be explored. Method: We conducted a prospective study comparing 342 consecutive referrals to the pain clinic over a nine-year period with 100 controls. Exclusion criteria involved patients with dental/dentoalveolar pain or trigeminal neuralgia. The chronic faical pain patient’s data was collected from validated questionnaires completed at every consultation. The somatic diagnoses were based on a interview process with one consultant conducting the pain clinic.