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The Examination, Differential Diagnosis, and Management of Toothache Pain

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The Dental Reference Manual

Abstract

The most common reason given for dental emergencies is a toothache. This pain is usually associated with dental caries which has caused inflammation in the dental pulp and/or progressed into the periradicular region. Pulpal and periradicular diagnoses contribute to more than 90 % of reported toothache pain. Dental emergencies can be treated efficiently, and pain relief can be provided. There exists a significant subset of reported toothache pain which is not associated with caries, pulpal, or periradicular structures. Patients in this subset are reported to have experienced little or no relief of their pain as they have received different dental procedures including endodontic and exodontia often without a clear diagnosis. There are three other main groups of diagnoses that need to be considered in addition to the pulpal and periradicular diagnoses: referred pain, neuropathic pain, and nonodontogenic pain. A dilemma may occur when diagnostic criteria are not well understood, the signs and symptoms are not a clear match for any diagnostic criteria, and when health-care practitioners provide treatment without a clear diagnosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LSUHSC School of Dentistry, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Christopher J. Spencer ODS

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  1. Christopher J. Spencer ODS
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Correspondence to Christopher J. Spencer ODS .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Connecticut, School of Dental Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA

    Geraldine M. Weinstein

  2. Wellspring Dental, Brooklyn, New York, USA

    Mitchell T. Zientz

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Spencer, C.J. (2017). The Examination, Differential Diagnosis, and Management of Toothache Pain. In: Weinstein, G., Zientz, M. (eds) The Dental Reference Manual. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39730-6_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39730-6_19

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-39728-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-39730-6

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