The incidence and pattern of non-odontogenic orofacial pain conditions at a tertiary hospital in Tanzania

Vanisha Aroon Hirani
Sira Stanslaus Owibingire
ID
Jeremiah Robert Moshy
ID
Karpal Singh Sohal
ID
Email src
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Received: 24 September 2021 / Revised: 2 November 2021 / Accepted: 6 November 2021 / Published: 30 March 2022

Abstract

Introduction and aim. Non-odontogenic orofacial pain (NOFP) is a result of pathology, or injury to the structures in the orofacial region including the muscles, temporomandibular joint, neurovascular structures, and glands. This multi-diverse aetiopathogenesis poses a challenge in the diagnosis and management of NOPF. To determine the incidence and trend of various non-odontogenic orofacial pain conditions at a tertiary hospital in Tanzania.

Material and methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) for 6 months. The information gathered included socio-demographic characteristics of participants, characteristics of pain, and cause of pain. Pain intensity was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).

Results. The incidence of NOFP was 3.3%. The male to female ratio was 1.7:1 and the mean age of patients was 44.2 ± 17.4 years. The mean intensity of the pain using the VAS was 47.27 ± 5.66. Most (36.7%) patients experienced sharp pain. The common causes of NOFP were trauma (43.3%) and malignant lesions (38.3%). A statistically significant association between the age and sex of the patients and the causes of non-odontogenic pain was observed (p < 0.05).

Conclusion. The incidence of non-odontogenic orofacial pain is low. Trauma and malignant conditions were the leading causes of NOFP.

 

Cite

Hirani VA, Owibingire SS, Moshy JR, Sohal KS. The incidence and pattern of non-odontogenic orofacial pain conditions at a tertiary hospital in Tanzania. Eur J Clin Exp Med. 2022;20(1): 49–55. doi: 10.15584/ejcem.2022.1.7.

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited