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Abstract
Introduction: Pain of dental origin seems to be the most prevalent in population seeking treatment [Citation1] In Brazil, the prevalence of orofacial pain reaches 54.75% according to a study published in 2015 [Citation2]. The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of patients who have orofacial pain as primary complaint and therefore reason to seek dental appointments and which was the most prevalent type of orofacial pain.
Materials and methods: A closed response questionnaire was constructed on the prevalence and type of pain; it was sent to the mailing list of dentists (invited via Facebook® group), former students of IUEM, through Googleforms®. Data was then collected and analysed through Excel Microsoft program. All principles from the declaration of Helsinki were respected.
Results: 151 responses to the questionnaire were submitted, of which 8 were excluded because the whole questionnaire was unanswered (n = 143). 92 females (64%) and 51 males (36%). The prevalence of patients who refer to dental clinics with orofacial pain in the first appointment is described in the following chart and table.
Regarding the type of orofacial pain reported the results are as follows.
Discussion and conclusions: Our study found that 5 to 15% of patients refer to dental clinics with orofacial pain in the first appointment. These results are consistent with the study from Horst et al. [Citation1] but disparate from the percentage suggested by Ruivo et al., in 2015 [Citation2]. To our knowledge, there is still no consensus on the classification of orofacial pain applied to epidemiological studies. Thus, it is urgent to establish a taxonomy that is applicable epidemiologically making comparisons between different studies reliable [Citation3].