To tame the pain?

Author(s): Dionne R

Affiliation(s): Clinical Pharmacology Unit, National Institute of Dental Research in Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

Publication date & source: 1998-04, Compend Contin Educ Dent., 19(4):426-8, 430-1.

Publication type:

Pain is still one of the most common reasons given by patients for avoiding dental care. Dental pain was identified as one of the most common pain complaints a national survey of pain in the US population. Although pain associated with dentistry encompasses intraoperative pain and pathologic pain as a result of dental neglect, it is likely that some of the aversion toward dentistry is a result of pain that occurs in the postoperative period.