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BEHANDLING-God og treffsikker diagnostikk, behandling og rehabilitering

Orofacial pain- characterization and comparison with larger patient groups are needed to improve oral and general health

Awarded: NOK 0.30 mill.

Orofacial pain (OFP) is prevalent in the general population-around 17-26%, of which 7-11% is chronic. The etiology and risk factors for development of OFP are current knowledge gaps. The interface between the dental- and medical health services is broad and improved collaboration is needed. The project aims to improve multidisciplinary collaboration, clarify the etiology, characteristics, and risk factors behind OFP and to identify factors improving diagnostics and treatments leading to increased QoL for the patients. Characteristics, work disability, morbidity, and mortality among patients with OFP are going to be analyzed in patients and in larger populations, such as register studies, for comparisons. Three workshops were conducted with our Scandinavian collaborators, to build networks and establish collaborative relationships that provide a basis for multicenter studies. Collaboration has been established with Massachusetts general Hospital in Boston, USA. Multidisciplinary collaboration is ongoing at the National Unit for orofacial Pain at Haukelands University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. We have engaged patient representatives and end users that have become partners in the main application to the Norwegian Research Council. This study may clarify the etiology, and risk factors behind OFP. The clinical outcome of the studies will broaden the characterization of patients and illuminate risk factors that can lead to chronic pain. The results are expected to significantly reduce patient suffering, increase patients` safety, lower costs for health care and society and reduce the health burden on related areas, both in the dental- and the medical care.

We have established collaborations that provide a basis for further research studies with our Scandinavian collaborators and with the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA. We have signed a contract with the HUNT Research Centre, NTNU for register studies. A study on quality of life (QoL) in patients for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgery has started. A Scandinavian expert group has started a systematical review on TMJ surgery. We have reach out to different stakeholders, patients` representatives have become engaged as a partner in the main application to NFR. The Bergen Municipality and the Public Dental Chief Officer have been contacted for enrollment of physicians and dentists in the study of evaluating the TMD guidelines. This work may clarify the etiology and risk factors behind chronic OFP, increase the patients` safety, decrease the burden for the society, and give the patient improved QoL.

Pain in the orofacial region is the outcome of a range of different pathologies. Orofacial pain (OFP) is prevalent in the general population-around 17-26%, of which 7-11% is chronic. Temporomandibular disorder (TMD), a subgroup of OFP, in adolescents is slowly increasing. The etiology and risk factors for development of orofacial pain are current knowledge gaps. To reach larger patients groups to combine clinical data with, health registers in Norway and Sweden will be used in a multicentre study. Characteristics, work disability, morbidity and mortality among patients with OFP will be analysed. Multidisciplinary collaboration is ongoing in the National Unit for Orofacial Pain, and national guide lines for TMD have been published recently and the outcome will be evaluated. To start up these studies three workshops will be conducted with our collaborators in Stockholm, Sweden, to build networks and establish collaborative relationships that provide a basis for a multicenter study. The workshops are needed to put up milestones, to plan and organize the work to come, to check the progress and to finalize the startup project. We are planning to testing out, in a proof of concept, how to engage the patients/ end users. We also planning to look more into what financial benefits the society will gain. Further, preparatory activities to seek funding under the call for main projects will be conducted. This study may clarify the etiology, and risk factors behind orofacial pain/TMD and assess the impact of national guide lines for TMD patients. The clinical outcome of the studies will broaden the characterization of patients with orofacial pain/TMD and illuminate risk factors that can lead to chronic pain. Further, the national guidelines for TMD will be highlighted. The results are expected to significantly reduce patient suffering, lower costs for health care and society and also reduce the health burden on related areas, both in the dental- and the medical care.

Funding scheme:

BEHANDLING-God og treffsikker diagnostikk, behandling og rehabilitering