Neuropathic orofacial pain after dental implant placement: review of the literature and case report

Abstract

Persistent and chronic pain is more common in the head and neck region than in any other part of the body; therefore, dentists are more likely to encounter these rather complex cases in their practices. In this report, we present a brief review of neuropathic orofacial pain (NOP) that can begin after deafferentation of trigeminal nerve fibers after root canal treatment, apicoectomy, tooth extraction, or implant placement or idiopathically. A case of NOP occurring after a surgical implant procedure in a 62-year-old woman is presented. Continuous pain started 6 months after the placement of 8 dental implants in the maxilla, at the time of positioning the prosthesis on her implants. After being subjected to a physical examination and relevant complementary radiologic imaging, the patient was diagnosed with an NOP secondary to nerve impingement due to dental implant placement as well as myofascial head and neck pain.