Management of chronic orofacial pain: attitudes among patients and dentists in a Swedish county.

The purpose was to survey attitudes towards management of chronic orofacial pain (COP). Questionnaires were mailed to 30 randomized dentists and to 30 consecutive COP patients, examined 16 months earlier by a pain group of dental specialists. Fifty-seven per cent of the patients reported that their pain was the same as or worse than before and was disturbing. Few were dissatisfied with the examinations. Fifty-nine per cent thought that the consultations had been good. The surveyed dentists judged the most common causes of COP to be neurogenic and psychogenic in origin; they were overwhelmingly positive to the idea of a pain group (93%) and could consider referring patients (97%). Pain-inducing local diseases occurred but were not dominant among these COP patients. We concluded that management of COP in a pain group appears to be meaningful, as reflected by the respondents' attitudes but would gain by a closer collaboration with medical expertise.