Chronic Orofacial Pain and Behavioral Medicine

Robert L Merrill; Donald Goodman

doi:10.1016/j.coms.2016.03.007

Chronic Orofacial Pain and Behavioral Medicine

Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2016 Aug;28(3):247-60. doi: 10.1016/j.coms.2016.03.007.

Authors

Robert L Merrill¹, Donald Goodman²

Affiliations

¹ Graduate Orofacial Pain Program, UCLA School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Graduate Orofacial Pain Program, UCLA School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

PMID: 27475505
DOI: 10.1016/j.coms.2016.03.007

Abstract

Patients with chronic orofacial pain disorders have significant psychological distress that plays an important role in modulating and maintaining their pain. For many patients, doing procedures or giving them medications does not relieve their pain. This article discusses the role of cognitive behavioral therapy and other related types of therapy, including mindfulness practices in modulating their pain disorders and helping patients to understand and participate in exercises and practices that will downregulate their pain and add to their toolbox of things they can do to gain relief.

Keywords: Chronic pain; Cognitive-behavioral therapy; Mindfulness; Somatic arousal; Somatic quieting.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Behavior Therapy*
Chronic Disease / psychology*
Chronic Disease / therapy*
Facial Pain / diagnosis
Facial Pain / psychology*
Facial Pain / therapy*
Pain Management / methods*
Pain Measurement
Psychological Tests