Orofacial Pain and Headache

Highly Commended at BMA Medical Book Competition 2009.

Orofacial Pain and Headache is a timely, comprehensive and instructive addition to the pain literature; in particular the important and truly multidisciplinary area of orofacial pain.Based on their extensive clinical experience and a thorough understanding of pain mechanisms specific to the trigeminal system, the editors, Yair Sharav and Rafael Benoliel, have integrated knowledge from the areas of headache and orofacial pain and have succinctly explained common mechanisms involved in the two phenomena, with important implications for pain diagnosis and management.This book is an invaluable and unique resource for dental practitioners – both qualified and in training – and pain specialists from all fields, and for basic and clinical pain scientists who are interested in an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the diagnostic and management issues in the field of orofacial pain.

This is a very interesting book. There is a considerable overlap between headaches and face pains that present to dentists and maxillofacial surgeons and neurologists. This book considers these clinical problems primarily from the dental/maxillofacial perspective. The 'classic' neurological conditions, migraine, trigeminal neuralgia and the trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias are clearly described and discussed, with some very useful clinical vignettes. The discussion of the more clear-cut dental conditions was interesting and useful. Some conditions are in evolution, ontologically speaking, for example what the authors refer to as neurovascular or facial pain or masticator myofacial pain, and the authors provide interesting perspectices of these conditions but at times the discussion of the aetiology and pathogenesis gives a sense that they are well established contitions. This provides a useful bridge between the dental and the neurological perspective of headache and face pain.

BMA Medical Book Competition 2009 Judges comments

"This textbook is a joy to read! The editors have to be congratluated for presenting two broad topics, orofacial pain and headaches, in one well-structured and nicely illustrated textbook."
Journal of Orofacial Pain, Issue 2/09