Patients appearing to dental professionals with orofacial pain arising from intracranial tumors: a literature review

Background. A small proportion of patients with orofacial pain appearing to dentists and dental specialists will have intracranial tumors as the underlying cause. These patients may undergo unnecessary dental interventions before the correct diagnosis is made. Method. A search of the literature using the PubMed database was performed to identify case reports of this occurrence. Cases were analyzed for common characteristics or presenting features that may aid dentists in identifying patients with intracranial tumors. Results. Twenty-eight cases were identified. Features consistent with the diagnoses of trigeminal neuralgia, persistent idiopathic facial pain, and temporomandibular disorders were the most common presentations. Fifty-nine percent of patients presented with sensory or motor function loss at their initial diagnosis. Clinical Implications. Patients who present with symptoms that extend beyond the typical presentation of these entities are at highest risk for intracranial tumors and should be further evaluated. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol 2012;114:749-755)