Methods: In this ongoing study we are collecting PQ&D and results of standard clinical endodontic testing (cold, EPT, percussion, etc.) from 320 subjects experiencing acute odontogenic pain. The questionnaire is administered verbally and calibrated study personnel perform standard endodontic clinical testing. In this analysis we determined whether clinical diagnostic findings were associated with specific pain domains.
Results: Thus far 209 subjects have completed the study (96 UCSF, 113 NYU; median age 40; 48% female). The clinical observation of a lingering cold response was significantly associated with patients choosing descriptors in the paroxysmal domain including “shooting” (p<0.01), “bursting” (p<0.05), and “radiating” (p=0.05). A lingering cold response was also associated with self-report of cold and heat sensitivity. Percussion sensitivity was significantly associated with the descriptors “throbbing” (p<0.05) and “tender” (p<0.05), both belonging to the constant domain.
Conclusions: These studies indicate acute odontogenic pain is a multi-faceted experience and pain descriptors could be useful for differentiating pain mediated by distinct biological mechanisms. Future studies will determine the association between pain descriptors and clinical diagnostic testing utilizing latent class analysis. Measurements that capture the multidimensional nature of acute odontogenic pain will improve endodontic diagnosis and are needed to study the association between acute and chronic pain.