ABSTRACT
The density of anatomical structures in the face, the significant representation of facial sensation within the cerebral cortex and the role of the face in personal and social interaction account for there being many causes and types of face pain. A variety of conditions present with facial pain. They vary from the clearly neuropathic with a well defined pathology, such as trigeminal neuralgia and postherpetic neuralgia, through conditions in which there is a demonstrable pathophysiology, such as some presentations of temporomandibular pain and central post-stroke pain to those in which no pathology can be demonstrated, such as atypical facial pain. The importance of psychosocial factors cannot be underestimated: what the patient thinks about the significance of the pain has an important bearing on its perception, the degree of impairment and the way it is treated.
