Abstract

Historically, chronic oral pain with unknown origin had been treated as a “psychogenic” condition in dentistry. Although tricyclic antidepressants have been widely used to treat chronic oral pain such as glossodynia or atypical odontalgia, the mechanisms on how they work is not precisely elucidated still now. Strong evidences have been accumulated on pathophysiological interactions between chronic pain and psychosocial factors. Dopamine system has been found to play a key role for bridging chronic pain and psychosocial factors. To treat chronic oral pain better, we dentists should search for a new pharmacotherapy based on brain function, especially with a focus on the relationship between chronic oral pain and dysfunction of mesolimbic dopamine system.