Practical differential diagnosis of chronic craniofacial pain

Diagnosis of chronic craniofacial pain may be difficult because of the complex psychological and somatic interrelationships of chronic pain, the similarities between diagnoses, and the frequent multiple overlying diagnoses. This article discusses the importance of thorough evaluation and understanding of patients with chronic pain and presents a practical clinical classification of craniofacial pain for systematic differential diagnosis. Examples of the eight groups, with the basic clinical characteristics of each, are presented.