Abstract

This literature review summarizes the available knowledge of referred dental pain. This was accomplished by examining the mechanisms of referred pain and comparing referred pain in other areas of the body to referred dental pain. There are five widely-known theories behind the mechanism of referred pain which include the convergent-facilitation theory, the axon reflex theory, the thalamic-convergence theory, and the central-hyperexcitability theory, and the convergent-projection theory. The reviewed subgroups of referred dental pain were temporomandibular disorder, auriculotemporal neuralgia, tuberous sclerosis, tooth pulpitis, and ischemic heart conditions. Finally, how to diagnose referred dental pain, as well as the difficulties that come along with diagnosis, were inspected. Since the mechanisms of the referred dental pain are not well understood, in the future research needs to be done to illuminate the mechanisms and clinical implications of this phenomenon.