Nueralgia or odontalgia?

Background: The most common and difficult aspect of general practice is the diagnosis and treatment planning. One of the commonest complaints presented to the practitioner is pain. This article attempts to account for cases with wrongly diagnosed dental pain as trigeminal neuralgia. Methods: Cases from the nearby Government Hospital, Garhwa under treatment for trigeminal neuralgia in the last 6 months were studied reviewed and followed after dental intervention using radiographs and tests to diagnose as pain from odontogenic origin. Results: The patients found absolute relief from the pain after treatment was rendered to their dental problems. These cases were found to be wrongly treated for neuropathic pain. Conclusions: It is crucial to exclude orofacial pain from odontogenic origin before planning treatment for neuropathic pain emphasizing the importance of differential diagnosis and treatment planning in the patient’s initial visits.