ESTIMATED BURDEN AND DISTRIBUTION OF OROFACIAL PAIN AMONG ADULTS IN PAKISTAN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: The quality of life of a person can be greatly impacted by orofacial discomfort, which can be highly incapacitating. Objective of this research was to analyze the estimated burden and distribution of orofacial pain (OFP) among adult population of Pakistan.Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Islam Dental College in Sialkot between December 2021 and May 2022. A specifically designed questionnaire was developed by the researchers to gather relevant information. Following differential diagnosis, the patients were divided into groups according to their types of pain: dental pain, temporomandibular disorders (TMD), neuralgias, headaches, and psychogenic pain. SPSS version (27) was used for evaluating the data that had been gathered.Results: Total 3750 patients participated in that study, in which 68% of the patients (n=2550) reported experiencing orofacial pain, while 32% (n=1200) did not. Dental origin pain was the most prevalent, affecting 90% (n=2295) of the total patients. Gender distribution was 36% males (n=918) and 64% females (n=1632) which is highly significant (p-value < 0.001). This indicates a strong association between gender and the presence of OFP. Females are significantly more likely to experience OFP compared to males.Conclusion: This study found a significantly higher prevalence of OFP among female adult dental patients in Pakistan compared to males, highlighting females as major contributors to the rising OFP burden in this population.