Author(s):  Dransfield, JH; Wainwright, BB; Konatham Haribabu P, DDS, MDS, MSD

Affiliations: Specialty Unit – Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS), Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health, A.T. Still University, St. Louis, MO

Aim of investigation: 
The aim was to investigate the frequency of jaw pain misdiagnosed as arising from impacted third molars (odontogenic source) compared to pain originating from a non-odontogenic source.

Methods:
Electronic Data Records (EDR) from September 2018 to February 2020 were retrieved. An electronic chart screening was conducted that included OMFS referrals for removal of impacted third molar due to jaw pain. Pain from severe caries, pericoronitis, cyst or tumors, and infections were discarded. Cases that fit the criteria were included into the analysis.

Results:
Among 19 cases, 4 cases showed agreement between the diagnosis of referring providers to the diagnosis established by Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons during consultation. The Kappa analysis was found to be 0.0206. We observed a trend displaying higher levels of jaw pain from female subjects associated with other systemic co-morbid conditions.

Conclusions:
This pilot analysis showed a trend indicating jaw pain misdiagnosis due to the small number of subjects, therefore further work is needed to show that this trend is more widespread. This analysis focused on establishing diagnosis, however continuation of this study will focus on resolution of pain symptoms after performing third molar surgery.

Acknowledgements and/or Funding Source: None