Det är viktigt att ha ett praktiskt material tillgängligt för diagnostik och behandling av patienter med kroniska orofaciala smärtor. Denna artikel innehåller en checklista för diagnostik av de vanligaste smärttillstånden. Konservativa reversibla behandlingsmetoder är minst lika effektiva som invasiva behandlingar och innebär långt mindre risk för att skada patienten, så de bör vara förstahandsalternativ för de allra flesta patienter med kroniska orofaciala smärtor.

The focus of this article is to draw together the conclusions drawn in the associated articles in this series. It is designed to provide a hands-on check-list approach to diagnosis of the most common chronic orofacial pain conditions. The article therefore covers chronic orofacial pain, risk factors, diagnosis of the most common musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain conditions in the orofacial region and management principles. In summary, the majority of TMD patients can be treated by general practitioners. Presence of several of the known risk factors for development of chronic orofacial pain, such as comorbid pain conditions and psychological distress, hamper the prognosis for obtaining long-lasting pain-relief in more complicated cases. Often it will be necessary for the patient to seek concurrent care for the comorbidities in order to improve the prognosis for the management of orofacial pain. Importantly, the longer time the pain has been present, the poorer the prognosis is for relief, due to the possibility of a permanently sensitized nociceptive processing system.