One in ten suffer from facial pain; a new protocol compares its economic toll and health burden to that of diabetes.
Could the hidden costs of chronic facial pain be as significant as those of diabetes? A new global consensus method now evaluates the burden and health impact of Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD), the cause of chronic facial pain.(1✔ ✔Trusted Source
Lay descriptions of painful temporomandibular disorders-an international consensus proposal for Global Burden of Disease estimates
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Such measurements allow us to compare the silent epidemic and economic toll of facial pain to that of major conditions like diabetes. While chronic facial pain is a leading form of disability, previous efforts lacked standardized burden measurements to track healthcare costs and individual impact across different countries.
To bridge this gap, an international research collaboration led by Umeå University developed standardized lay descriptions. This breakthrough makes it possible to visualize the global burden of disease (GBD) for facial pain, ensuring the condition is properly recognized in international health policy and economic planning.
Impact of Chronic Pain, Headaches, and Sleep Disturbances
“We can now, for the first time, compare the burden of living with facial pain to conditions such as diabetes—that is, how much a person is affected over the course of their life by having this condition,” says Anna Lövgren, Associate Professor at the Department of Odontology at Umeå University and one of the researchers leading the study.
Facial pain is often caused by overloading of the muscles or joints in the jaw, which then become painful. The condition affects everyday activities such as eating and speaking and is often long-lasting.
Many individuals also experience concurrent problems, including headaches and disturbed sleep. Data from Sweden further show that people with facial pain are more likely to have long periods of sick leave. However, the total costs of this condition have so far been difficult to quantify.
Ensuring Affordable Care: Integrating Facial Pain into Healthcare Fee Systems
“Now that we can estimate the disease burden of facial pain, we can also link it to health data and evaluate, for example, how many people are affected and what consequences this has for society. We can also estimate the cost of management in terms of healthcare visits, examinations, and treatment,” says Anna Lövgren.
Anna Lövgren is currently working to develop an initial estimate of the global disease burden of facial pain. Her hope is that care for patients with facial pain will become better and more accessible when it can be more easily compared to other diseases.
“We argue that this facial pain and related symptoms should be included in healthcare fee systems so that patients can afford the treatment they would benefit from. This is an undertreated condition,” says Anna Lövgren.
Reference:
- Lay descriptions of painful temporomandibular disorders—an international consensus proposal for Global Burden of Disease estimates – (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12916-026-04790-3)
Source-Eurekalert