Aims To test if patients with masticatory myofascial pain, local myalgia, centrally mediated myalgia, disc displacement, capsulitis/synovitis, or continuous neuropathic pain differed in self-reported satisfaction with life. The study also tested if satisfaction with life was similarly predicted by measures of physical, emotional, and social functioning across disorders. Methods Satisfaction with life, fatigue, affective distress, social support, and pain data were extracted from the medical records of 343 patients seeking treatment for chronic orofacial pain. Patients were grouped by primary diagnosis assigned following their initial appointment. Satisfaction with life was compared between disorders, with and without pain intensity entered as a covariate. Disorder-specific linear regression models using physical, emotional, and social predictors of satisfaction with life were computed. Results Patients with centrally mediated myalgia reported significantly lower satisfaction with life than did patients with any of the other five disorders. Inclusion of pain intensity as a covariate weakened but did not eliminate the effect. Satisfaction with life was predicted by measures of physical, emotional, and social functioning, but these associations were not consistent across disorders. Conclusions Results suggest that reduced satisfaction with life in patients with centrally mediated myalgia is not due only to pain intensity. There may be other factors that predispose people to both reduced satisfaction with life and centrally mediated myalgia. Furthermore, the results suggest that satisfaction with life is differentially influenced by physical, emotional, and social functioning in different orofacial pain disorders.

This article reports a case of secondary short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing following head and neck trauma due to a violent assault. Following the incident, the patient began experiencing 4 to 30 shooting/sharp pain attacks per day in the left anterior temporal and supraorbital areas, with an intensity of 10/10 on a numeric rating scale. Each attack lasted between 10 and 60 seconds. These attacks were accompanied by ipsilateral conjunctival injection, tearing, ptosis of the left eye, blurry vision, and occasional rhinorrhea. Significant improvements in sleep, autonomic symptoms, and pain were observed with a combination of melatonin 10 mg per day, gabapentin 300 mg twice daily, physical therapy, and psychotherapy. This case highlights the relevance of a multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of challenging cases when there is evidence of more than one contributing factor, with the aim of reducing pain and improving the patient's quality of life.

Objectives Fatigue is known to be a pathway through which depression, psychological distress, pain intensity, and sleep disturbance influence pain interference, but the independent effects of fatigue on pain interference after controlling for these variables remains unknown. Additionally, no study to date has tested whether fatigue subtypes of general fatigue, mental fatigue, emotional fatigue, physical fatigue, or vigor differentially predict pain interference. Methods The current study tested these associations using archival medical data of 2,133 chronic orofacial pain patients who complete a battery of psychological questionnaires at the time of their first appointment at an orofacial pain clinic. Results Hierarchical linear regression analysis revealed that after controlling for depression, psychological distress, sleep disturbance, pain intensity, and demographic variables, fatigue predicted higher pain interference (B = 0.70, SE = 0.17, p<001, η2 = .01). Physical fatigue (B = 1.70, SE = 0.48, p<001, η2 = .01) and vigor (B = −3.24, SE = 0.47, p<001, η2 = .03) were independently associated with pain interference after controlling for the aforementioned variables. Discussion The findings suggest that fatigue is an important independent predictor of pain interference and not merely a mediator. These findings also suggest that not all fatigue is created equal. Interventions aimed at reducing pain interference should target specific fatigue symptoms of physical fatigue and vigor. Future research investigating the independent associations of fatigue subtypes on pain outcomes may help clarify the nature of the interrelationships between pain and fatigue.

Objectives: To detail how the scope of practice of dentistry was expanded in Kentucky allowing dentists to be rapidly mobilize and join a mass vaccination campaign and administer COVID-19 vaccines to the community. Methods: The processes involving policy change, an emergency administrative regulation, provider training and community action are detailed. Results: In just 21 days from state authorization, dentists from the University of Kentucky organized and trained clinicians to join a mass vaccination effort and provided over 1200 COVID-19 vaccines to the community. Conclusions: As essential healthcare workers, Kentucky dentists joined the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by participating in a mass vaccination campaign. This communication provides guidance to states, academic institutions, and dentists who are currently in the process of achieving this regulatory change and taking community action. It also provides insights to the benefits of expanding the scope of practice to include vaccination as part of dental services.

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