Barodontalgia: A Clinical Entity

Abstract

Barodontalgia is the oral pain caused by the changes in the pressure caused due to altitude changes either on deep sea diving or inflight conditions. Barodontalgia is one of the important clinical entities which present with such overlapping signs and symptoms, that in normal clinical setup the pain due to barodontalgia goes unnoticed. Also the literature available in textbooks is also less informative and revealing of the nature of pain caused due to barodontalgia. Hence this article focuses on those untouched aspects of barodontalgia which are to be paid attention.

A retrospective study of oral pathoses in Israeli military divers and non‐divers: 2011–2020

“…In addition, this better dental care might itself decrease the risk for barodontolagia [24][25][26] and decrease the incidence of chronic pulpitis, another known cause for barodontalgia among patients exposed to barometric changes. 27,28 F I G U R E 2 Percentage of retreated restorations-composite vs amalgam in the study and control groups 0.0% These findings indicate that further research should be conducted, adjusting the rate of dental follow-ups according to diving frequency and considering socioeconomic status. When dealing with military divers, dental examinations should be considered part of their medical competency before operations.…”

The Effect of Scuba Diving on Microleakage of a Class II Composite Restoration: An In-Vitro Study

“…Dental barotrauma is a term referred to the side effects of pressure changes on teeth, including failure of dental restorations, tooth fracture (barodontocrexis), or tooth pain (barodontalgia) [ 2 , 3 ]. It was reported that the dental side effects of scuba diving occur at diving depths of 10–25 m, a common depth for scuba diving [ 4 ]. Goethe et al [ 5 ], in a 10-year prospective study on the military divers who tolerated constant barometric changes, reported a 4-fold increase in the amount of extracted teeth and a ten-fold increase of teeth that need a prosthetic crown.…”

Dental and orofacial barotraumas among Saudi Military Naval Divers in King Abdul Aziz Naval Base Armed Forces in Jubail, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

“…Such variations are significantly greater during diving as every descent of 10 m raises the pressure by another one atmosphere. [ 5 6 7 ]…”

“…[ 9 11 , 12 ] It affects the upper teeth than the lower teeth more commonly and many of the episodes appear on descent. [ 7 8 ]…”

“…Besides, this lack of knowledge and paucity in recent data regarding diving-related conditions, several agreements have derived concerning to the barometric effects on oral tissues; from in-flight observations and most commonly from the military settings. [ 7 8 ] Therefore, we aim to study and assess dental and orofacial pain under atmospheric pressure using questionnaires taking into consideration the current literature, so as to elaborate recommendations to reduce barotraumas in Saudi Arabia.…”