Pregabalin and Orofacial Neuropathic Pain

Inclusion Criteria

• •Patients 18 years of age or older, males and females
• •history of dental and/or maxillofacial treatment/surgery that may cause nerve injury (e.g. root canal treatment, implant placement, deep restorations, tooth extractions, injection of anesthetics)
• •patients who score 12 on the validated self-report version of the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs pain scale (S-LANSS; Bennett et al. 2005) for extra-oral sites, or 9 for intra-oral sites (the scoring for extra-oral sites is taken as suggested; for intra-oral sites, the 5-point scoring for question 2 has been removed and the score proportionally adjusted, since it is difficult for patients to see color changes in their mouth)
• •pain rated 4 or more on a numerical scale (0 being no pain, 10 being the most intense pain imaginable), on a daily basis
• •pain lasting more than 6 months
• •absence of identifiable organic lesion, inflammation or infection
• •normal serum creatinine
• •reports that current and previous pain medications failed to provide adequate relief (e.g., analgesic, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, opioids, antidepressants)
• •if currently using medication, acceptance of a wash-out period of at least one week, during which only Tylenol can be used as rescue medication
• •able to use the Palm handheld device to report daily pain