Frequency of referral maxillofacial pain in ischemic heart patients

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 General Dental Practitioner, Shiraz, Iran

2 Department of Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

3 Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Non-Communicable Disease Research, Shahid Sadeghi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

4 librarian and Search Literature Officer, School of Dentistry, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

Abstract

Background: Ischemic heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide among adults. Pain originating from the heart may manifest in the maxillofacial area because cardiac pain signals converge onto the pathways of the trigeminal nerve. There is a lack of comprehensive research in the dental and cardiovascular fields on the frequency of ischemic myocardial pain presenting in the maxillofacial area. This study investigated the frequency distribution of referred maxillofacial pain in patients with ischemic heart disease at Afshar Hospital in Yazd, Iran, in 2024.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted at the Emergency Ward of Afshar Heart Hospital in Yazd, utilized patients’ medical records to create a checklist. This checklist included demographic information such as age and gender, smoking status, and details related to pain, including the presence of pain referral and the location of the referred pain. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16, employing descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test.
Results: A total of 369 patients with ischemic heart disease participated in the study, of which 31.20% experienced maxillofacial pain. No significant relationship was found between maxillofacial pain and gender (P = 0.687), age groups (P = 0.361), or smoking status (P = 0.983). The most commonly referred site was the mandible (48.2%), and the most common region was the left side (76.3%).
Conclusion: Our study revealed that referred cardiogenic pain in the maxillofacial region was relatively common, with the majority of cases occurring in the mandible and throat. The presence of maxillofacial pain was not significantly related to gender, age, or smoking. The most common pain referral sites were located in the mandible and were unilateral on the left side.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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Journal of Oral Health and Oral Epidemiology
Volume 14, Issue 1
January 2025
Pages 1-7

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History

  • Receive Date: 04 February 2025
  • Revise Date: 26 July 2025
  • Accept Date: 26 October 2025

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