One of the enigmas of primary headache is that they are, with the exception of neuralgiform pain, the only human pain syndromes which appear in regular attacks. Attacks of pulsating leg-pain or arm-pain, which may last well-defined periods of time and are accompanied by specific symptoms, bothering patients for most of their life, simply do not exist. The same holds true for dental pain. But then: We will only see what we know and understand. Patients who suffer from facial or dental pain (with the exception of trigeminal neuralgia) will primarily consult their dentist and patients suffering from head pain will be referred to neurologists.

The situation of chronic non-odontogenic facial pain today resembles in many aspects the situation of headache 30 years ago: facial pain is unrecognized, underdiagnosed and due to limited knowledge or specific treatment options often untreatable. However, huge efforts have been made in the last 20 years and a concrete achievement out of cross talk and collaborations between the disciplines is perhaps that we are at the brink of a new and generally accepted facial pain classification. The ultimate winners of all this are the patients and now is the right time to join forces.

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion, participants will be better able to:

• Describe anatomical and physiological peculiarities of the trigeminal system
• Recognize overlapping syndromes between Headache and Facial Pain
• Describe a silhouette of our future understanding of facial and head pain