Medication use in a female orofacial pain population

Objective: This study compared, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the self-reported medication usage between an adult female orofacial pain population and a comparison group. Study design: Eighty-seven subjects from both an orofacial pain center (OPC) and undergraduate dental clinic (UDC) completed a standardized medical history questionnaire. Both groups had a similar distribution with regard to age. The number of medications and medication categories were compared between the two groups. Statistical analysis used the Student t-test, Fisher's exact tests, Pearson's χ² tests, and calculated odds ratios. Results: The number of pain and non-pain medications, and the number of medication categories endorsed by OPC subjects was significantly higher compared with the UDC group. Conclusion: Adult female orofacial pain subjects report greater overall and higher rate of medication use, which was not limited to only the analgesic/narcotic categories, than the comparison group.