Facial pain is one of the most common forms of chronic pain. Despite this, there has previously been no standardized burden measurements, such as impact on the individual and healthcare costs across countries and in relation to other diseases. A new international research collaboration, led by researchers at Umeå University, has now developed lay descriptions that make it possible to visualize the global burden of disease caused by facial pain.
"We can now, for the first time, compare the burden of living with facial pain to conditions such as diabetes—that is, how much a person is affected over the course of their life by having this condition," says Anna Lövgren, Associate Professor at the Department of Odontology at Umeå University and one of the researchers leading the study.
Facial pain is often caused by overloading of the muscles or joints in the jaw, which then become painful. The condition affects everyday activities such as eating and speaking and is often long-lasting. Many individuals also experience concurrent problems, including headaches and disturbed sleep. Data from Sweden further show that people with facial pain are more likely to have long periods of sick leave. However, the total costs of this condition have so far been difficult to quantify.
"Now that we can estimate the disease burden of facial pain, we can also link it to health data and evaluate, for example, how many people are affected and what consequences this has for society. We can also estimate the cost of management in terms of healthcare visits, examinations, and treatment," says Anna Lövgren.
Anna Lövgren is currently working to develop an initial estimate of the global disease burden of facial pain. Her hope is that care for patients with facial pain will become better and more accessible when it can be more easily compared to other diseases.
"We argue that this facial pain and related symptoms should be included in healthcare fee systems so that patients can afford the treatment they would benefit from. This is an undertreated condition," says Anna Lövgren.
About the Study
Lövgren, A., Liv, P., Allison, J. R., et al. (2026). Lay descriptions of painful temporomandibular disorders—an international consensus proposal for Global Burden of Disease estimates. BMC Medicine, 24, 165. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-026-04790-3
