Abstract

Pain is a personal, subjective experience that involves sensory, emotional and behavioural factors. Most of us at some stage in our lives have experienced pain. The most common type of pain that springs to mind is the acute or 'healthy' inflammatory pain associated with a bee sting or toothache. But increasingly, in the western world, one in three of us will also experience chronic pain, or unhealthy 'nerve' pain, most commonly associated with backache, headaches or persistent post-surgical pain. As this is a persistent state and derives from the nerves themselves, it is significantly more of a challenge to treat. This article highlights some significant progress made in the assessment and treatment of patients with neuropathic pain. An improved understanding of chronic or neuropathic pain by practitioners and patients themselves, will undoubtably better equip those involved to recognise and manage the pain.

1. Professor of Oral Surgery, Department of Oral Surgery, Dental Institute, King's College London, King's Denmark Hill Campus, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9RW
   e-mail: tara.renton@kcl.ac.uk