Pain pathway

Patient with pain

Pain in the mouth or jaw is most commonly related to the teeth. However, myocardial infarction may present with pain in the jaw on rare occasions. Patients suffering from toothache often self-medicate and might have exceeded the recommended dose of analgesics. Therefore, at the outset it is important to consider these possibilities to determine whether the patient might require emergency medical care.

Flowchart endpoints

The numbers shown in the circles at the top right hand corner of the endpoint boxes in this flowchart indicate the conditions that share the presenting symptoms that lead to this endpoint. Information on these conditions can be accessed by following the relevant link:

Endpoint 1 - tooth or mouth pain

Endpoint 2 - pain after extraction

Endpoint 3 - facial pain with visual disturbance

Endpoint 4 - facial pain

Endpoint 12 - pain or ulcers from minor trauma