Quantitative Sensory Testing in Trigeminal Nerve Damage Assessment

Evaluating sensory nerve damage is a challenging and often frus-trating process. Diagnosis and follow-up is usually based on the patient’s history and gross physical evaluation in addition to sim-ple sensory tests such as brushing or pin prick. Based on evidence accumulated from clinical and animal experiments, quantitative sensory testing (QST) has emerged as a useful tool in the assess-ment of sensory nerve damage. QST has demonstrated diagnostic capabilities in temporomandibular disorders, burning mouth syn-drome, oral malignancies, numb chin syndrome, posttraumatic pain, and whiplash injuries, and in elucidating mechanisms of cen-tral sensitization. In this article specific clinical uses of QST are described and its clinical applicability is demonstrated. Future studies should be directed at exploring the use of QST in the diag-nosis and classification of further nerve pathologies.

burning mouth syndrome; neuritis; neuropathic pain; oral malignancy; quantitative sensory testing

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