Prevalence of trigeminal neuralgia in patients with multiple sclerosis referrals to Iranian society of multiple sclerosis (2005)

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is one of the symptoms of M.S diseases which is seen in 1.9% of affected population. In 0.3% of the cases it can be the first symptom of the disease. Due to no report available in Iran, the present study was done to determine the prevalence of TN in MS patients. Methods & Materials: In this descriptive and case – series study, 125 patients with MS were randomly selected from the Iranian Society of M.S patients. The patients were interviewed and the following data regarding the age of the disease occurrence, the first sign of the illness, when the illness diagnosed and who diagnosed it, and finally the maxillofacial manifestations of the disease were collected and registered in related questionnaire. Supplemental information was also derived from the patient’s files. Chi-square test was used for data analysis. Of the studied patients, 72 were women and 53 men. The mean age of disease onset was 26.5 years old. The most common symptom of the disease was optical disturbances (36%). Regarding the manifestations of the maxillofacial area, 11.2 % of the patients had experienced TN, 40.8 % trigeminal neuropathy and 20% facial palsy. The presence of TN was bilateral in 50% of the patients and in 2 patients (1.6%) was the first symptom of the illness. The maxillary and mandibular branches of trigeminal nerve were the most affected. Statistical analysis showed a significant relation between age and sex with TN. TN was more common among the woman with multiple sclerosis (p=0.002) and the mean age was lower in these patients (p=0.000). The dentists should be familiar with this kind of facial pain to avoid unnecessary treatments. Also in encountering a young patient with TN, they should mind MS and if TN occurs as the first manifestation of disease, to promote the right time of treatment.