Use of the universal pain assessment tool for evaluating pain associated with TMD in youngsters with an intellectual disability

2016

Background The Universal Pain Assessment Tool (UPAT) was used to assess the level of pain in people with limited communication skills. The UPAT enables clinicians to consult a specialized pain management team more often and lead to earlier interventions. The purpose of this study was to determine, whether the UPAT could be used as an extra tool to collect data on functional TMJ pain and to assess orofacial pain levels related to temporomandibular disorder(s) (TMD) in people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Material and Methods Non-down syndrome ID Athletes were screened during the Special Olympics European games in 2014. The clinical scores of possible functional jaw pain were collected…