An Audit of Trigeminal Neuralgia Patients Visiting the Tertiary Care Hospital of Lahore

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to know the prevalence of trigeminal neuralgia in patients presenting to the University College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Lahore, the side of involvement, most common nerve involved and the age of onset of disease. Study Design: observational cross-sectional study. Settings: Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, University College of Dentistry, University of Lahore, Lahore Pakistan. Duration: January 2018 to December 2019. Methodology: After approval from the ethical committee, the record of all patients was checked over a period from January 2018 to December 2019 who presented the oral and maxillofacial department of University College of Dentistry, University of Lahore. The total number of patients presented in this period was noted to calculate prevalence and the confirmed cases of trigeminal neuralgia were selected. The spreadsheet was prepared to collect the data. The descriptive statistics were calculated using SPSS version 21. Results: During this study period 17155 patients visited the oral and maxillofacial surgery department. Out of 17155, only 80 patients (0.46%) of trigeminal neuralgia presented to the oral and maxillofacial surgery department. Females are affected more than males. The right facial side is more involved than the left. It affects more the middle age (41%-50%) patients. In our population, the mandibular branch was more affected than the maxillary branch of the trigeminal nerve. Conclusion: Trigeminal neuralgia is a rare disease; its prevalence is 0.46% in our institution. It has a propensity for middle-aged females. The mandibular branch (V3) of the trigeminal nerve is more affected than the maxillary branch (V2) followed by ophthalmic branch (V1).