Mayum Negi, Kanwarjit Singh Asi, Ajay Mahajan

ABSTRACT

Background: Chronic periodontitis is a major cause of tooth loss in today’s world. The disease is characterised by loss of periodontal attachment support and bone resorption, eventually resulting in tooth mobility and loss. Acute pain symptoms in chronic periodontitis are clinically rare and it has been scarcely reported in the literature. Here we present a case of acute pain manifestation in chronic periodontitis. A 34-year-old female was referred to the Department of Periodontics for the treatment of persistent pain in upper right back tooth region. The dental history of the patient revealed her visit to multiple dental clinics with same complaint and she was prescribed antibiotics and analgesics but had no relief. Based on detailed clinical and radiographic examination a Provisional diagnosis of chronic periodontitis was made. Surgical periodontal therapy was initiated and Patient responded well to the treatment. Conclusion: Although rare, chronic periodontitis can manifest with acute pain symptoms. Therefore chronic periodontitis should be included in the provisional diagnosis in patients with acute pain with no established cause.