Therapeutic effects of nerve block combined with radiofrequency ablation on trigeminal nerve pain in oral and maxillofacial region

Objective To investigate the clinical effects of nerve block combined with radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of trigeminal pain in oral and maxillofacial region. Methods Eighty patients with trigeminal pain in oral and maxillofacial region admitted to Second Hospital of Lanzhou University from December 2016 to October 2018 were enrolled in the study. The patients were grouped according to the order of admission, of which the first 40 cases were allocated into single group and the latter 40 cases were allocated into combined group. And the single group was treated by nerve block therapy, and the combined group was treated by nerve block combined with radiofrequency surgery. The efficacy, degree of pain before and after treatment, frequency of pain, incidence of adverse reactions, and quality of life were compared between the two groups. Results The excellent and good rate of treatment was 70.00% (28/40) in the single group, and 90.00% (36/40) in the combined group; the difference in excellent and good rate was significant between the two groups (P<0.05). After treatment, the pain scores, frequency of pain onset and quality of life interference scores of the combined group were lower than those of the single group (P<0.05); moreover, the adverse reaction rate of the combined group was 5.00% (2/40), lower than the 25.00% (10/40) of the single group (P<0.05). Conclusions In the treatment of patients with oral and maxillofacial trigeminal pain, nerve block and radiofrequency surgery can effectively improve the pain symptoms, reduce the frequency and degree of pain, reduce the incidence of adverse reactions, and improve the quality of life of patients, with great long-term efficacy. Key words: Nerve block; Oral and maxillofacial; Trigeminal pain; Radiofrequency surgery