A survey on referred otalgia in Shahid Beheshti Clinic, Babol, 1999

Abstract

Background and Objective: Otalgia is a common compliant of patients at ENT clinic. The main problem in referred otalgia may be in head and neck that is referred to ear because of nervous connections. This study was done to determine the varieties of referred otalgia and its early diagnosis and treatment. Methods: This study was performed on patients with complaint of otalgia who referred to clinic of ENT. The parameters included age, duration of pain onset, quality of pain, result of physical examination, laboratory findings and some useless investigation by previous medical consultants were registered in questionnaire for 143 patients during 1999. Findings: Among 143 patients, 46% were with referred otalgia that 40% were male and 60% were female. The causes of referred otalgia were cervical osteoarthritis (15%), unerupted wisdom teeth (21.2%), carious molar teeth (13.6%) and temporomandibular syndrome (13.6%). Six percent of cases suffered from referred otalgia due to pharyngeal malignancy. Conclusion: The most common cause of referred otalgia was unerupted wisdom teeth. About 45% patients with referred otalgia had dental problems, therefore attention to dental condition is important in physical examination. Since hypopharynx, nasopharynx and oropharynx cancers are one of the etiological factors for referred otalgia, so it is necessary to be more careful in finding the cause of this disease in cases, which there isn’t any pathological otic finding.

Keywords

• referred otalgia
• cancer of pharynx
• temporomandibular joint disorder