Barodontalgia Essay

During World War II, tooth pain experienced by the aircrew in flight was given the name aerodontalgia. As this tooth-related pain was also observed in divers, more appropriate term, barodontalgia, was subsequently given to this phenomenon. Barodontalgia, not only affects aircrew and aircraft passengers but the underwater divers as well. The pain or injury that affects teeth due to changes in pressure gradients can be explained via Boyle’s Law “at a given temperature, the volume of a gas is inversely proportional to the ambient pressure.” Since the introduction of modern flight, in past 60 years, with growing number of air passengers, in flight physiologic and pathologic phenomena began to be reported including those related to face and oral cavity. Hence, a dentist should be able to prevent these in flight hazards when they treat aircrew members as sudden incapacitation could jeopardize the flight’s safety. Thus, …show more content…
It might be because the aviators may be reluctant to report pain as they could be refused flying certificates since the demand is not just to have a fit and healthy body but also a good dental health. It appears that a controversy still exists as to the exact etiology of barodontalgia and the mechanisms of the induced pain. Agreement has been reached on 2 factors: the influence of a pressure gradient and some sort of pathology in oral tissues or sinuses must both be present to result in symptoms of barodontalgia. It is important for dentists to be able to provide more efficient diagnosis and care by referring to FDI guidelines, as well as knowing how certain dental materials respond to pressure gradients. But there is failure to provide immediate care. Even though the occurrence of barodontalgia has been in light for some time, more research is still required to improve the understanding of this