Psychosocial factors in the etiology, diagnosis and management of temporomandibular disorders.

Systematic attempts to treat pain have been closely aligned with how pain is conceptualized and evaluated. Traditionally, the focus in medicine (and dentistry) has been on the cause of the reported pain, with the assumption that there is a physical basis for the pain. Once it is identified, the source can be blocked by medical or operative intervention. In the absence of a physical basis, the situation was once labeled as "psychogenic pain." Today, it is widely accepted that such a dichotomous view of the pain experience is incomplete and inadequate. There is no question that physical factors contribute to pain symptoms or that psychological factors play a role in the pain reporting of patients. Similarly, the traditional approach, which brings in many cases to disregard clinical pain as originating due to "psychological" factors, must be strongly rejected.