Prevalence of Orofacial Pain Among Women with Vulvodynia: Prospective Two Year Follow-Up Study

Background: Vulvar Vestibulitis (VVS) is the most common cause of vulvodynia in reproductive age women, affecting up to 15% of the general female population. Women with VVS have pain with intercourse, and sensitivity to touch on genital contact. Psychological characteristics such as anxiety and somatization are also common in the population. Evidence supports VVS as a complex pain disorder, akin to idiopathic musculoskeletal pain conditions, such as temporomandibular disorder, the most common form of orofacial pain (OFP). We have previously found that OFP was a common co-morbidity among women with VVS. Higher levels of anxiety, somatization, and psychological distress were found among women with VVS and OFP, than among those women with VVS and no OFP. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to assess the stability of our original findings and investigate the change in OFP symptoms over a 2 yr period among women with vulvar vestibulitis