Research links between Dentistry and Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience

29 Oct 2014

Dr. Eric Downer, Dept. Anatomy and Neuroscience, has published a new article with colleagues in Cork University Dental School and Hospital in the International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology.

Dr. Downer, alongside clinical collaborators Dr. Joseph McKenna and Dr. Christine McCreary, and Dental student Mr. Patrick McDonough, have published a paper entitled “Neuropathic orofacial pain: cannabinoids as a therapeutic avenue”. The article addresses the potential of cannabinoid compounds as a novel therapy for neuropathic orofacial pain disorders, including burning mouth syndrome, persistent idiopathic facial pain, trigeminal neuralgia and postherpetic neuralgia.

Dr. Downer say’s “We have focused on common neuropathic pain conditions observed in the Dental clinic, the pathophysiology of which are still largely unclear. Treatment options for these conditions tend to have limited efficacy with a great amount of inter-patient variability and poorly tolerated side effects. The cannabinoid system ticks a host of boxes for efficacy in the treatment of neuropathic pain, and hence we have investigated the potential use of cannabinoids in the treatment of symptoms associated with neuropathic orofacial pain”.

Dr. Downer, alongside Drs McKenna and McCreary, are currently planning a programme of patient-orientated research to identify novel inflammatory targets contributing to the progression of neuropathic orofacial pain disorders.

To read the article, click here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25150831