Zvonko Kućer
Clinic of Dentistry, Department of oral surgery
Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Serbia

The feeling of pain is a reflection of a deeply subjective experience of each individual. In order for the study of pain as a separate phenomenon to be scientifically based, it is necessary to measure it, its quality and intensity objectively. This paper describes the most frequently used methods for the objective measurement of pain in clinical conditions and laboratory, and almost all of them are based on registering subjective expressions of examinees. The MPQ method offers the most precise data on the intensity and quality of pain, but its application is complicated and requires much time on the part of the examinees. Although it is difficult to determine which of the described methods of the objective measurement of pain can be most acceptable for routine clinical work and scientific research in orofacial surgery, the advantage is given to the VAS and VRS methods for their simplicity and easy application.

Key words: pain, objective measurement, intensity, quality, method, clinical, orofacial surgery
 

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