Effectiveness of Rikkosan for intractable intraoral pain

Case Case 1 involved a 64-year-old man with dull pain in the posterior part of the left lower jaw when chewing. His lower left second and third molars were extracted for pain relief, but pain recurred in the same region. On examination there were no abnormalities. The symptoms were diagnosed as atypical odontalgia and Rikkosan was prescribed. Case 2 involved a 56-year-old woman with a feeling of clamping of her lower incisors and pain in the tip and the left margin of the tongue. The symptoms were diagnosed as burning mouth syndrome and 2 week Rikkosan treatment was prescribed. Outcome In case 1, the symptoms disappeared 1 month later. In case 2, visual analog scale pain score improved. Conclusion Rikkosan may be useful for intractable intraoral pain, such as atypical odontalgia and burning mouth syndrome, that does not respond to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.