Box 1 Causes of primary and secondary otalgia
- Acute otitis media
- Otitis externa
- Recurrent parotitis
- Tonsillitis, quinsy, neck abscess
- Sinusitis/nasal causes
- Temporomandibular joint dysfunction
- Dental causes
- Rare causes
Archives of Disease in Childhood - Education and Practice 2009;94:33-36; doi:10.1136/adc.2007.117994
Copyright © 2009 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
BEST PRACTICE
Diagnosis and management of otalgia in children
1 Department of Otolaryngology, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, UK
2 Department of Otolaryngology, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK
Correspondence to:
Mr S Majumdar, Department of Otolaryngology, Ward 26, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK; s.majumdar@nhs.net
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Otalgia is a common symptom in children presenting to general practitioners, paediatricians and otorhinolaryngologists. Although the causes are frequently otological in origin, one needs to be aware of the non-otological pathologies that can result in referred pain to the ear. Inflammatory and infective conditions of the middle ear are by far the predominant causes of primary otalgia in children. Non-otological origins of earache include oral, oropharyngeal, laryngeal, dentoalveolar, sinonasal and musculoskeletal pathologies (box 1).
MECHANISM OF OTALGIA
The human ear has numerous sensorineural supplies,1 which often explains the various types of referred earache. The great auricular, facial, lesser occipital, auriculo-temporal and vagus nerves innervate the external and middle ear. The great auricular nerve supplies the posterior part of the lateral surface of the pinna and most of its superior aspect, while the facial
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