Abstract

Orofacial movement disorders (OMD) are a group of conditions that affect the motor aspect of the trigeminal, facial, and hypoglossal cranial nerves. These alterations are produced by pathologic disorders affecting the central nervous system, manifesting as isolated or combined hyperkinetic dysfunctional activities on the masticatory, facial mimic, or tongue musculatures. A comprehensive understanding of orofacial dystonias is essential to identify different variants of OMD that could be easily mislabeled or misdiagnosed. In this chapter, the authors focus on different aspects of the pathophysiology, epidemiology, clinical features, and management of orofacial dystonias and other movement disorders that are poorly recognized but not uncommon presentations of OMD, such as orofacial dyskinesias, drug-induced orofacial reactions, tardive orofacial syndromes, and bruxism.