Orofacial Pain Now Approved As A Dental Specialty
This achievement of specialty status was an end result of over 30 years of effort by the American Academy of Orofacial Pain, its past and present leadership and countless council and committee members. As a result, Orofacial Pain is now the 12th recognized specialty of the ADA’s National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards.
From a broad perspective, the specialty of Orofacial Pain (OFP) “involves the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients with orofacial pain disorders, including temporomandibular muscle and joint (TMJ) disorders, oromotor and jaw behavior disorders, neuropathic and neurovascular pain disorders and related head and neck pain, as well as expanding our knowledge of the underlying cause and mechanisms of these disorders. This specialty also includes screening, management and coordination of care associated with sleep-related breathing disorders.”
Currently, there are 232 board-certified Orofacial pain specialists in the US (15 of them practice in the state of Texas and only three in the DFW area).
The scope of Orofacial Pain includes diagnosis and treatment of, but not limited to the following.
- Jaw/TMJ/TMD Disorders
- Orofacial Pain
- Myofascial Pain (muscle pain)
- Sleep Apnea (snoring)
- Primary Headache Disorders (migraines, tension headaches, etc.)
- Burning Mouth Syndrome
- Trigeminal neuralgia or neuropathy, occipital neuralgia, etc.
It is my hope that this specialty recognition will lead to increased dental school initiatives to educate dental students, a more complete grasp of the complexity of orofacial pain problems among practicing dentists and, most importantly, increased access to care for patients who are suffering including the insurance coverage of these conditions.
