Speaker: Dr. Henry Gremillion, DDS

Henry A. Gremillion, D.D.S. attended Louisiana State University, Louisiana State University School of Dentistry and the University of Florida College of Dentistry. Following completion of the fellowship in craniofacial pain at the University of Florida in 1991, Dr. Gremillion accepted an appointment as assistant professor in the Department of Prosthodontics at the University of Florida College of Dentistry. In 1992 he was named Director of the Parker E. Mahan Facial Pain Center and currently holds an appointment as associate professor in the Department of Orthodontics and an affiliate appointment in the Department of Prosthodontics.

Dr. Gremillion serves as consultant to numerous organizations such as the U.S. Armed Forces, and is on the Board of Directors of the L.D. Pankey Institute in Key Biscayne, Florida. He is also on the editorial Board of The Journal of Craniomandibular Practice and The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry.

TMD/OROFACIAL PAIN DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT:

CURRENT CONCEPTS

Dentistry and dental practice are truly in the midst of a Golden Age.  Never before has the general population appreciated more that quality oral health is a significant component of quality overall health.  Additionally, technological and technique-related advances have greatly enhanced diagnostic and treatment outcomes.  Based upon recent scientific evidence, today’s dentist must become a physician of the masticatory system and beyond.  Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) encompass a multitude of conditions which involve the temporomandibular joints, muscles of mastication, and/or contiguous structures.  Many TMD diagnostic subgroups share common clinical characteristics.  Diagnosis and management of TMD has been associated with many misconceptions and much debate.  It is now recognized that multiple factors are involved with the initiation and/or perpetuation of TMD.  Additionally, we now have a greater appreciation for the total pain experience including pain mechanisms/pathways and pain referral in the head and neck.  The importance of individualizing diagnosis and management for optimum therapeutic outcomes is well-recognized.  This presentation will also address new vistas for the dental practitioner of 2008.  Areas that will be highlighted include:  differential diagnosis and management of commonly occurring headaches, neurogenic conditions,  the dentist’s role in sleep disturbances to include sleep bruxism and sleep-related breathing disorders, and pharmacotherapeutic advances in the treatment of orofacial pain.

This course will emphasize diagnosis and non-surgical management of this challenging, yet common group of musculoskeletal disorders.  This program will provide the participant with a better understanding of:

·         the rationale for a thorough history and examination

·         current concepts of pain referral in the head and neck

·         diagnostic criteria for commonly occurring TMD subgroups

·         etiologic considerations essential for case-specific management

·         sleep-related conditions such as bruxism and breathing disorders

·         reversible approaches to management in the vast majority of cases

·         the development of a “case-specific” plan of care for each patient

·         the concept of multidisciplinary management of TMD/orofacial pain

REGISTRATION