What You Will Learn

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD), articular and muscular, rarely occur in isolation but rather as a cluster of problems often with overlapping symptoms. The multifactorial nature of these musculoskeletal problems demand identifying inter-related diagnoses and rendering a multidisciplinary management approach. Regional myofascial pain will be differentiated from global muscle pain (fibromyalgia) and “daily headache”, such as cervicogenic headache and tension-type headache. The spectrum of articular disorders from normal biologic variations to dysfunctional displacement disorders through end-stage processes of degenerative joint disease will be discussed. These variations will be presented in order to implement appropriate management that promotes tissue repair and improves function with minimal risk for the patient.

Centrally-mediated neuropathic pain conditions, such as atypical odontalgia, will also be presented. Some patients are more at risk for developing non-dental tooth pain during or following dental treatment than others. These risk factors need to be recognized before initiating comprehensive and invasive treatment. For the clinician, when dental treatment is being contemplated for the at-risk jaw patient, every effort to maintain a functional equilibrium between the compromised tissues of the masticatory system must be considered. If signs or symptoms are present before, or develop during, treatment, timely assessment and management need to be implemented utilizing an orthopedic model.

This course will provide case presentations plus 3D animations of the various TMD conditions, pulpal anatomy and TM joint structures.

Learning Objectives:

• Review the International Headache Society’s classification of head and face pain with an embedded TMD classification which is recognized world-wide.
  
  
• Develop a problem-based, goal-oriented treatment plan for the most common TMD jaw diagnoses.
  
  
• Discuss the risk factors associated with non-dental tooth pain.
  
  
• Learn how to order specific types of orthoses (intra-occlusal appliances) based on problem solving for each individual patient.