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Dear All,

I hope everyone is having a great 2020 so far. We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the meeting in Florida. As reflected in the President’s message, the program committee has been working diligently to present yet another great program. Physical therapy committee is offering a pre-conference course at the upcoming meeting in Florida. You can find more information about the course in the newsletter.

Most of you are aware of the mentorship program led by Dr. Jeff Goldberg. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the first year of the program and strongly encourage everyone to consider participating. The program is thoughtfully planned and throughout the year we had interesting discussions ranging from case discussions to practice management. You will find more information about the program attached in the newsletter.

Our member spotlight section features Dr. Jeffrey Okeson. Dr. Okeson talks about how he got interested in the field of Orofacial Pain and why he feels it is the most rewarding field in Dentistry.

Lastly, I would like to thank our committee members Drs. Jasjot Sahni, Ghabi Kaspo and Patricia Fernandes for their time and efforts.

Regards,

Shuchi Dhadwal, D.M.D.
Chair, AAOP Publications Committee

President Message – Jay Mackman

Dear AAOP Membership,

jay-mackman.jpg First, I would like to wish all of our members and their families a very Happy and Healthy New Year. I again am so happy to report that our organization remains so active and vital and is currently busy with so many projects.

We had a very productive and successful council Mid-year meeting on Nov. 3, 2019, in Chicago, where many items were discussed, and many matters were decided. One of our highest priorities remains the recognition of Orofacial Pain as a specialty. This is very actively being led by the ad hoc specialty committee under chair Jim Fricton. The open for public comment part of the specialty process is closed, and now we are anxiously awaiting the vote on final approval in early March 2020.

AAOP MID-YEAR SYMPOSIUM ON SLEEP MEDICINE AND OROFACIAL PAIN

by Elmer A. Villalon, DMD Dear Colleagues, The 2019 AAOP Mid-Year Sleep and Pain Literature Review meeting held in Chicago at the Chicago O’Hare Hilton was another success. It was the sixth such literature review meeting of the AAOP. The 2018 was not a literature review meeting and was the first AAOP Mid-Year Sleep and Pain Symposium. That meeting was designed as a conventional meeting and was held for a day and a half. The second such Sleep and Pain Symposium is slated for November of 2020. The AAOP Sleep Committee is wanting to rotate years between the Sleep and Pain Literature Review meetings and the Sleep and Pain Symposiums.

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Jeffrey P. Okeson, DMD

Professor and Interim Dean Founder, of the Orofacial Pain Program University of Kentucky College of Dentistry How did you get interested in the field of Orofacial Pain?

AAOP MENTORSHIP PROGRAM 

We are very pleased to begin the second year of the AAOP Mentorship Program and welcome your participation!

This new service will help our members who are new to orofacial pain by matching them up with experienced providers. It is open to all AAOP members including students, researchers, physical therapists, etc., and any member can choose to be a mentor, mentee, or both – we all have plenty to learn and plenty to teach.