Pre-Conference Courses
Pre-Conference Courses
Separate registration required for each pre-conference course
Hidden Connections: How Systemic Disease Relates to Orofacial Pain
8:30am – 4:30pm | St. Augustine A | Course Director: Davis Thomas
Telehealth for Orofacial Pain: Effectively Expanding Access to Care
8:30am – 12:00pm | St. Augustine B | Course Director: Emily Kahnert
Vestibular Basics in Orofacial Pain
1:00pm – 4:30pm | St. Augustine B | Course Director: Susan Whitney
Botulinum Toxin in Orofacial Pain Management
8:30am – 4:30pm | St. Augustine C | Course Directors: Donald Nixdorf, Isabel Moreno Hay
Orofacial Pain Essentials: A Powerful Primer for Dentists
8:30am – 4:30pm | St. Augustine D | Course Director: Sowmya Ananthan
Ultrasound Guided Injections for the TMJ – Morning & Afternoon Sessions
8:00am – 12:00pm & 1:00pm – 4:30pm | Off-site | Course Directors: Ricardo Tesch, Aurelio Alonso
Head and Neck Dissection
8:30am – 4:30pm | Off-Site | Course Directors: Ronald Auvenshine
Scientific Program
Friday, May 1
7:00am – 8:00am
Breakfast Session: How to Write and Review a Research Article
Daniele Manfredini
8:00am – 8:05am
Opening Remarks
Michele Schultz-Robins
8:05am – 8:15am
Introduction of New AAOP Fellows
Michele Schultz-Robins
8:15am – 8:20am
Introduction to New CCTTs
Mike Karegeannes
8:20am – 8:25am
Research Fund Update – $50k for 50 Years
Beth Groenke
8:25am – 8:30am
Introduction to Keynote Addresses
Nojan Bakhtiari
8:30am – 9:15am
Keynote: AAOP – 50 Years Strong: The Evolution and impact of Orofacial Pain
Jeffrey Okeson
9:15am – 10:00am
Keynote: A National Agenda: NASEM & the Future of Orofacial Pain Management
Sean Mackey
10:00am – 10:15am
Speaker Panel
10:15am – 10:45am
Coffee Break, Posters, and Exhibits
10:45am – 12:15pm
Morning Parallel Tracks
Track A: Advances in Diagnostics & Imaging
10:45am – 11:30am
MRI for the Future: Imaging Strategies to Optimize Orofacial Pain Diagnosis
Donald Nixdorf
11:30am – 12:15pm
Seeing Pain in Action: Functional MRI & PET Imaging of Nociceptors
Sandip Biswal
12:15pm – 12:30pm
Speaker Panel
Track B: Psychological & Behavioral Interventions
10:45am – 11:30am
Restoring Rest: Behavioral Sleep Strategies for Chronic Orofacial Pain
Ian Boggero
11:30am – 12:15pm
The Power of Partnership: Building Therapeutic Alliance in Persistent Pain
Monica Gremillion
12:15pm – 12:30pm
Speaker Panel
12:30pm – 1:45pm
Industry-Sponsored Lunch & Learn Sessions
Sessions are not eligible for CE credits
1:45pm – 2:30pm
Empowered Relief: Science-Based Self- Management for Pain
Beth Darnall
2:30pm – 3:15pm
Below the Belt to Above the Neck: Uniting Pelvic and Orofacial Pain
Sonya Bahlani
3:15pm – 3:30pm
Speaker Panel
3:30pm – 4:15pm
Coffee Break & Poster Session
4:15pm – 5:15pm
Afternoon Parallel Tracks
Track A: Managing Awake Bruxism
Daniele Manfredini
Track B: Low Dose Naltrexone: A Game Changer for Facial Pain?
Elizabeth Hatfield
5:15pm – 6:15pm
Posters Cocktail Hour
5:45pm – 6:15pm
Mentorship Program Reception
6:30pm – 9:00pm
Presidents Reception & 50th Anniversary Celebration
Saturday, May 2
7:00am – 8:00am
Breakfast
7:15am – 8:00am
AAOP General Membership Meeting
8:00am – 8:10am
Research Raffle
8:10am – 8:20am
Presidential Award & Honorary Membership
Michele Schultz-Robins
8:30am – 9:15am
CGRPs Decoded: Targeted Therapies for Headache and Orofacial Pain
Peter Goadsby
9:15am – 10:00am
Botox Beyond Wrinkles: Innovations in Orofacial Pain Management
Rob Delchano
10:00am – 10:15am
Speaker Panel
10:15am – 10:45am
Coffee Break, Exhibits, and Posters
10:45am – 12:15pm
Morning Parallel Tracks
10:45am – 12:15pm
Morning Parallel Tracks
Track A: The Body-Wide Impact on Orofacial Pain: From Hypermobility to Fibromyalgia
10:45am – 11:30am
The Impact of Hypermobility on Orofacial Pain
Linda Bluestein, Patti Stott
11:30am – 12:15pm
Fibromyalgia Unraveled: A Roadmap to Assessing and Managing Complex Pain
Roland Staud
12:15pm – 12:30pm
Speaker Panel
Track B: Sleep & Pain
10:45am – 11:30am
Sleep Neurophysiology: A Therapeutic Target to Enhance Pain Recovery
Kent Werner
11:30am – 12:15pm
Where Dentistry and Sleep Collide: Dental Sleep Medicine
Linda Sangalli
12:15pm – 12:30pm
Speaker Panel
12:30pm – 1:30pm
Lunch & Learn Sessions: TBD
1:45pm – 4:00pm
Afternoon Parallel Tracks
Track A: AI – Using Technology to Advance Learning and Diagnosis
1:45pm – 2:30pm
The AI Edge: How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Orofacial Pain Diagnosis
Anette Vistoso Monreal
2:30pm – 3:15pm
Using Online AI Tools to Enhance Knowledge Synthesis and Learning
Justin Peacock
3:15pm – 4:00pm
Utilizing AI for Dental Imaging Interpretations
Kaan Orhan
4:00pm – 4:15pm
Speaker Panel
Track B: Interdisciplinary Facets of Orofacial Pain Care
1:45pm – 2:30pm
Exploring the Role of Tongue Position in Orofacial Pain
John Schmidt
2:30pm – 3:15pm
Anywhere, Anytime: Telehealth Solutions for TMD Screening and Care
Emily Kahnert
3:15pm – 4:00pm
Functional Nutrition in Orofacial Pain Management
Sarah Geha
4:00pm – 4:15pm
Speaker Panel
4:15pm – 4:30pm
Break, Exhibits, & Posters
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Precision Pain Relief: TMJ Injectables and Regenerative Therapies
Brijesh Chandwani, Ricardo Tesch
5:30pm – 5:35pm
Research Raffle
Sunday, May 3
7:15am – 8:15am
Breakfast
8:15am – 8:30am
Research Raffle
8:30am – 9:15am
Whole-Body Healing: Managing Systemic Disease in Orofacial Pain Care
Davis Thomas
9:15am – 10:00am
Running a Resilient Practice: Pearls for Today's Orofacial Pain Clinician
Nojan Bakhtiari
10:00am – 10:45am
Panel Discussion: What's Next for Orofacial Pain?
Moderators: AAOP Leadership
10:45am – 11:45am
Oral Abstract Presentations & Poster Awards
11:45am – 12:00pm
Closing Remarks & 2027 Preview
Isabel Moreno Hay, Elizabeth Hatfield
