Experience Matters
Learn from highly experienced faculty, train in one of the nation’s busiest orofacial pain clinics and collaborate in a stimulating multidisciplinary environment. It’s what makes Tufts University School of Dental Medicine’s Advanced Graduate Program in Orofacial Pain a destination for aspiring specialists from across the country.
Program Goals and Objectives
- Prepare residents to be competent with advanced knowledge in the Orofacial Pain field that constitutes the practice of Orofacial Pain, including the basic mechanisms and the anatomic, physiologic, neurologic, vascular, behavioral, and psychosocial aspects of orofacial pain.
- Provide residents with multidisciplinary clinical experience to become proficient at delivering oral health care by applying current evidence-based standards in orofacial pain to interprofessional clinical practice with quality improvements that are responsive to a dynamic health care environment.
- Provide the interprofessional skills to be proficient at functioning effectively and efficiently in multiple health care environments and within interdisciplinary health care teams.
- Provide the didactic and practical skills to apply scientific principles to learning pain management and to become proficient at evidence-based clinical decision-making/disseminating information and competent to conduct clinically related research.
- Prepare residents to teach orofacial pain in predoctoral clinical settings, to participate in presenting in continuing education programs, and to disseminate current pain knowledge to other professions.
- Utilize the values of professional ethics, lifelong learning, patient-centered care, adaptability, and acceptance of cultural diversity in professional practice.
Residents are required to complete core courses in the following topics:
- Biostatistics
- Epidemiology
- Research methodology
- Head and neck anatomy
- Oral medicine
- Oral pathology
- Pharmacology
Additional courses are offered in neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of orofacial pain, physical medicine, dental sleep medicine, pain assessment, and management.
In addition to our two-year program, we also offer an optional third year leading to the Master of Science degree from Tufts University.
This program has didactic and research requirements in addition to the clinical part. The didactic section requires the completion of 18 credit hours of courses toward the MS degree, taken in association with Masters’ candidates from other dental specialties. Some of these courses may be completed in the first two years (Certificate). The resident is also required to construct an original research proposal as part of his/her preparation for the research and thesis. This is essential for the completion of the MS requirements.
Research may be in a clinical or basic area relating to temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain. including gross anatomy, histology, dental occlusion, neurology, psychology, muscle function, pain control, to name a few. Upon successful completion of the MS program, a resident should be qualified to participate in the clinical aspects of temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain management, pursue an academic position, and conduct independent research.
The resident will also learn how to run a multidisciplinary pain practice or program and how to interact with the various health professionals. Residents will have the opportunity to follow-up their patients throughout the three years.
Financing Your Education
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