April 30th through May 3rd marked the 50th Annual American Academy of Orofacial Pain conference, Celebrating 50 Years of Clinical Excellence in Orlando, FL, at the beautiful Disney Grand Floridian Resort. The conference started with a Keynote address, the 50th Anniversary of the AAOP: The Journey from Gnathology to Orofacial Pain History, given by the LEGEND Dr. Jeffrey Okeson. Several of my colleagues presented: Dr. Emily Kahnert, PT, DPT, PhD, CCTT, presented on Telehealth for Orofacial Pain: Effectively Expanding Access to Care, and Dr. Sue Whitney, DPT, PhD, NCS, ATC, FAPTA, presented on Vestibular Basics in Orofacial Pain. So much more was shared by excellent Dentists and other disciplines with our one common goal, to better serve our patients suffering from TMD, headaches, migraines, and Orofacial Pain. Another great topic was The Impact of Hypermobility on Orofacial Pain by Dr. Linda Bluestein, M.D., and Patricia Stott, PT, DPT, MS, ATC, CHT, CYT. A great presentation by Sarah Geha MS, CNS, LDN on Nutrition as a Pain-Modulating Tool: Diet Patterns, Nutrient Status, and Practical Protocols and finally another great speaker that stood out to me was by Dr. David Thomas BDS, DDS, MSD, MSc Med, MSc , Whole-Body Healing: Managing Systemic Disease in Orofacial Pain Care, who gave several lectures and finally someone who is giving more attention to the role Systemic inflammatory disorders and autoimmune issues effect TMD and Orofacial Pain.
As the President of the PTBCCT (Physical Therapy Board of Craniofacial and Cervical Therapeutics) https://www.ptbcct.org/ , I was honored to present to our fellow PTs who could be present to receive their CCTT certificate (Certified Cervical and Temporomandibular Therapist), Dr. Jenna Goar PT, DPT, CCVT, Cert. DN, CCTT, Dr. Stephen McGeorge PT, DPT, CCTT, and Dr. Joe Damiani PT, DPT, CCTT. We had 19 more PTs sit for our certification exam this year, so we are growing stronger each year. I feel humbled and honored to be on the board and surrounded by so many amazing, passionate, and talented PTs!
Overall, it was an amazing 5 days, great collaboration between Dentistry, Physical Therapy, and More! Next year we are in Nashville, so block your calendars!!!
