Temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain: up-to-date treatment protocols

He has been a full time faculty member at the University of Kentucky for 45 years. He is recognized worldwide as an authority in the field of TMD and orofacial pain, lecturing in every state in the USA and 59 different foreign countries. His textbooks have been translated into eleven different foreign languages and have become a standard for teaching throughout the world. His peers have called him the “World Ambassador for Orofacial pain”. He is a highly sought after speaker and has given more than 1300 invited lectures throughout the world. He has received numerous awards, honors and recognitions for his outstanding teaching and educational abilities. Some of these awards include the campus wide University of Kentucky “Great Teacher Award”, the Provost’s Distinguished Service Professorship, the American Academy of Orofacial Pain’s Service Award and the first ever “Distinguished Alumni Award” from the College of Dentistry. In addition, he received the State of Kentucky Acorn Award for the best professor in the state and was inducted into the University of Kentucky Hall of Distinguished Alumni. Dr. Okeson has also received “The International Dentist of the Year Award” from the Academy of Dentistry International. This is the highest award recognized by this Academy and was given to him in recognition of his worldwide efforts in providing education in the area of temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain. In addition to his two textbooks, he has more then 240 publications in scientific journals. He is founder of the Orofacial Pain Program at the University of Kentucky. He has developed several full-time teaching programs associated with the Center. The Master of Science Degree program he established was the first in the United States to be accredited by the American Academy of Orofacial Pain. The Orofacial Pain Residency Program was one of the very first to be accreditated by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. This program has graduated 65 full time residents from 26 different countries. He is active in many national and international organizations and is past president of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain. He is also a founding diplomate and twice past president of the American Board of Orofacial Pain. Dr. Okeson is presently serving as Dean of the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry. Dr. Okeson is a captivating lecturer with a teaching style that is engaging, logical and based on the available science. He is one of the few individuals in the world capable of bringing all these subjects together into one lecture series.

Received his doctorat in dentistry (DDS) in 1978 from the Faculty of Dentistry, Aix-Marseille University, France.

He was certified in Anthropology in 1979, in fixed prosthodontic and Occlusodontology in 1980.

He received his master (DSO) in 1983.

He became assistant in fixed prosthodontic department in 1985.

He received his Doctorat d`Universite  – University thesis- in 1990 (PhD).

In 1993 he was associated professor, Chairman of the Occlusion and Dysfunction department of Faculty of Dentistry of Marseille. In this university, he manages a postgraduate education program in occlusion and TMD and a postgraduate education program in fixed prosthetic.

From 2007, he is Full Professor of University. He is Visiting professor of Donau University.

He was President of the French National College of Occlusodontology in 1995-96.

He is member of the European Academy of Craniomandibular Disorders.

He was President of International Academy of Advanced Interdisciplinary Dentistry (iAAID).

He had published 6 books and more than 130 scientific papers about occlusion, TMD and prosthodontics.

Ambrosina Michelotti graduated in Dentistry (DDS) in 1984 and received the Honorary Degree in Dentistry at the University of Malmo (Sweden) in 2018. In 1991 she's got the degree of specialist in Orthodontics and since then she has been teaching in pregraduate and postgraduate courses in Orthodontics and TMD at the University of Naples Federico II. She is associate professor in Orthodontics and Clinical Gnathology. She is director of the post-graduated School in Orthodontics and responsible of the Master course on “Orofacial pain and Temporomandibular Disorders” at the University of Naples Federico II. Her clinical interests are limited exclusively to the orthodontic practice and the treatment of temporomandibular disorders. She has authored or co-authored more than 150 papers published in Italian and international journals, and co-author of several book chapters. She also gave numerous lectures at international congresses. Her research interests are mainly focused on clinical orthodontic, the basic physiology of the jaw muscles, on the etiology, diagnosis and management of temporomandibular disorders and on the relationship between the jaw musculature and orthodontics. She was the president of the European Academy of Craniomandibular Disorders (2010), President of the Neuroscience group of IADR (2011); President of SIDA (società italiana di disfunzioni ed algie temporomandibolari; 2012-2013); President of the RDC/TMD Consortium at the International Association od Dental Research (2013-2014); President of IBO (Italian Board of Orthodontics; 2021). Editor in Chief of the Orthodontic and Craniofacial Research journal, Associate Editor of the European Journal of Oral Science, Associate Editor of the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, member of the Editorial Board of the European Journal of Orthodontics and referee of several national and international journals.