Insights
Stay up-to-date with the latest news and ideas in the fields of Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine, Geriatric Dentistry, Oral Pathology and Radiology, Pain Medicine and Pain Science, and Community Oral Health.
How to Increase Student Performance with Active Learning
Apr 3, 2020
In this installment of our series on effective online teaching, we will cover the basics of creating a recorded interactive lecture and an interactive course manual. In subsequent articles, we will explore the technology needed to do this. Our goal is to go well...
Flexible Coping Strategies May Help with Chronic Pain & Depression
Mar 31, 2020
This article was originally published on Confronting Chronic Pain. One of the most important things that those who have chronic pain can do is to learn about the many different coping strategies that exist. There are many to choose from, and there is science behind...
Teledentistry – Frequently Asked Questions
Mar 31, 2020
These FAQs were collected from a recent webinar on Telehealth & COVID-19 presented by the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry with Dr. Glenn Clark, Professor Linda Brookman, Dr. Kamal Aleryani, and Dr. Steven Richeimer. What is Teledentistry in 2020?...
How to Teach Online Courses Effectively
Mar 27, 2020
I recommend five things that you should consider using if you want to teach interactively: focused lectures, interactive teaching, supplementation, guided and structured discovery, and rewards (F.I.S.G.R.) 1. Focused, Short, Up-to-Date Lectures The first letter is “F”...
Help Others, Help Yourself: Altruistic Behaviors Relieve Chronic Pain
Mar 23, 2020
This article was originally published on Confronting Chronic Pain. If you have ever done something nice for someone else, you know that it gives you a great feeling. We all like the feeling that we get when we have taken action to do something for someone in need....
Oral Motor Disorders: Hemi-facial Spasms
Mar 9, 2020
Secondary Masticatory Muscle Spasm Occasionally the jaw closers or jaw openers can develop a continuous strong spastic activity which if sustained for a long period of time, will actually produce contracture with substantial shortening of the muscle. Often this...
Understanding Oral Motor Disorders: Synkinesis
Mar 9, 2020
Synkinesis A variation of hemi-facial spasm is the motor abnormality called synkinesis. This disorder occurs after a viral or traumatic paralysis of the seventh nerve. The nerve injury produces sprouting and the new motor connections cause inappropriate motor...
RGS4 Protein May Help Play a Role in Chronic Pain Maintenance
Mar 8, 2020
This article was originally published on Confronting Chronic Pain. Millions of people suffer from chronic pain around the country. It’s a condition that can be debilitating, keeping people from being able to enjoy the activities they love, as well as impacting their...
USC’s advanced program in orofacial pain endowed and named
Mar 6, 2020
Drs. Glenn T. Clark and Roseann Mulligan The investment ensures Ostrow’s first named program, The Dr. Glenn T. Clark Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine Program, continues educating the profession’s finest for years to come. BY JOHN HOBBS MA ’14 USC’s advanced program in...
Drug Induced Dystonic-type Extrapyramidal Reactions
Mar 2, 2020
There are patients who have developed a drug induced oral motor hyperactivity which does not fit into the dyskinesia category. [1] Some prescription medications and illegal drugs produce a motor response which is better classified as an unspecified...
5 Ways to Treat Bruxism
Feb 24, 2020
Bruxism Definition Bruxism can be defined as nonfunctional jaw movement that includes clenching, grinding, clicking, and gnashing of teeth during sleep. Based on EMG recording of the jaw closers during sleep, there are two basic patterns of bruxism reported: (1)...
Chemodenervation Injections for Treating Oromandibular Dystonia
Feb 10, 2020
Chemodenervation Injecting Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) into the affected musculature has proved to be the most effective means of managing conditions such as cervical and oromandibular dystonia. [1] [2] Chemodenervation with BoNT has become the management modality of...
Surgical Management for Oromandibular Dystonia
Feb 10, 2020
Owing to the increased morbidity of surgery, it is usually reserved as a last resort for those patients that fail to respond to medications or for those that develop resistance to botox injections and there are several methods described in the literature. The surgical...
Treating Oromandibular Dystonia: Tricks & Medical Management
Feb 3, 2020
Management of oromandibular dystonia can be broadly divided into four domains: 1.) sensory tricks, 2.) medical management, 3.) chemodenervation using botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), and 4.) surgical management. In this article, we explain the first two...
Hyperactive Oral Motor Disorders: Oromandibular Dystonia
Jan 27, 2020
Oromandibular Dystonia (OMD) Oromandibular dystonia (OMD) is a rare focal neurological disorder that affects mouth, face, and jaws, defined as an involuntary, repetitive, and sometimes sustained muscle contraction of the jaw and perioral muscles. Dystonia can be...
Introduction to Orofacial Movement Disorders
Jan 21, 2020
Movement disorders are a complex group of disorders spanning all aspects of neurological illnesses and range from conditions characterized by too little movement (hypokinesis) to those where movement is excessive (hyperkinesis) [1]. Movement disorders are...
A Dentist’s Guide: Oral Pathology of Vesicular Ulcerative Conditions
Dec 16, 2019
Explore a variety of vesicular ulcerative conditions of the oral cavity including common conditions such as Herpes, Syphilis, Aphthous Stomatitis, and Squamous Cell Carcinomas, and rare oral diseases such as Pemphigus Vulgaris, Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid,...
The Dentist’s Guide: Obstructive Sleep Apnea & Sleep Disorders
Dec 10, 2019
Dr. Glenn Clark, DDS developed this content for his Systems Physiology, Sleep, Motor Disorders Course for Dental Residents of the Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine master's program at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC. Why is sleep a concern for dentists?...
Why Patients with Chronic Pain Seek Chiropractic Care
Dec 4, 2019
Many people who suffer from chronic pain seek the assistance of health professionals. While some turn to traditional medical doctors, others opt for chiropractic care. For many, the allure of chiropractic care is in the idea that they try to use alternative...
Zweig elected vice president of the American Association of Endodontists
Dec 3, 2019
Stefan Zweig DDS ’86, ENDO ’92 BY JILLIAN CARMENATE ’22 Stefan Zweig DDS ’86, ENDO ’92 has been elected vice president of the American Association of Endodontists. The AAE is a global resource for knowledge, research and education for the profession. The Ostrow...
Oldak named Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science
Nov 26, 2019
Photo by Phil Channing BY YASMINE PEZESHKPOUR MCM ’19 Professor Janet Oldak has been selected as a Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The prestigious honor is bestowed upon members through nominations by their...
Non-Pharmacological Interventions to Help Older People with Chronic Pain
Nov 26, 2019
Pain is something that most of us feel at one time or another. It may come and go for most, but for millions of people it’s persistent. When it sticks around, it becomes chronic pain, which is something that is common among older people. Knowing the best ways to...
Roseann Mulligan earns 2020 Gies Award for Achievement for Dental Educators
Nov 26, 2019
BY JOHN HOBBS MA ’14 Associate Dean of Community Health Programs and Hospital Affairs Roseann Mulligan MS ’87 has been awarded a 2020 Gies Award for Achievement for Dental Educators from the ADEAGeis Foundation. This prestigious award is meant to pay...
Six faculty members honored with chair, professorship appointments
Nov 26, 2019
Such appointments are the highest honor a university can bestow. BY JOHN HOBBS MA ’14 Six Ostrow faculty members are slated to be inducted into chair and endowed professorships at an official ceremony taking place in early 2020. “Endowed faculty positions represent...