ATSU Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health Opens Orofacial Pain, Oral Medicine and Dental Sleep Solutions Institute

A.T. Still University Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health’s (ATSU-ASDOH) Advanced Care Clinic has recently added the Orofacial Pain, Oral Medicine and Dental Sleep Solutions Institute to provide expert treatment for patients who require care in these areas.

This state-of-the-art clinic provides diagnosis and treatment for orofacial pain, temporomandibular joint problems, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) and sores or growths in the mouth. In addition, oral appliance therapy is available for patients with diagnosed sleep apnea.

The Institute is unique as the only clinic in Arizona that addresses orofacial pain, TMD, oral medicine and sleep apnea issues, with a faculty consisting of multiple specialists. This allows patients to have consultations with several different specialists in a single visit, providing a convenient and cost-effective way to address these important health issues.

The team of dentists providing care at the Institute includes:

Joseph R. Cohen, D.D.S., FACD, FAAOP, FAHS, is an Assistant Professor at ATSU-ASDOH, where he is Director of the Orofacial Pain Program. He received advanced training in orofacial pain at University of California, Los Angeles, School of Dentistry. Dr. Cohen is a section editor for The Journal of Cranio Mandibular & Sleep Practice and is a frequent reviewer for several journals including The Journal of the American Dental Association, Headache, Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology and many others. Dr. Cohen is a diplomate and past president of the American Board of Orofacial Pain and a fellow and past president of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain. He was also a diplomate of the Academy of Integrative Pain Management (which has ceased operation) and is a Fellow of the American Headache Society.

Seena Patel, D.M.D., M.P.H., currently serves as Associate Director of Oral Medicine and is an Associate Professor at ATSU-ASDOH. Her expertise is in orofacial pain, oral medicine and dental sleep medicine. She is a diplomate of both the American Board of Orofacial Pain and the American Board of Oral Medicine. Dr. Patel simultaneously earned her dental and master’s in public health degrees from ATSU-ASDOH, and thereafter completed her residency in both orofacial pain and oral medicine at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC.

Bruce White, D.D.S., is an Assistant Professor at ATSU-ASDOH, where he helped establish a sleep apnea program for the school. He supervises the dental sleep medicine program and is responsible for the education and training of residents in dental sleep medicine. Dr. White has been involved in the field of sleep apnea for over 25 years, starting with providing sleep apnea treatment in his private practice. He then transitioned to a partnership, Sleep Alternatives on Missouri, limited to treating sleep apnea and forming partnerships with health care providers on innovative ways to treat sleep apnea. He has also provided sleep apnea treatment in other clinics, from a practice limited to oral facial pain and sleep apnea to a large group practice. He has lectured on sleep health and assisted with sleep apnea education in developing nations for the past 10 years.

Rebecca Schaffer, D.D.S., is an Adjunct Professor at ATSU-ASDOH. Her area of expertise is patients with special needs, chronic pain and complex medical histories. She also owns a private practice in Phoenix. She is a board-certified specialist in orofacial pain and a diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain. Dr. Schaffer maintained a mobile practice, caring for people who are homebound, hospitalized, residing in nursing homes or otherwise unable to seek traditional dental care. She returned to academia after 10 years in practice, earning a post-doctoral fellowship in treating people with complex medical problems, orofacial pain and infectious disease. She volunteers with the Spear Open Wide Foundation in Guatemala, where she established the first clinic there for people with special needs. She currently serves on the Ryan White Part A Quality Committee for Maricopa County. She serves as the North American delegate to the World Federation of Hemophilia Dental Committee. She is a member of the American Dental Association, American Academy of Orofacial Pain, American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research and the American Dental Education Association.

Courtesy of Jason Hunsicker, Social Media & Public Relations Manager, A.T. Still University

Published on August 11, 2021