How to Manage Patients with Acute Jaw Pain; Quick Assessment for Diagnosis and Evidence-Based-Treatment Planning

Jaw pain is a relatively common emergency encountered in a dental office.  This course will present a systematic approach for proper assessment and diagnosis for patients presenting with jaw pain.  We will review evidence-based therapeutic modalities to address such emergencies in a prompt manner.    

Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Understand why it is important to address jaw pain during acute phase   
• Learn how to perform stepwise assessment of a patient for an emergency visit
• Implement evidence-based treatments as per diagnosis of common conditions.

Dr. Zovinar Der Khatchadourian obtained her DDS from McGill University.  Her interest in facial pain began during her student years that eventually led her to take advanced courses on orofacial pain at l’Université de Montreal and Rutgers School of Dental Medicine in New Jersey.  
In 2012, she completed a one-year Fellowship Program in Orofacial Pain at the University of Kentucky. 

Dr Khatchadourian currently divides her time between her private practice and academics.  She is currently an Assistant professor at McGill University's Faculty of Dentistry and Oral health Sciences and has been teaching there since 2012.  She has developed an orofacial pain curriculum and established an undergraduate facial pain clinic for students to gain hands-on experience by assessing and managing pain patients under her supervision.  She also works at McGill University Health Center’s Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit, where she teaches medical students and residents how to assess and manage complex facial pain cases.