Faculty and Staff

Maixner to Speak on Orofacial Pain at NIDCR Council Meeting

On Tuesday, January 29, Dr. William Maixner, director of the Regional Center for Neurosensory Disorders (RCNSD), will speak at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) Council Meeting.

Maixner will present on the Orofacial Pain Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment (OPPERA) study, a novel four-site pain study Maixner oversaw. He and his co-program director, Dr. Gary Slade, as well as his co-investigators were also recently awarded $16 million to continue their research under the OPPERA II grant. The second study is designed to build on the findings of OPPERA I and deepen the understanding of risk factors and genetic markers for chronic pain conditions like temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD), headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, low back pain and chronic widespread pain.

“Chronic pain is a substantial health problem – one that we’re just starting to truly understand – that plagues more than 100 million U.S. citizens,” said Maixner. “OPPERA I and OPPERA II are critical to furthering our knowledge about human pain conditions. Once we better understand the causes of chronic pain and how one type of pain condition relates to another, we’ll be better able to treat those who suffer daily from these disorders.”

Maixner is presenting during the public portion of the meeting, which is available for remote access. To view his presentation, visit http://videocast.nih.gov/ at 11 a.m. on January 29.