October 25-27, 2012 found me in Tempe, Arizona attending the International College of Craniomandibular Orthopedics’ 23rd B. Jankelson Memorial Lecture Forum and it happens this is the 23rd that I have attended. It has been over 40 years now since Dr. Bernard Jankelson introduced the fundamental concepts of Neuromuscular Dentistry to the scientific community and the concepts being introduced continue to gain worldwide acknowledgement. The theme of this year’s Forum was “Occlusion: the Basis of Neuromuscular Dentistry”. The presenters were all experienced neuromuscular dentists, but reflected a range of specialized interest. For example, Dr. Rex Eatman, an oral surgeon from Dallas, Texas, demonstrated how relatively minor alterations in head posture can dramatically affect the patients’ dentition. Drs. Doug and Peter Chase from San Francisco, California, followed up this topic with a presentation of head posture related to the radiographic and anatomic analysis of cranial planes. There were also several presentations for dentist and their staff who are new to neuromuscular dentistry.
I was honored to be included among the presenters at this Forum. I presented a portion of a new systematic protocol I have been developing to improve diagnostic information collection. As I have often stated in previous presentations, it is my contention that the diagnostic process is 95% of case management. It is very difficult to be successful in treatment of craniofacial pain and dysfunction disorders when one begins with insufficient or inaccurate diagnostic information. None the less, I continue to see many patients who were previously diagnosed as having “TMJ” prior to initiating some kind of treatment (further detail in my next blog). Those of you reading this who are potential patients should keep this in mind when choosing a practitioner. DO NOT be afraid to ask questions!
It was a wonderful opportunity to come together with colleagues of many years as well as meet new enthusiastic ICCMO members. Tracy, ICCMO executive secretary, has told me that the overwhelming majority of program evaluations submitted by members was very positive and all are looking forward to this years 24th Lecture Forum in Scottsdale, Arizona, October 31 thru November 2, 2013.
