University of California, Los Angeles

The UCLA Orofacial Pain and Dysfunction Postgraduate Training Program is a postgraduate certificate program renowned for providing hands-on experience in treating headache, neuropathic pain disorders, TMJ disorders, and obstructive sleep apnea. Heavy emphasis is placed on learning a medical model for assessing and treating patients, including developing competencies in neurological, stomatognathic, myofascial, and psychological assessment of patients.

Resident trainees will spend 3-4 days per week in the clinic treating patients and assisting faculty. The didactic curriculum is extensive because little of the required pain sciences are presented in pre-doctoral or post-doctoral training programs. A practitioner in orofacial pain needs a strong background in the basic and applied pain sciences. Topics include neurology, neuroanatomy, neurological examination, behavioral medicine, neurobiology of pain, neuropathic pain, headache disorders, musculoskeletal and myofascial pain disorders, pharmacotherapeutics for pain and pain management, occlusion and TMJ disorders, sleep apnea and orofacial dystonias.

Clinic experience is hands-on following an observational, probationary period that depends on demonstrating competency. The number of patients seen by resident trainees will depend on many variables to be determined by the clinic director and staff. Initially, more TMD patients with symptoms of arthralgia and myofascial pain may be assigned, and then the patient assignments may be expanded to more chronic pain profiles. The UCLA program gives treatment experience of the whole spectrum of orofacial pain conditions rather than limitation to screening, diagnosis, and referral for treatment.

The program includes rotation experiences in oral medicine, oral surgery, neurology, pain management and sleep medicine.

Resident trainees will be responsible for patient care, documentation, writing reports to referring doctors, follow-up to patient calls, and urgent care. Resident trainees will work with faculty treating patients, attend didactic courses and prepare seminar, literature review and case materials. Resident trainees will share on-call pager duties when considered qualified by the clinic director.

Many students also extend or combine their studies to obtain an advanced degree (MS or PhD) in oral biology, which requires a separate application. Please refer to the Oral Biology Graduate programs for more information.

1. The Program goals and objectives are as follows:
2. Knowledge specific to Orofacial Pain: The graduate must have the in-depth medical knowledge necessary to evaluate patients with orofacial pain, form differential diagnoses, develop a suitable treatment plan, provide appropriate care in a safe and proficient manner, and respond effectively to emergencies related to such care.
3. Resident Education: The Orofacial Pain program must provide evidence-based and most currently available information on basic pain science and orofacial pain disorders.
4. Patient Care: The graduate must be able to provide appropriate treatment for a wide variety of orofacial pain conditions and patients in varied treatment settings.
5. Research: Research is the backbone of knowledge. Each resident is assigned to a clinical research protocol through the duration of their program. They are expected to present posters at a scientific meeting.

Interviews are held approximately between the last week of October and the first week of November. 

*If INBDE is taken instead of NBDE 1 & 2, it must be reported on PASS and official scores must be sent to postdds@dentistry.ucla.edu

Application to the Graduate Orofacial Pain residency program does not require submission of GRE scores unless the applicant is intending to apply for the Oral Biology Masters or PHD programs.

Transcripts with ECI evaluations

Stipend is for GME US residents. International Residents pay tuition fees.