Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center Appoints New Director Of Center For Oral, Facial And Head Pain
New York, NY – August 22, 2003 – The Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery (SDOS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. James M. Uyanik as director of the Center for Oral, Facial and Head Pain. The center offers a unique interdisciplinary approach to the diagnosis, management, and treatment of acute and chronic oral, facial and head pain, such as TMJ (temperomandibular joint) disorders; ear, nose, throat, and sinus pain; trigeminal neuralgia; and acute and chronic pain of suspected dental origin. “We’re happy to welcome Dr. Uyanik as director of the Center for Oral, Facial and Head Pain,” said SDOS Dean Dr. Ira Lamster. “He brings tremendous expertise and leadership skills to the center, and will help us further our knowledge of pain mechanisms and treatment.”
“It’s my pleasure to serve as director in a center that provides such comprehensive, advanced, and compassionate care,” Dr. Uyanik said. “As more clinicians become specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of orofacial pain disorders and as research in the field of pain management continues to grow, our knowledge and treatment strategies become more progressive. Our center aims not only to treat people suffering from these disorders, but to educate the public about the signs and symptoms with which these patients may present. In doing this, earlier treatment interventions can be implemented to prevent the chronic progression of the disorder.”
Dr. Uyanik received his D.D.S. degree at SUNY Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. He then went on to complete a two-year post-doctoral residency program in orofacial pain at UCLA, after which he obtained board certification from the American Board of Orofacial Pain.
Dr. Uyanik currently is a clinical assistant professor in the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery, is an attending at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, N.J., where he works with residents in the diagnosis and treatment of orofacial pain disorders. He is currently conducting research on the effects of low-level laser therapy on TMJ arthralgia and myofacial pain syndrome.
Dr. Uyanik succeeds Dr. Steven Scrivani, SDOS assistant professor of clinical dentistry.
The Center for Oral, Facial and Head pain is designed to treat the whole patient and avoid fragmented care. Its specialists help patients coordinate comprehensive care with a single pain treatment plan, all carried out in one location. TMJ diseases and disorders – one of the most common disorders treated at the center – are manifested by pain in the jaw area and associated muscles and limitations on the ability to make the normal movements of speech, facial expression, eating, chewing, and swallowing. Conditions that routinely affect other joints in the body, such as arthritis and trauma, also can affect the TM joint. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health, 10.8 million people in the United States suffer from TMJ problems at any given time.