Bruxism Awareness Week 2013 takes place October 21-27. It provides an opportunity for patients and dental practitioners to learn lessons about the condition. Barry Glassman (pictured) will be presenting a series of lectures to UK dentists during this week. He hopes to raise awareness within the profession and de-mystify some of the myths that surround bruxism and its associated conditions.
As a dynamic speaker, Barry’s lectures are expected to be extremely popular with dentists and dental healthcare professionals with an interest in bruxism, TMD and chronic pain management.
“This will be Dr Glassman’s third time presenting in the UK during Bruxism Awareness Week” says Matt Everatt, technical director at S4S. “The two previous years have been a resounding success; Dr Glassman is the most engaging speaker I have ever heard. He raises some serious questions that the audience can find challenging and sometimes goes against popular beliefs or teachings that surround occlusion, TMD and pain management. His seminar and the evidence he presents is a game changer, most of the dentists who have been to Dr Glassman’s seminar have rebooked each year.”
Speaking from his specialist clinic in Pennsylvania, Barry explained how he first became involved in this area of dentistry, “Very early in my career I was treating a woman with upper right bicuspid pain with no obvious odontogenic cause. The pain did not resolve with normal dental procedures including endodontic therapy. I received a notice about an upcoming course with Niles Guichet, making the point that occlusal interferences can cause excessive muscular activity. While of course we have learned much since then (including the fact that this doesn’t happen) that course was the start of my involvement in the treatment of craniofacial pain, joint dysfunction, chronic pain, headaches, and sleep disordered breathing.”
Barry believes that while conditions such as bruxism, sleep apnoea and migraines are becoming more widely understood within the profession, there is still plenty of room for improvement, particularly in dental training; “Certainly we have seen much growth in this area of interest. Having said that, there is no question that the role of bruxism in migraine and joint dysfunction is not well appreciated, and nocturnal and diurnal parafunction often goes undiagnosed. Dentistry should be the number one portal of patients into sleep medicine, but it isn’t. There are many reasons for this; the most obvious is that the dental training is limited in these areas to begin with. Add the controversies that exist in occlusion and the role of joint position as well as much dental dogma, and we have major stumbling blocks that prevent growth. Learning new areas isn’t nearly as difficult as unlearning dogma.”
Barry has published numerous clinical and academic articles, runs courses and seminars for dentists. He is not afraid to challenge conventional attitudes within dentistry; “Certainly there are hundreds of patients who have benefited from conservative, well advised therapy when medicine had failed them. The key is that what we need is people with the right skills; not the right degrees. We need to find a way to blend the professions and provide patients the services they need. Unfortunately, the services offered are from those who are biased by their professional training, and we wind up with competitive environments. This is not in the best interest of patient care.”
“What is most important is that we look at the things that guide our therapy as dentists – things like occlusion and bruxism – and we begin to evaluate them appropriately without the dogma or the emotion that tends to be associated with the ‘belief systems’ that have been developed. We need to understand that everything we do cannot be evidence based, but that we must allow science to guide our art. An entirely different treatment model is required to treat patients with chronic pain and dysfunction. We have been spoiled by the science of dentistry where we are expected to succeed. Success is not as predictable in these areas, and without a change in the model either our patients are blamed for the failures or the failures are not recognised and accepted but hidden and denied. We are no better than the science.”
Those attending his lectures in October will be treated to thought provoking and stimulating sessions. Barry says he’s looking forward to being in the UK, “It is essential that we move forward and face the truth about occlusion and bruxism; and the role of dentistry in sleep medicine. I’m excited to be a part of Bruxism Awareness Week in my favourite city in the world, London.”