September 2026 Regional Meeting

Credit Hours: 3 Hours
Course Title: Beyond the Tooth: Recognizing Neuropathic Orofacial Pain in Everyday Practice
Speakers:Dr. Linda Sangalli
Location: The Westin Chicago Lombard

Course Description:
This 3-hour interactive, case-based educational program is designed to strengthen clinicians’ diagnostic reasoning when evaluating patients who present with orofacial pain. Because many neuropathic pain conditions may initially resemble odontogenic or temporomandibular disorders, misdiagnosis can lead to unnecessary dental procedures and delays in appropriate care.

This course introduces a structured clinical approach that emphasizes first ruling out odontogenic sources of pain, then identifying temporomandibular disorder-related pain, and finally recognizing when neuropathic orofacial pain should be considered. Through a virtual patient-based learning platform, participants will engage with realistic clinical scenarios that simulate decision-making in everyday dental practice.

By the end of the program, participants will be better equipped to recognize neuropathic pain presentations, avoid common diagnostic pitfalls, and improve the quality and safety of care for patients with complex orofacial pain conditions.

Course Objectives: At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to:

1. 1. Apply a stepwise diagnostic framework to orofacial pain by systematically screening for odontogenic and temporomandibular disorder-related pain (TMD) before considering neuropathic etiologies.
   2. Recognize characteristic signs and symptoms suggestive of neuropathic orofacial pain in a dental setting.
   3. Formulate an initial management and referral plan for patients with suspected neuropathic orofacial pain using clinical decision-making skills in simulated virtual patient scenarios.

About the Speakers:
Dr. Linda Sangalli, DDS, MS, PhD, is a dentist by training, having earned her dental degree from the University of Brescia in Italy. She also completed a specialization in orthodontics and a PhD in Technology for Health in Italy. After working for a decade as a specialist orthodontist, she moved to the University of Kentucky, where she completed a Master of Science in Orofacial Pain, along with graduate certificates in applied statistics and epidemiology. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain.

Dr. Sangalli currently serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine–Illinois, where she teaches orofacial pain to predoctoral students and manages patients with orofacial pain. She is also an attending physician at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago.

Her research focuses on virtual learning environments designed to strengthen dental providers’ education in temporomandibular disorders, as well as non-pharmacological sleep strategies for managing orofacial musculoskeletal pain. Her research has received funding from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, the ADEA Gies Foundation, the American Headache Society, the American Academy of Orofacial Pain, the International Association for the Study of Pain, the International Association for Dental Research, and the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles in the past 5 years and has contributed to numerous books and national presentations on orofacial pain.

***Branch Leader Orientation will commence after lunch.