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Chronic Post-Surgical Pain following Dental Surgeries- Mechanisms, Risks, and Multimodal Management
Session Title: Chronic Post-Surgical Pain following Dental Surgeries- Mechanisms, Risks, and Multimodal Management
Topic: CLINICAL SCIENCE
Description: Chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) is increasingly recognized as a significant long-term complication following a wide range of surgical procedures, with an estimated 10% of patients developing persistent pain after surgery. Although this phenomenon has been extensively studied in major surgeries such as mastectomies, limb amputations, thoracotomies, its occurrence following dental and maxillofacial surgeries — including extractions, endodontics, root canal surgeries, dental implants, orthognathic surgeries and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgery — remains underreported and underrecognized within both dentistry and pain medicine.
Studies suggest that CPSP occurs in 4–5% of patients undergoing dental surgeries, with prevalence rates substantially higher in some procedures: up to 10% of patients develop chronic neuropathic pain after orthognathic surgery; 77.3% of patients experience CPSP following TMJ total joint replacement, with 25% reporting severe persistent pain; 8.5–36% develop altered sensation after implant surgery; and up to 10% experience neuropathic pain after dental extractions, often linked trigeminal nerve injury.
These pain syndromes can manifest as burning, tingling, allodynia, or deep aching sensations, leading to significant functional impairment, psychosocial distress, and reduced quality of life. Psychological aspects such as state anxiety, depression, and catastrophizing are predictive of poor outcomes, including CPSP and protracted opioid use - these risk factors are measurable and modifiable. Without timely recognition and intervention, CPSP may result in unnecessary repeat procedures, long-term sensitization, disability, and opioid misuse.
This workshop aims to bridge a critical gap by placing CPSP following dental and maxillofacial surgeries at the forefront of the pain science agenda. Participants will gain an evidence-based framework for understanding, preventing, and managing this underrecognized condition. The session will explore:
• Mechanisms underlying acute postoperative pain and its transition to chronicity.
• Pathophysiological processes, including peripheral nerve injury, central sensitization, and neuroplastic changes.
• Clinical characteristics and phenotypic presentation of orofacial CPSP
• Risk factors such as surgical technique and patient-specific characteristics (e.g., anxiety, pain catastrophizing, preoperative pain).
• Multimodal management strategies, including pharmacological (e.g., anticonvulsants, antidepressants, topical agents), non-pharmacological approaches (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy), and emerging interventional options (e.g., nerve blocks, nerve stimulation, botulinum toxin injections, and surgical interventions).
Interactive case discussions with oral and maxillofacial surgeon, orofacial pain specialists and pain psychologist will offer participants practical tools and real-world clinical scenarios to improve their ability to recognize and treat this often-overlooked pain condition. The workshop will also highlight the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration — between dentists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, pain physicians, neuroscientists, and psychologists — to provide comprehensive, patient-centered care.
Given the global rise in elective dental surgeries and the high surgical volumes worldwide, the prevalence of CPSP is expected to increase. By increasing awareness and clinical competence around CPSP in dental contexts, this workshop aligns with IASP’s mission to reduce the global burden of pain and foster integrative pain education across specialties. Participants will leave with enhanced knowledge and evidence-based strategies to improve outcomes for patients experiencing CPSP after dental and maxillofacial surgery.
Speakers
Shehryar Nasir Khawaja Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre
Pakistan
Dr. Khawaja S. Nasir holds a Master of Science in Oral Sciences from Buffalo State University of New York. He has received clinical training in Orofacial Pain from the State University of New York at Buffalo and Massachusetts General Hospital. Currently, Dr. Nasir is an Orofacial Pain Medicine Consultant and the Assistant Director of the Quality and Patient Safety Department at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centers in Pakistan. He holds a faculty appointment at Tufts University, School of Dental Medicine, Craniofacial Pain Centre and is the Managing Editor for the Journal of Cancer and Allied Specialties. He is an avid researcher, having authored several book chapters and manuscripts. His research interests include head and neck cancer-related pain, post-operative pain and disorders, neuropathic pain disorders, hospital operations and quality improvement.
Shruti Handa Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard School of Dental Medicine
USA
The Faculty of Medicine of Harvard University
Curriculum Vitae
Date Prepared: May 1, 2026
Name: Shruti Handa
Office Address: 55 Fruit Street,
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery,
Boston, Massachusetts 02114
Home Address: 33 Pond Avenue, Apartment #724, Brookline, Massachusetts, 02445
Work Phone: 914-602-7837
Work Email: shanda1@mgh.harvard.edu
Education:
2004-08/2009 Bachelor of Dental Surgery Dentistry Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi University, India
2013-2015 Doctorate in Dental Medicine Dentistry Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston University, Boston
2018-2020 Post doctoral residency- Orofacial Pain Orofacial Pain Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM), Boston
Postdoctoral Training:
07/08-2009 Internship Dental Intern Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi University, India
2018-2020 Resident, Orofacial Pain Orofacial Pain MGH, HSDM
Faculty Academic Appointments:
2020-2023 Instructor Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery HSDM/Massachsetts General Hospital
2024- Assistant Professor Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery HSDM/Massachsetts General Hospital
2024- Assciate Program Director Orofacial Pain, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Massachsetts General Hospital
Appointments at Hospitals/Affiliated Institutions:
2015 Faculty, Student Exchange Program Dentistry University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Yucatan University, Merida, Mexico
2020- Instructor Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Massachusetts General Hospital
Other Professional Positions:
2008-2009 Associate Dentist Juvenile Prison, New Delhi, India
2015-2016 Associate Dentist Coast Dental and Orthodontics, Gainesville, Florida
2016-2018 Associate Dentist Assissted living homes for the elderly, Massachusetts
2016-2018 Associate Dentist Longwood Dental Group, Brookline, Massachusetts
Major Administrative Leadership Positions:
Local
2022- Leadership role in Heterotopic Ossification Consortium-Interdisciplinary, International, Innovative Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Professional Societies:
2013- American Dental Association
2013- Massachusetts Dental Association
2013- Metropolitan District Dental Society
2019-2020 Board Member
2018- International Association for the Study of Pain
2020- American Academy of Orofacial Pain
Editorial Activities:
Ad hoc Reviewer
Journal of International Oral Health
Neurology and Neurosurgery
Gland Surgery (IF=2.953)
Journal of Dentistry and Oral Diseases
Honors and Prizes:
2008 Excellence in Academic Performance – Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi University, New Delhi, India
2009 Distinction in academic performance, High Honors Maulana Azad Medical College,
Delhi University, New Delhi , India
2015 Distinguished Visiting Faculty Yucatan University, Merida, Mexico
2015 High Honors Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine,
Boston University
Report of Funded and Unfunded Projects
Past
2016-2020 Results of a Team Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in a Patient with Pain, Pain Medicine. June 2021
NIH
Co-Investigator (PI: Antje M Barreveld, MD)
Member of paper writing group
Current
2023- TMD IMPACT
NIH/NIDCR; R34, FAIN# R34DE033590
Co-PI (Co-PI: Fernando Guastaldi, $168,969)
Boston Collaborative for TMD Research (BCTMD)- The goal of the BCTMD is to understand: TMJ patient needs, the gaps in dental school curricula in educating the next generation of clinicians scientists in TMDs, gaps in healthcare delivery affecting access to care, and the need for further basic and applied research to advance our knowledge of TMJ disease/TMDs. The BCTMD intends to achieve these goals by working within a national framework of TMD IMPACT stakeholders to elucidate these barriers, develop national registries for a better understanding of our patients and disease processes, target treatment strategies through basic and clinical research, enhance translation of evidence-based findings to clinical care, and lastly, but most importantly, use this national TMD IMPACT framework to train the future generation of researchers and clinicians in TMDs
Report of Local Teaching and Training
Teaching of Students in Courses:
2016 Pain management and local anaesthesia course- Clinic floor
Dental hygienists Mount Ida College, Massachusetts
6 hours / year
2019 “Neuropathic Orofacial Pain – mechanisms and treatment” Lecture
Predoctoral dental students HSDM
2 hours / year
2019 Orofacial Pain and Headaches
Predoctoral dental students HSDM
20 hours / year
2019 “Use of Oral Splints for temporomandibular Disorders”- hands on course- Clinic floor
Predoctoral dental students- 3rd year HSDM
6 hours / year
2019 “Use of Oral Splints for temporomandibular Disorders”- Lab course
Predoctoral dental students 2nd year HSDM
6 hours / year
2020 Hands on Pain Management and local anesthesia course- clinic floor
Predoctoral dental students HSDM
6 hours / year
2022 Neuropathic Orofacial Pain and its management
Predoctoral dental students HSDM
2 hours / year
2023 Neurotoxins in Orofacial Pain
1st and 2nd year predoctoral dental students Harvard School of Dental Medicine
4 hours / year
Formal Teaching of Residents, Clinical Fellows and Research Fellows (post-docs):
2019-2022 Temporomandibular Disorders
Postdoctoral dental students HSDM
2 hours / year
2020- Tempromandibular Joint Disorders and orofacial pain
Orofacial pain residents, TMJ endoscopic surgery fellows, research fellows MGH
1 hour / week
2021 Orofacial Pain- common diagnosis and interventions
Anaesthesia and pain fellows and faculty Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management- MGH/ Harvard Medical School (HMS), Boston
1 hour / year
2021 Oromandibular Dystonia and temporomandibular joint disorders
Orofacial Pain Residents and faculty/ MGH Temporomandibular disorders rounds MGH
2 hours / year
2021-2023 Neuropathic Orofacial Pain – mechanisms and treatment
Postdoctoral dental students HSDM
2 hours / year
2022 Oromandibular Dystonia and Temporomandibular Joint Disorders
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residents MGH
1 hour / year
2023 Neurotoxins in Orofacial Pain
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residents MGH
1 hour / year
Clinical Supervisory and Training Responsibilities:
2018 Facilitator/ moderator
Post doctoral students, Pain Management group sessions HSDM
8 hours / year
2018 Teaching assistant
2nd year predoctoral students Dental lab, HSDM
6 hours / year
2018 Tutor, Orofacial Pain
2nd year predoctoral students HSDM
20 hours / year
2019 Teaching assistant
3rd year predoctoral students, oral splints hands on course Clinic floor, HSDM
6 hours / year
2019-2020 Teaching assistant
3rd year predoctoral students, local anesthesia course Clinic floor, HSDM
5 hours / year
2020- Supervising faculty in clinics
Orofacial Pain Residents MGH
30 hours / week
Research Supervisory and Training Responsibilities:
2020- Mentor
Orofacial pain residents MGH
4 hours / week
2021- Mentor
Predoctoral dental students MGH
2 hours / week
Formally Mentored Harvard Students (Medical, Dental, Graduate, and Undergraduate):
2021- Luke Violette, DMD
Accepted to OMFS residency at MGH
2022-2022 Kristin Sweeney, DMD
Publication in peer reviewed journal "Are There Identifiable Risk Factors Associated with Heterotopic Ossification of The Temporomandibular Joint?"; Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
2023- Summer Tan, DMD
Poster accepted in International Pain meeting
Other Mentored Trainees and Faculty:
2020-2021 Adam Shafiq DDS/Assistant Professor in Orofacial Pain, Loma Linda University, California
Resident in Orofacial Pain, MGH
Publication in peer reviewed journal and accepted for faculty position at Loma Linda University, California
2020-2021 Rosella Intini/Assistant Professor, Spain
Resident in Oral Medicine, Brigham and Womens Hospital
Pubilcation in peer reviewed journal
2020-2022 Roxanne Bavarian/Instructor, Harvard School of Dental Medicine and MGH, Boston
Resident in Orofacial Pain, MGH
Publications in peer reviewed journals and acceptance for faculty position at MGH
2020- Jeanelle Abou Ezzi/ Dental Student, Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston University, Boston
Undergraduate student at Cornell University
Publications in peer reviewed journals and accepted to several dental schools including IVY league Dental School at Univeristy of Pennsylvania
2021-2023 Shaiba Sandhu DDS, BDS/Assistant Professor in Orofacial Pain, Workman School of Dental Medicine, High Point University, North Carolina
Resident in Orofacial Pain, MGH
Publications in peer reviewed journals and publication of book chapters, poster presentations at national meetings
2024- Maya Youness
Orofacial Pain resident
Publications in peer reviewed journals, book chapter (under review), prospective reasearch studies ongoing and award for best poster presentation at national meeting
Formal Teaching of Peers (e.g., CME and other continuing education courses):
1 No presentations below were sponsored by 3rd parties/outside entities
2021 Orofacial Pain- common diagnosis and interventions
Pain Rounds One Lecture
Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management- Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard Medical School, Boston
Local Invited Presentations:
1 Those presentations below sponsored by outside entities are so noted and the sponsor(s) is (are) identified.
2020 Characterization of chronic neuropathic pain using ICOP 1st edition in a tertiary care center / Poster
MGH Clinical Research Day, MGH
2021 "International Classification of Orofacial Pain”, Pain Management for Dental Medicine in 2021: Opioids, Coronavirus and Beyond / Invited Lecture
Tufts-Harvard Dental Conference, Boston
2022 Botulinum Toxin A for the treatment of Persistent Dentoalveolar Pain / Poster
MGH Clinical Research Day, MGH
2023 Management of Chronic post surgical pain after TMJ surgery / Invited Lecture
OMFS, MGH
Report of Regional, National and International Invited Teaching and Presentations
1 No presentations below were sponsored by 3rd parties/outside entities
Regional
2020 Headache- Could it be your jaw?/Oral presentation/Speaker
Headache Co operatives of New England, Stowe, Vermont
2021- Multidisciplinary Orofacial Pain and Headache rounds/Oral presentation/ Panelist
MGH/Rutgers/ Tuft/ University of Michigan (Virtual)
2022 Orofacial Pain Classification – ICOP criteria/ Oral presentation/Speaker
Yankee Dental Conference, Boston
2022 Oromandibular Dystonia and Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Invited Lecture
Craniofacial Pain Department, Tufts Dental School, Boston
2023 Orofacial Pain Classification / Symposium
Yankee Dental Conference, Boston
2024 Diagnosis of Orofacial Pain / Symposium
Yankee Dental Conference, Boston
National
2019 Melkerson Rosenthal Syndrome – A case Report/ selected oral abstract
American Academy of Orofacial Pain National Meeting, San Diego
2020 Concomitant use of Headache and TMD Onabotulinum Toxin A protocols for patients with intractable Headache and Temporomandibular Disorder/ selected oral abstract
American Academy of Orofacial Pain, Phoenix (virtual due to Covid)
2022 Chronic post surgical pain after TMJ surgery/Oral presentation/speaker
American Academy of Orofacial Pain National Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts
2022 Interventional Management of Orofacial Pain/ Oral presentation and hands on workshop/speaker
American Academy of Orofacial Pain National Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts
2022 Mandibular hypomobility – sequela of chronic non bacterial osteomyelitis/selected oral abstract
American Academy of Orofacial Pain, Boston
2023 A Systematic Review of Animal Models for Temporomandibular Joint Heterotopic Ossification / Poster
TMJ International Interdisciplinary Reasearch Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2023-2023 Interventional Management of Orofacial Pain/ Oral presentation and hands on workshop/speaker
American Academy of Orofacial PainNational meeting, Orlando , Florida
2024 NIDCR TMD IMpact Initiative/Oral presentation
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
2024-2024 Persistent pain after total temporomandibular joint replacement surgery: clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and risk factors.
American Academy of Orofacial PainNational meeting, Phoenix, Arizona
International
2021 Characterization of chronic neuropathic pain using ICOP 1st edition in a tertiary care center/selected oral abstract
International Conference on Neuropathic Pain Diagnosis, Treatment and Management, Paris, France
2022 Botulinum Toxin A for the treatment of Persistent Dentoalveolar Pain/selected oral abstract
International Association for the Study of Pain, Toronto, Canada
2022 Interventional Management of Orofacial Pain/ hands on workshop/speaker
International Association for the Study of Pain, Toronto, Canada
2023 Management of chronic post surgical pain after TMJ surgery/speaker/oral presentation
Eastman Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
2024-2024 Chronic post surgical pain in oral and maxillofacial surgery /Invited lecture
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Haukeland Univeristy Hospital, Bergen University, Bergen, Norway
2024-2024 Heterotopic Bone ossification in TMJ - classification and validation study/Invited lecture
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Haukeland Univeristy Hospital, Bergen University, Bergen, Norway
2024-2024 Advances in TMJ research - multidisciplinary approach, training and education , emphasis on NIH planning grant/Invited lecture
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Haukeland Univeristy Hospital, Bergen University, Bergen, Norway
Report of Clinical Activities and Innovations
Past and Current Licensure and Certification:
2015-2017 Florida Dental License
2016- Massachusetts Dental License
2023- Orofacial Pain Board Certified
Practice Activities:
2020- Orofacial Pain Clinic Orofacial Pain, 165 Cambridge Street, Boston, Massachusetts 26 hours / week
2024- Orofacial Pain Clinic Orofacial Pain, 52 2nd Ave, Waltham, MA, 02451 4 hours / week
Clinical Innovations:
Classification system for heterotopic bone ossification in TMJ / International Delphi study (2021-)
Developed new classification system on heterotopic ossification of TMJ - I led the international Delphi study to develop this classification (published) and now leading the validation study for this classification system (under review).
NIH R 34 grant/ MGH (2023-)
PI on NIH/NIDCR R 34 Planning Grant. We have developed study designs for phenotyping TMD patients using AI models, disease phenotyping and studying outcomes. I will be leading this effort at MGH.
NIH TMD IMpact Boston Michigan Hub for TMD research symposium/MGH, HSDM (2024-2024)
I organized a multidiscplinary national symposium attended by researchers, clinicians , students , leadership ,patient advocacy representatives, NIH and FDA agency representatives participated and this led to the formation of a national collaborative between University of Michigan, MGB, HSDM. The group is applying for a U54 NIH/NIDCr grant to advance TMD research. This led to the formation of 360 CHAT TMD ( 360 Collaborative Hub for AI in Temporomandibular Disorders)
Report of Teaching and Education Innovations
Curriculum development/MGH (2020-)
I work closely with the program director of orofacial pain in curriculum development for post doctoral dental students and residents at MGH. Our program is one of the few CODA approved programs in the country.
Interprofessional Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) Rounds/MGH (2020-)
I am the co - director for TMD rounds that we started in 2020. The rounds have led to establishment of interdisciplinary team for management of patients with TMDs that includes oral surgeons, orofacial pain providers and pain psychologists.
Report of Education of Patients and Service to the Community
1 Those presentations below sponsored by outside entities are so noted and the sponsor(s) is (are) identified.
Activities
2004-2009 National Polio Eradication Program, Govt. of India and W.H.O, Task force
2008-2009 PRAYAAS (SUR NIRMAAN SOCIETY), NGO for the health care of juvenile delinquents, Associate dentist
2014-2015 Department of Public Health, Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston University School of Public Health, volunteer student
Oral Health Screening and treatment in underserved areas of Massachusetts
2015-2015 Community Project for promoting oral health in the underserved population, Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic, Associate Dentist
Community Project for promoting oral health in the underserved population, Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic
2018-2018 Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Dentist
Smiles for Kids Project
Report of Scholarship
ORCID: 0000-0003-2095-2458
Peer-Reviewed Scholarship in print or other media:
Research Investigations
1. Handa S, Keith DA, Abou-Ezzi J, Rosèn A. Neuropathic orofacial pain: Characterization of different patient groups using the ICOP first edition, in a tertiary level Orofacial Pain Clinic. Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology. 2021;132(6):653-661.
2. Barreveld AM, Flanagan JM, Arnstein P, Handa S, Hernández-Nuño de la Rosa MF, Matthews ML, Shaefer JR. Results of a team objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in a patient with pain. Pain Medicine. 2021;22(12):2918-2924.
3. Scrivani SJ, Keith DA, Kulich RJ, DaSilva AF, Donoff RB, Handa S, Holland N, Lerman MA, McCauley JL, Reisner L. Pain management for dental medicine in 2021: Opioids, coronavirus and beyond. Journal of Pain Research. 2021;14:1371.
4. Handa S, Shaefer JR, Keith DA. Oromandibular dystonia and temporomandibular disorders. The Journal of the American Dental Association. 2022;153(9):899-906.
5. Handa S, Shafik AA, Intini R, Keith DA. First Bite Syndrome–An Underrecognized and Underdiagnosed Pain Complication After Temporomandibular Joint Surgery. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 2022;80(3):437-442.
6. Bavarian R, Pharr CA, Handa S, Shaefer J, Keith DA. The Utility of Telemedicine in Orofacial Pain: Guidelines for Examination and a Retrospective Review at a HospitalBased Practice. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation. 2022.
7. Sweeney K, Handa S, August M, Keith DA. Are There Identifiable Risk Factors Associated With Heterotopic Ossification of the Temporomandibular Joint?. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 2022.
8. Bavarian R, Sandhu S, Handa S, Shaefer J, Kulich RA, Keith DA. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids: United States, 2022: What dentists need to know.J Am Dent Assoc. 2023 Sep;154(9):849-855. doi: 10.1016/j.adaj.2023.01.008. Epub 2023 Apr 25. PubMed PMID: 37097279.
9. Handa S, Heffernan MR, Tan S, Keith DA, Rosén A, Cheng HT. Correlation Between Orofacial Pain and Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathies.J Pain Res. 2024;17:3287-3295. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S475528. eCollection 2024. PubMed PMID: 39399165; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11471112
10. Sandhu S, Alsafwani Z, Sankar V, Handa S, Villa A. Burnout in oral medicine and orofacial pain residents. J Am Dent Assoc. 2023 Jul;154(7):633-642.e4. PMID: 36690540, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2022.11.011
11. Keith DA, Handa S, Mercuri LG. Peri-articular bone formation involving the temporomandibular joint: a narrative summary and Delphi consensus of a new classification system.Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2024 Mar;53(3):212-218. doi: 10.1016/j.ijom.2023.09.003. Epub 2023 Sep 28. PubMed PMID: 37777385.
12. Handa S, Youness M, Keith DA, Rosén A. Persistent pain after total temporomandibular joint replacement surgery: clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and risk factors.Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2024 Sep 4;. doi: 10.1016/j.ijom.2024.08.038. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 39237445.
13. Handa S, Guastaldi FPS, Violette L, Abou-Ezzi J, Rosen A, Keith DA. Which comorbid conditions and risk factors affect the outcome of and progression to total temporomandibular joint replacement? Int Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 2023 Dec;52(12):1265-1271. doi: 10.1016/j.ijom.2023.05.011
14. Chen JE, Handa S, Rosén A, Keith DA, Guastaldi FPS. Animal models of temporomandibular joint heterotopic ossification: a scoping review.Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2024 Nov;53(11):950-960. doi: 10.1016/j.ijom.2024.07.011. Epub 2024 Aug 1. Review. PubMed PMID: 39089958.
Other peer-reviewed scholarship
1. Bavarian R, Sandhu S, Handa S, Shaefer J, Kulich RA, Keith DA. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids: United States, 2022: What dentists need to know. J Am Dent Assoc. 2023 Sep;154(9):849-855. PMID: 37097279, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2023.01.008
Non-peer reviewed scholarship in print or other media:
Reviews, chapters, and editorials
1. Sandhu S, Handa S. Pathology Mimicking Orofacial Pain. Dent Clin North Am. 2023 Jan;67(1):117-127. PMID: 36404072, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cden.2022.07.009
Abstracts, Poster Presentations, and Exhibits Presented at Professional Meetings:
1. Chen J, Handa S, Rosen A, Keith DA, Guastaldi F. A systematic review of animal models for TMJ heterotopic ossification, 4/2023, International TMJ Interdisciplinary Research meeting, UPenn, Philadelphia, PA
* Co-author, ** Mentee
Narrative Report
Introduction
I am a clinician specializing in dental medicine with specific expertise in Orofacial Pain. After completing my training in orofacial pain at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), I joined the faculty at MGH and Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) where I provide clinical care, supervise trainees, manage a clinic, and conduct research on temporomandibular joint disorders and neuropathic orofacial pain to enhance our knowledge and the quality of patient care.
Area of Excellence: Clinical Expertise and Innovation
My clinical interests and expertise revolve around the practice of oral and facial pain disorders. I provide treatment for patients afflicted with non-odontogenic oral pain, myofascial facial pain, and temporomandibular joint disorders. An expert in diagnosing and managing non-odontogenic oral pain conditions, I receive regional, national and international referrals. I am also an expert in the interventional management of rare conditions such as oromandibular dystonia for which I also receive referrals. Since I joined the Orofacial Pain Clinic practice, the program has grown and now evaluates and treats 100+ patients/week. I see 55-70 patients per week and perform 30-40 procedures per month, often incorporating new techniques in treating patients with rare conditions such as oromandibular dystonia and non-odontogenic oral pain. The program is one of the very few CODA accredited programs in the country and serves a core training experience for dental students, two residents, and rotating fellows from different specialties each year.
I am a PI on an NIH funded R34 TMD IMPACT grant to lead research in Temporomandibular Joint Disorders. Involved in clinical research in the characterization of neuropathic orofacial pain conditions, I have presented this work both regionally at the 2022, 2023 and 2024 Yankee Dental Conference (the largest conference in New England) and nationally, conducting workshops on the interventional management of neuropathic orofacial pain at the 2022 and 2023 annual American Academy of Orofacial Pain meeting, as well as internationally, at the 2022 International Association for the Study of Pain World Congress, the largest international pain conference. This work has led to several publications in peer-reviewed journals and invitation to give a lecture at the interprofessional rounds at Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Stockholm, Sweden. I am also involved in clinical research in the interventional management of oromandibular dystonia and have presented this work regionally at the Orofacial Pain and Headache rounds at Tufts University, with a publication in the high impact peer reviewed Journal of American Dental Association. I have contributed two book chapters on the diagnosis and management of orofacial pain which are accepted for publication in Dental Clinics of North America and an international textbook on Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery with Wiley Publishing in 2023. In addition to this, I have several papers that have been accepted for publication in high impact peer reviewed journals (Comorbidities and risk factors affecting progression of TMJ surgery; classification of heterotopic bone in TMJ – A delphi review, systematic review of heterotopic bone formation in TMJ in animal models).
Teaching:
I have been actively involved in teaching from the very beginning of my own training years. As faculty, I teach and supervise dental students and residents and continue to tutor predoctoral dental students. I lecture regularly at HSDM and various departments in MGH. In our very small subspecialty program of this newly recognized dental specialty, Orofacial pain, I work very closely with the residents and program director to organize the program curriculum. I am the Associate Program Director of Orofacial Pain, Co - course director for Interprofessional Temporomandibular Joint Disorder Conference and a Panelist in Multidisciplinary Orofacial Pain and Headache rounds organized by MGH, Rutgers University, Tufts University, and the University of Michigan. I am a part of the newly established MGH Facial Pain group, a multidisciplinary group with neurology, neurosurgery, pain psychology and orofacial pain.
Summary:
I am a dentist specializing in Orofacial Pain. I maintain a robust clinical practice at MGH where I work closely with colleagues in different specialties to develop new interventions for managing non odontogenic oral pain. I actively lecture, publish, and teach in my area of expertise and have been awarded an NIH grant as a co PI. My ultimate goals are to provide excellent clinical care and teaching while innovating new interventions in managing temporomandibular joint disorders and neuropathic orofacial pain.
Curriculum Vitae
Date Prepared: May 1, 2026
Name: Shruti Handa
Office Address: 55 Fruit Street,
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery,
Boston, Massachusetts 02114
Home Address: 33 Pond Avenue, Apartment #724, Brookline, Massachusetts, 02445
Work Phone: 914-602-7837
Work Email: shanda1@mgh.harvard.edu
Education:
2004-08/2009 Bachelor of Dental Surgery Dentistry Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi University, India
2013-2015 Doctorate in Dental Medicine Dentistry Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston University, Boston
2018-2020 Post doctoral residency- Orofacial Pain Orofacial Pain Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM), Boston
Postdoctoral Training:
07/08-2009 Internship Dental Intern Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi University, India
2018-2020 Resident, Orofacial Pain Orofacial Pain MGH, HSDM
Faculty Academic Appointments:
2020-2023 Instructor Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery HSDM/Massachsetts General Hospital
2024- Assistant Professor Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery HSDM/Massachsetts General Hospital
2024- Assciate Program Director Orofacial Pain, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Massachsetts General Hospital
Appointments at Hospitals/Affiliated Institutions:
2015 Faculty, Student Exchange Program Dentistry University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Yucatan University, Merida, Mexico
2020- Instructor Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Massachusetts General Hospital
Other Professional Positions:
2008-2009 Associate Dentist Juvenile Prison, New Delhi, India
2015-2016 Associate Dentist Coast Dental and Orthodontics, Gainesville, Florida
2016-2018 Associate Dentist Assissted living homes for the elderly, Massachusetts
2016-2018 Associate Dentist Longwood Dental Group, Brookline, Massachusetts
Major Administrative Leadership Positions:
Local
2022- Leadership role in Heterotopic Ossification Consortium-Interdisciplinary, International, Innovative Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Professional Societies:
2013- American Dental Association
2013- Massachusetts Dental Association
2013- Metropolitan District Dental Society
2019-2020 Board Member
2018- International Association for the Study of Pain
2020- American Academy of Orofacial Pain
Editorial Activities:
Ad hoc Reviewer
Journal of International Oral Health
Neurology and Neurosurgery
Gland Surgery (IF=2.953)
Journal of Dentistry and Oral Diseases
Honors and Prizes:
2008 Excellence in Academic Performance – Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi University, New Delhi, India
2009 Distinction in academic performance, High Honors Maulana Azad Medical College,
Delhi University, New Delhi , India
2015 Distinguished Visiting Faculty Yucatan University, Merida, Mexico
2015 High Honors Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine,
Boston University
Report of Funded and Unfunded Projects
Past
2016-2020 Results of a Team Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in a Patient with Pain, Pain Medicine. June 2021
NIH
Co-Investigator (PI: Antje M Barreveld, MD)
Member of paper writing group
Current
2023- TMD IMPACT
NIH/NIDCR; R34, FAIN# R34DE033590
Co-PI (Co-PI: Fernando Guastaldi, $168,969)
Boston Collaborative for TMD Research (BCTMD)- The goal of the BCTMD is to understand: TMJ patient needs, the gaps in dental school curricula in educating the next generation of clinicians scientists in TMDs, gaps in healthcare delivery affecting access to care, and the need for further basic and applied research to advance our knowledge of TMJ disease/TMDs. The BCTMD intends to achieve these goals by working within a national framework of TMD IMPACT stakeholders to elucidate these barriers, develop national registries for a better understanding of our patients and disease processes, target treatment strategies through basic and clinical research, enhance translation of evidence-based findings to clinical care, and lastly, but most importantly, use this national TMD IMPACT framework to train the future generation of researchers and clinicians in TMDs
Report of Local Teaching and Training
Teaching of Students in Courses:
2016 Pain management and local anaesthesia course- Clinic floor
Dental hygienists Mount Ida College, Massachusetts
6 hours / year
2019 “Neuropathic Orofacial Pain – mechanisms and treatment” Lecture
Predoctoral dental students HSDM
2 hours / year
2019 Orofacial Pain and Headaches
Predoctoral dental students HSDM
20 hours / year
2019 “Use of Oral Splints for temporomandibular Disorders”- hands on course- Clinic floor
Predoctoral dental students- 3rd year HSDM
6 hours / year
2019 “Use of Oral Splints for temporomandibular Disorders”- Lab course
Predoctoral dental students 2nd year HSDM
6 hours / year
2020 Hands on Pain Management and local anesthesia course- clinic floor
Predoctoral dental students HSDM
6 hours / year
2022 Neuropathic Orofacial Pain and its management
Predoctoral dental students HSDM
2 hours / year
2023 Neurotoxins in Orofacial Pain
1st and 2nd year predoctoral dental students Harvard School of Dental Medicine
4 hours / year
Formal Teaching of Residents, Clinical Fellows and Research Fellows (post-docs):
2019-2022 Temporomandibular Disorders
Postdoctoral dental students HSDM
2 hours / year
2020- Tempromandibular Joint Disorders and orofacial pain
Orofacial pain residents, TMJ endoscopic surgery fellows, research fellows MGH
1 hour / week
2021 Orofacial Pain- common diagnosis and interventions
Anaesthesia and pain fellows and faculty Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management- MGH/ Harvard Medical School (HMS), Boston
1 hour / year
2021 Oromandibular Dystonia and temporomandibular joint disorders
Orofacial Pain Residents and faculty/ MGH Temporomandibular disorders rounds MGH
2 hours / year
2021-2023 Neuropathic Orofacial Pain – mechanisms and treatment
Postdoctoral dental students HSDM
2 hours / year
2022 Oromandibular Dystonia and Temporomandibular Joint Disorders
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residents MGH
1 hour / year
2023 Neurotoxins in Orofacial Pain
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residents MGH
1 hour / year
Clinical Supervisory and Training Responsibilities:
2018 Facilitator/ moderator
Post doctoral students, Pain Management group sessions HSDM
8 hours / year
2018 Teaching assistant
2nd year predoctoral students Dental lab, HSDM
6 hours / year
2018 Tutor, Orofacial Pain
2nd year predoctoral students HSDM
20 hours / year
2019 Teaching assistant
3rd year predoctoral students, oral splints hands on course Clinic floor, HSDM
6 hours / year
2019-2020 Teaching assistant
3rd year predoctoral students, local anesthesia course Clinic floor, HSDM
5 hours / year
2020- Supervising faculty in clinics
Orofacial Pain Residents MGH
30 hours / week
Research Supervisory and Training Responsibilities:
2020- Mentor
Orofacial pain residents MGH
4 hours / week
2021- Mentor
Predoctoral dental students MGH
2 hours / week
Formally Mentored Harvard Students (Medical, Dental, Graduate, and Undergraduate):
2021- Luke Violette, DMD
Accepted to OMFS residency at MGH
2022-2022 Kristin Sweeney, DMD
Publication in peer reviewed journal "Are There Identifiable Risk Factors Associated with Heterotopic Ossification of The Temporomandibular Joint?"; Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
2023- Summer Tan, DMD
Poster accepted in International Pain meeting
Other Mentored Trainees and Faculty:
2020-2021 Adam Shafiq DDS/Assistant Professor in Orofacial Pain, Loma Linda University, California
Resident in Orofacial Pain, MGH
Publication in peer reviewed journal and accepted for faculty position at Loma Linda University, California
2020-2021 Rosella Intini/Assistant Professor, Spain
Resident in Oral Medicine, Brigham and Womens Hospital
Pubilcation in peer reviewed journal
2020-2022 Roxanne Bavarian/Instructor, Harvard School of Dental Medicine and MGH, Boston
Resident in Orofacial Pain, MGH
Publications in peer reviewed journals and acceptance for faculty position at MGH
2020- Jeanelle Abou Ezzi/ Dental Student, Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston University, Boston
Undergraduate student at Cornell University
Publications in peer reviewed journals and accepted to several dental schools including IVY league Dental School at Univeristy of Pennsylvania
2021-2023 Shaiba Sandhu DDS, BDS/Assistant Professor in Orofacial Pain, Workman School of Dental Medicine, High Point University, North Carolina
Resident in Orofacial Pain, MGH
Publications in peer reviewed journals and publication of book chapters, poster presentations at national meetings
2024- Maya Youness
Orofacial Pain resident
Publications in peer reviewed journals, book chapter (under review), prospective reasearch studies ongoing and award for best poster presentation at national meeting
Formal Teaching of Peers (e.g., CME and other continuing education courses):
1 No presentations below were sponsored by 3rd parties/outside entities
2021 Orofacial Pain- common diagnosis and interventions
Pain Rounds One Lecture
Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management- Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard Medical School, Boston
Local Invited Presentations:
1 Those presentations below sponsored by outside entities are so noted and the sponsor(s) is (are) identified.
2020 Characterization of chronic neuropathic pain using ICOP 1st edition in a tertiary care center / Poster
MGH Clinical Research Day, MGH
2021 "International Classification of Orofacial Pain”, Pain Management for Dental Medicine in 2021: Opioids, Coronavirus and Beyond / Invited Lecture
Tufts-Harvard Dental Conference, Boston
2022 Botulinum Toxin A for the treatment of Persistent Dentoalveolar Pain / Poster
MGH Clinical Research Day, MGH
2023 Management of Chronic post surgical pain after TMJ surgery / Invited Lecture
OMFS, MGH
Report of Regional, National and International Invited Teaching and Presentations
1 No presentations below were sponsored by 3rd parties/outside entities
Regional
2020 Headache- Could it be your jaw?/Oral presentation/Speaker
Headache Co operatives of New England, Stowe, Vermont
2021- Multidisciplinary Orofacial Pain and Headache rounds/Oral presentation/ Panelist
MGH/Rutgers/ Tuft/ University of Michigan (Virtual)
2022 Orofacial Pain Classification – ICOP criteria/ Oral presentation/Speaker
Yankee Dental Conference, Boston
2022 Oromandibular Dystonia and Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Invited Lecture
Craniofacial Pain Department, Tufts Dental School, Boston
2023 Orofacial Pain Classification / Symposium
Yankee Dental Conference, Boston
2024 Diagnosis of Orofacial Pain / Symposium
Yankee Dental Conference, Boston
National
2019 Melkerson Rosenthal Syndrome – A case Report/ selected oral abstract
American Academy of Orofacial Pain National Meeting, San Diego
2020 Concomitant use of Headache and TMD Onabotulinum Toxin A protocols for patients with intractable Headache and Temporomandibular Disorder/ selected oral abstract
American Academy of Orofacial Pain, Phoenix (virtual due to Covid)
2022 Chronic post surgical pain after TMJ surgery/Oral presentation/speaker
American Academy of Orofacial Pain National Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts
2022 Interventional Management of Orofacial Pain/ Oral presentation and hands on workshop/speaker
American Academy of Orofacial Pain National Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts
2022 Mandibular hypomobility – sequela of chronic non bacterial osteomyelitis/selected oral abstract
American Academy of Orofacial Pain, Boston
2023 A Systematic Review of Animal Models for Temporomandibular Joint Heterotopic Ossification / Poster
TMJ International Interdisciplinary Reasearch Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2023-2023 Interventional Management of Orofacial Pain/ Oral presentation and hands on workshop/speaker
American Academy of Orofacial PainNational meeting, Orlando , Florida
2024 NIDCR TMD IMpact Initiative/Oral presentation
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
2024-2024 Persistent pain after total temporomandibular joint replacement surgery: clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and risk factors.
American Academy of Orofacial PainNational meeting, Phoenix, Arizona
International
2021 Characterization of chronic neuropathic pain using ICOP 1st edition in a tertiary care center/selected oral abstract
International Conference on Neuropathic Pain Diagnosis, Treatment and Management, Paris, France
2022 Botulinum Toxin A for the treatment of Persistent Dentoalveolar Pain/selected oral abstract
International Association for the Study of Pain, Toronto, Canada
2022 Interventional Management of Orofacial Pain/ hands on workshop/speaker
International Association for the Study of Pain, Toronto, Canada
2023 Management of chronic post surgical pain after TMJ surgery/speaker/oral presentation
Eastman Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
2024-2024 Chronic post surgical pain in oral and maxillofacial surgery /Invited lecture
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Haukeland Univeristy Hospital, Bergen University, Bergen, Norway
2024-2024 Heterotopic Bone ossification in TMJ - classification and validation study/Invited lecture
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Haukeland Univeristy Hospital, Bergen University, Bergen, Norway
2024-2024 Advances in TMJ research - multidisciplinary approach, training and education , emphasis on NIH planning grant/Invited lecture
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Haukeland Univeristy Hospital, Bergen University, Bergen, Norway
Report of Clinical Activities and Innovations
Past and Current Licensure and Certification:
2015-2017 Florida Dental License
2016- Massachusetts Dental License
2023- Orofacial Pain Board Certified
Practice Activities:
2020- Orofacial Pain Clinic Orofacial Pain, 165 Cambridge Street, Boston, Massachusetts 26 hours / week
2024- Orofacial Pain Clinic Orofacial Pain, 52 2nd Ave, Waltham, MA, 02451 4 hours / week
Clinical Innovations:
Classification system for heterotopic bone ossification in TMJ / International Delphi study (2021-)
Developed new classification system on heterotopic ossification of TMJ - I led the international Delphi study to develop this classification (published) and now leading the validation study for this classification system (under review).
NIH R 34 grant/ MGH (2023-)
PI on NIH/NIDCR R 34 Planning Grant. We have developed study designs for phenotyping TMD patients using AI models, disease phenotyping and studying outcomes. I will be leading this effort at MGH.
NIH TMD IMpact Boston Michigan Hub for TMD research symposium/MGH, HSDM (2024-2024)
I organized a multidiscplinary national symposium attended by researchers, clinicians , students , leadership ,patient advocacy representatives, NIH and FDA agency representatives participated and this led to the formation of a national collaborative between University of Michigan, MGB, HSDM. The group is applying for a U54 NIH/NIDCr grant to advance TMD research. This led to the formation of 360 CHAT TMD ( 360 Collaborative Hub for AI in Temporomandibular Disorders)
Report of Teaching and Education Innovations
Curriculum development/MGH (2020-)
I work closely with the program director of orofacial pain in curriculum development for post doctoral dental students and residents at MGH. Our program is one of the few CODA approved programs in the country.
Interprofessional Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) Rounds/MGH (2020-)
I am the co - director for TMD rounds that we started in 2020. The rounds have led to establishment of interdisciplinary team for management of patients with TMDs that includes oral surgeons, orofacial pain providers and pain psychologists.
Report of Education of Patients and Service to the Community
1 Those presentations below sponsored by outside entities are so noted and the sponsor(s) is (are) identified.
Activities
2004-2009 National Polio Eradication Program, Govt. of India and W.H.O, Task force
2008-2009 PRAYAAS (SUR NIRMAAN SOCIETY), NGO for the health care of juvenile delinquents, Associate dentist
2014-2015 Department of Public Health, Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston University School of Public Health, volunteer student
Oral Health Screening and treatment in underserved areas of Massachusetts
2015-2015 Community Project for promoting oral health in the underserved population, Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic, Associate Dentist
Community Project for promoting oral health in the underserved population, Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic
2018-2018 Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Dentist
Smiles for Kids Project
Report of Scholarship
ORCID: 0000-0003-2095-2458
Peer-Reviewed Scholarship in print or other media:
Research Investigations
1. Handa S, Keith DA, Abou-Ezzi J, Rosèn A. Neuropathic orofacial pain: Characterization of different patient groups using the ICOP first edition, in a tertiary level Orofacial Pain Clinic. Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology. 2021;132(6):653-661.
2. Barreveld AM, Flanagan JM, Arnstein P, Handa S, Hernández-Nuño de la Rosa MF, Matthews ML, Shaefer JR. Results of a team objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in a patient with pain. Pain Medicine. 2021;22(12):2918-2924.
3. Scrivani SJ, Keith DA, Kulich RJ, DaSilva AF, Donoff RB, Handa S, Holland N, Lerman MA, McCauley JL, Reisner L. Pain management for dental medicine in 2021: Opioids, coronavirus and beyond. Journal of Pain Research. 2021;14:1371.
4. Handa S, Shaefer JR, Keith DA. Oromandibular dystonia and temporomandibular disorders. The Journal of the American Dental Association. 2022;153(9):899-906.
5. Handa S, Shafik AA, Intini R, Keith DA. First Bite Syndrome–An Underrecognized and Underdiagnosed Pain Complication After Temporomandibular Joint Surgery. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 2022;80(3):437-442.
6. Bavarian R, Pharr CA, Handa S, Shaefer J, Keith DA. The Utility of Telemedicine in Orofacial Pain: Guidelines for Examination and a Retrospective Review at a HospitalBased Practice. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation. 2022.
7. Sweeney K, Handa S, August M, Keith DA. Are There Identifiable Risk Factors Associated With Heterotopic Ossification of the Temporomandibular Joint?. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 2022.
8. Bavarian R, Sandhu S, Handa S, Shaefer J, Kulich RA, Keith DA. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids: United States, 2022: What dentists need to know.J Am Dent Assoc. 2023 Sep;154(9):849-855. doi: 10.1016/j.adaj.2023.01.008. Epub 2023 Apr 25. PubMed PMID: 37097279.
9. Handa S, Heffernan MR, Tan S, Keith DA, Rosén A, Cheng HT. Correlation Between Orofacial Pain and Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathies.J Pain Res. 2024;17:3287-3295. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S475528. eCollection 2024. PubMed PMID: 39399165; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11471112
10. Sandhu S, Alsafwani Z, Sankar V, Handa S, Villa A. Burnout in oral medicine and orofacial pain residents. J Am Dent Assoc. 2023 Jul;154(7):633-642.e4. PMID: 36690540, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2022.11.011
11. Keith DA, Handa S, Mercuri LG. Peri-articular bone formation involving the temporomandibular joint: a narrative summary and Delphi consensus of a new classification system.Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2024 Mar;53(3):212-218. doi: 10.1016/j.ijom.2023.09.003. Epub 2023 Sep 28. PubMed PMID: 37777385.
12. Handa S, Youness M, Keith DA, Rosén A. Persistent pain after total temporomandibular joint replacement surgery: clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and risk factors.Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2024 Sep 4;. doi: 10.1016/j.ijom.2024.08.038. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 39237445.
13. Handa S, Guastaldi FPS, Violette L, Abou-Ezzi J, Rosen A, Keith DA. Which comorbid conditions and risk factors affect the outcome of and progression to total temporomandibular joint replacement? Int Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 2023 Dec;52(12):1265-1271. doi: 10.1016/j.ijom.2023.05.011
14. Chen JE, Handa S, Rosén A, Keith DA, Guastaldi FPS. Animal models of temporomandibular joint heterotopic ossification: a scoping review.Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2024 Nov;53(11):950-960. doi: 10.1016/j.ijom.2024.07.011. Epub 2024 Aug 1. Review. PubMed PMID: 39089958.
Other peer-reviewed scholarship
1. Bavarian R, Sandhu S, Handa S, Shaefer J, Kulich RA, Keith DA. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids: United States, 2022: What dentists need to know. J Am Dent Assoc. 2023 Sep;154(9):849-855. PMID: 37097279, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2023.01.008
Non-peer reviewed scholarship in print or other media:
Reviews, chapters, and editorials
1. Sandhu S, Handa S. Pathology Mimicking Orofacial Pain. Dent Clin North Am. 2023 Jan;67(1):117-127. PMID: 36404072, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cden.2022.07.009
Abstracts, Poster Presentations, and Exhibits Presented at Professional Meetings:
1. Chen J, Handa S, Rosen A, Keith DA, Guastaldi F. A systematic review of animal models for TMJ heterotopic ossification, 4/2023, International TMJ Interdisciplinary Research meeting, UPenn, Philadelphia, PA
* Co-author, ** Mentee
Narrative Report
Introduction
I am a clinician specializing in dental medicine with specific expertise in Orofacial Pain. After completing my training in orofacial pain at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), I joined the faculty at MGH and Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) where I provide clinical care, supervise trainees, manage a clinic, and conduct research on temporomandibular joint disorders and neuropathic orofacial pain to enhance our knowledge and the quality of patient care.
Area of Excellence: Clinical Expertise and Innovation
My clinical interests and expertise revolve around the practice of oral and facial pain disorders. I provide treatment for patients afflicted with non-odontogenic oral pain, myofascial facial pain, and temporomandibular joint disorders. An expert in diagnosing and managing non-odontogenic oral pain conditions, I receive regional, national and international referrals. I am also an expert in the interventional management of rare conditions such as oromandibular dystonia for which I also receive referrals. Since I joined the Orofacial Pain Clinic practice, the program has grown and now evaluates and treats 100+ patients/week. I see 55-70 patients per week and perform 30-40 procedures per month, often incorporating new techniques in treating patients with rare conditions such as oromandibular dystonia and non-odontogenic oral pain. The program is one of the very few CODA accredited programs in the country and serves a core training experience for dental students, two residents, and rotating fellows from different specialties each year.
I am a PI on an NIH funded R34 TMD IMPACT grant to lead research in Temporomandibular Joint Disorders. Involved in clinical research in the characterization of neuropathic orofacial pain conditions, I have presented this work both regionally at the 2022, 2023 and 2024 Yankee Dental Conference (the largest conference in New England) and nationally, conducting workshops on the interventional management of neuropathic orofacial pain at the 2022 and 2023 annual American Academy of Orofacial Pain meeting, as well as internationally, at the 2022 International Association for the Study of Pain World Congress, the largest international pain conference. This work has led to several publications in peer-reviewed journals and invitation to give a lecture at the interprofessional rounds at Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Stockholm, Sweden. I am also involved in clinical research in the interventional management of oromandibular dystonia and have presented this work regionally at the Orofacial Pain and Headache rounds at Tufts University, with a publication in the high impact peer reviewed Journal of American Dental Association. I have contributed two book chapters on the diagnosis and management of orofacial pain which are accepted for publication in Dental Clinics of North America and an international textbook on Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery with Wiley Publishing in 2023. In addition to this, I have several papers that have been accepted for publication in high impact peer reviewed journals (Comorbidities and risk factors affecting progression of TMJ surgery; classification of heterotopic bone in TMJ – A delphi review, systematic review of heterotopic bone formation in TMJ in animal models).
Teaching:
I have been actively involved in teaching from the very beginning of my own training years. As faculty, I teach and supervise dental students and residents and continue to tutor predoctoral dental students. I lecture regularly at HSDM and various departments in MGH. In our very small subspecialty program of this newly recognized dental specialty, Orofacial pain, I work very closely with the residents and program director to organize the program curriculum. I am the Associate Program Director of Orofacial Pain, Co - course director for Interprofessional Temporomandibular Joint Disorder Conference and a Panelist in Multidisciplinary Orofacial Pain and Headache rounds organized by MGH, Rutgers University, Tufts University, and the University of Michigan. I am a part of the newly established MGH Facial Pain group, a multidisciplinary group with neurology, neurosurgery, pain psychology and orofacial pain.
Summary:
I am a dentist specializing in Orofacial Pain. I maintain a robust clinical practice at MGH where I work closely with colleagues in different specialties to develop new interventions for managing non odontogenic oral pain. I actively lecture, publish, and teach in my area of expertise and have been awarded an NIH grant as a co PI. My ultimate goals are to provide excellent clinical care and teaching while innovating new interventions in managing temporomandibular joint disorders and neuropathic orofacial pain.
Annika Rosen Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen University
Norway
Professor at the Department of Clinical Dentistry at University of Bergen (UoB), Norway and leader of the research group Orofacial Pain in the Oral Health research group at the Deparment of Clinical Dentistry. The Orofacial Pain research group has translational research/collaboration between universities and hospitals in Norway, Sweden and Boston, USA which include preclinical as well as clinical research.
She is also senior Consultant at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen. She is mainly doing TMJ surgery. She has contributed to build up the National Unit for Orofacial Pain at the hospital and is part of the multi/interdisciplinary team as well as the national reference group conducted by the Health Directorate.
In Sweden, she is head of an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery clinic at Eastman Institute, Public Dental Health, Region Stockholm, Sweden.
Educated at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden: DDS 1988, Dr Med Sci 1994, Specialist in OMS 2005, Associate Professor (Docent) 2007. Professor at UoB, Norway 2012.
She is also senior Consultant at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen. She is mainly doing TMJ surgery. She has contributed to build up the National Unit for Orofacial Pain at the hospital and is part of the multi/interdisciplinary team as well as the national reference group conducted by the Health Directorate.
In Sweden, she is head of an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery clinic at Eastman Institute, Public Dental Health, Region Stockholm, Sweden.
Educated at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden: DDS 1988, Dr Med Sci 1994, Specialist in OMS 2005, Associate Professor (Docent) 2007. Professor at UoB, Norway 2012.
Matthew Fortino Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School
United States
Dr Fortino is a clinical psychologist at Lee Physician Group in Southwest Florida, USA. He graduated from William James College, completed clinical training with Massachusetts General Hospital and his fellowship with Florida State University College of Medicine.
He has published on substance use disorder comorbidity and Adverse Childhood Events (ACE's). His interests are interdisciplinary care, chronic pain management, and healthcare education.
He currently practices in primary care.
He has published on substance use disorder comorbidity and Adverse Childhood Events (ACE's). His interests are interdisciplinary care, chronic pain management, and healthcare education.
He currently practices in primary care.
Chronic Post-Surgical Pain following Dental Surgeries- Mechanisms, Risks, and Multimodal Management
Category
Topical Workshop
Description
Session Type: Topical Workshop
Room: Silk 3
28/10/2026
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM