Lasting Impressions | Summer 2017

18 © NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY illnesses. “We have done several clinics with Dr. Klimas, and we are building on those basics,” Bradley said. Bradley’s research using lasers at the Orofacial Pain Clinic also focuses on using LILT to treat existing pain. “The lasers have a strong anti-inflammatory effect and are at their best for muscular conditions,” he said. Bradley, a past president of the North American Association for Laser Therapy, found that the lasers are successful in treating patients who arrive at the clinic and are diagnosed with temporomandibular joint disorders, which cause pain when eating or opening wide. “We receive patients at the clinic who don’t only have pain in the jaw muscles. Many also have pain in the neck,” Bradley said. He added that the combination causes tension headaches where, in some instances, the pain radiates into the chest area. “We can treat large areas with the laser. In the pain clinic, we often combine the laser with trigger point acu- puncture,” Bradley added. The companies that create and manufacture the pricey lasers frequently offer the equipment to the clinic, which is beneficial to the company and allows students to become familiar with the lasers. “The companies would like us to evaluate the laser for them and provide data about its use in particular cases we treat.” This is part of the research being done at what is com- monly known as the Head and Neck Pain Clinic. In exis- tence for 14 years, it is an integral part of the Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences. Bradley said his clinic is the only one in Florida that specializes in head and neck pain. “It gives us a special responsibility to the patients who come to us from throughout the state, including some who have been suffering from obscure kinds of pain for years,” he said. In addition to Bradley, the clinic’s specialists include neurologist H. Murray Todd, M.D., who is an authority on neuropathic pain such as trigeminal neuralgia, which is said to be the worst pain known to humans, and physical therapist Volkert de Weijer, D.P.T., M.Sc. Bradley likens the job of the clinic’s specialists to being “detectives” who help those suffering from different types of pain to get relief. “We’ve designed what we think are relevant questions, and we do a careful examination, an intake, and tests on nerves, blood vessels, or muscles. We try to give the patients immediate treatment. Many of them have traveled a long distance to see us, and we want to help them as soon as we can,” said Bradley, who, before joining the NSU faculty, was professor and chair of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Edinburgh and at the University of London. Patients are referred to the pain clinic by primary care physicians, dentists, neurologists, and ear, nose, and throat specialists. “They have seen a variety of specialists, but, in many cases, no one can sort out what’s wrong with them, so it’s up to us,” Bradley said. He often has dental students who will refer a patient, which provides a chance for a learning experience. “We encourage the student to accompany the patient to see how we approach the matter,” Bradley explained. For information on departmental services, contact the Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, at (954) 262-1929. u Lina M. Mejia is responsible for in-service training on tobacco cessation for the College of Dental Medicine faculty. She also examines patients who have expressed a desire to stop smoking.