Our Mission statement
Cultivate well-trained TMJ surgeons, arthroscopists, and educators with knowledge, skills, and ability to advance TMJ arthroscopy worldwide.
Our Vision statement:
Elevate training in TMJ surgery through comprehensive education, foster long-term professional relationships, provide ongoing support to the participants to ensure the safe and effective practice of TMJ arthroscopy, and make it as widely available as possible worldwide.
Introduction:
The TMJ Mini Residency features a faculty of internationally renowned advanced TMJ surgeons. Since the course was established in 2014, we have successfully trained surgeons from more than 26 countries. It is the only course of its kind in the world, providing a unique opportunity for those who wish to develop skills and knowledge to incorporate effective full-scope TMJ surgery into their clinical practice.
Competency in TMJ arthroscopy takes time and repetition to develop the skills and muscle memory, and it cannot be accomplished in a one-day or even a one-weekend course. This Mini Residency course provides didactic and, most importantly, an extensively mentored cadaveric experience imperative to performing safe and effective surgical techniques for patients.
In light of feedback from past participants, we have changed the course format, and we now offer 2 five-day courses each year in a state-of-the-art bioskills laboratory in Tuscon, Arizona. The faculty provides extensive one-on-one, hands-on mentorship tailored to the individual participant's experience level. Participants have the opportunity to take one or both courses each year. The course is supported by the University of Maryland Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, and offers participants 40 hours of certified CE credits provided by the University of Maryland for each 5-day course.
The areas specifically addressed are diagnosis, treatment planning, basic and advanced operative arthroscopy, open arthroplasty, and alloplastic total joint replacement. With continued feedback from previous course participants, we have included a didactic session on collaborative non-surgical management from a board-certified specialist in orofacial pain, a session on physical therapy from a physical therapist experienced in TMJ disorders, and a session with a board-certified maxillofacial radiologist discussing CT and MRI imaging.