Our Mission
Transformative multidisciplinary approach to decrease pain and addiction.
Our Vision
Our Center for Pain Therapeutics and Addiction Research has two areas of focus. In pain, we focus on both mechanisms of pain and therapies to reduce pain or block its transmission, whether oral-facial complex focused or for other regions of the body. Therapies include new novel non-addictive medications, diet/nutritional modification and alternative therapies. Our focus on addiction management concerns expansion of duties of oral health care providers in screening for addictions, and when feasible, instituting brief motivational intervention approaches and/or referral for management. We know many individuals visit an oral health care provider on a regular basis, but infrequently access medical providers, thus the necessity for the oral health care team to take on a leading role in addiction management where current approaches have failed to curb this epidemic.
Research Center Initiatives
Pain
Research is an important activity in the Department of Endodontics. Although our funded projects cover diverse topics, much of our efforts emphasize translational and basic science research projects that evaluate pain mechanisms.
Oral Cancer
Oral cancers are common, with approximately 400,000 new cases and 200,000 deaths worldwide annually.
Researcher Spotlight
Kenneth M. Hargreaves, DDS, PhD
Director of the Center for Pain Therapeutics and Addiction Research, Professor of Endodontics
Nikita B. Ruparel, DDS, PhD, MS
Director of the Advanced Education Program in Endodontics, Associate Professor of Endodontics
Anibal Diogenes, DDS, PhD, MS
Chair of the Department of Endodontics, Professor of Endodontics
Armen Akopian, PhD
Professor of Endodontics
Events
