Global Year Against Orofacial Pain

Letter from the IASP President

I am pleased to announce the 2013-2014 Global Year Against Orofacial Pain campaign, which will launch on Monday, October 21, 2013. Orofacial pain is a very frequent form of pain perceived in the face and/or oral cavity, caused by diseases or disorders of regional structures, by dysfunction of the nervous system, or through referral from distant sources. Monday’s launch includes a press release, a series of fact sheets examining the many aspects of orofacial pain, a poster, and other resources for you to learn more about this important form of pain. Many are available to download free of charge. William Maixner, DDS PhD, chair of the IASP Special Interest Group on Orofacial Pain, led an international IASP task force to plan this year’s campaign and author the fact sheets. These initial fact sheets are available to download free, and will soon be available in five World Health Organization (WHO) languages (English, French, Spanish, simple Chinese, and Arabic).  Later in the year, IASP will post additional fact sheets and translations, as well as announcements of events and meetings that are planned on the orofacial pain theme. We encourage you to join the campaign in a variety of ways: Disseminate information on orofacial pain throughout the world. Educate pain researchers and clinicians in your region, as well as the larger global community of health care professionals who interact with patients. Increase awareness of orofacial pain among government officials, media, and the general public worldwide. Encourage government leaders, research institutions, and other key decision-makers to support more research, ultimately producing more effective and accessible treatment methods and outcomes for those who suffer from orofacial pain. Throughout the one-year campaign, IASP members and chapters will organize meetings, symposia, patient-education events, publications, and many other efforts exploring different aspects of orofacial pain. IASP will post stories about these efforts on the IASP website at www.iasp-pain.org/GlobalYear/OrofacialPain and emailed to all IASP members and those who join our Global Year mailing list. I encourage you to get involved in activities and events that relate to the Global Year. Whether you help to plan and organize an event, deliver a talk related to orofacial pain, or attend a meeting to show your support, I thank you in advance for helping to increase understanding of orofacial pain around the globe. Please contact your local IASP chapter, or the IASP secretariat office at IASPdesk@iasp-pain.org, for more information. We look forward to your active involvement in this important advocacy campaign. I count on your help and involvement in promoting treatment for this most common form of pain that is insufficiently recognized and poorly treated. Get involved in your local institution to draw attention to this unmet medical need. Millions of pain sufferers throughout the world will benefit from our joint effort. They need our passion and our commitment. Kind regards, Fernando Cervero, MD, PhD, DSc IASP President