History
Sujay Mehta is originally from Winnipeg. He attended John Muir College at the University of California at San Diego (U.C.S.D.) where he earned a BA in History, studied pre-med and competed in the 400 m hurdles and 4 x 400 m relay.
He attended the School of Dental Medicine at Tufts University in downtown Boston and earned a D.M.D. in 1995. After dental school, he returned to California and completed a Residency in Hospital Dentistry at the V.A. Hospital in Sepulveda, California, where he was Chief Resident in 1998. He then sought additional training with a Residency in Orofacial Pain from UCLA's Department of Oral Medicine and Orofacial Pain.
He returned to Canada in 2002 and began working in private practice as well as teaching part-time at UBC. At that time the clinic was called the TMD Clinic and it eventually evolved to the Orofacial Pain Clinic.
Dr. Mehta's training covers the medical problems associated with dentistry that fall between where dentistry and medicine overlap. He sees patients with all types of medical problems related to the mouth. This can include mucosal lesions in the mouth and around the lips, complex facial pains, and sleep disordered breathing such as snoring and sleep apnea.
He has taught the dental students and residents at UBC. He has also had medical residents rotate through the Orofacial Pain Clinic at UBC. He has been involved as an investigator with the College of Dental Surgeons regarding complaints made by the public. Currently, he sees patients in his office, advises lawyers, insurance companies and multiple provincial worker's compensation boards on various types of injuries to the mouth and face. On occasion Dr. Mehta is asked to be an expert witness in court on traumatic injury and malpractice cases.
Dr. Sujay Mehta
Orofacial Pain dentist
Orofacial pain is a new specialty within dentistry that is now recognized by the American Dental Association. Currently, the training programs have uniform teaching objectives throughout the increasing number of programs currently available in the United States. Training in the US is overseen by CODA (the Commission on Dental Accreditation).
Orofacial Pain is the area in dentistry and medicine that specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and management of acute and chronic pains to the teeth, mouth, face, jaws and head. Ongoing and chronic face pains can not only lead to frustration for the patient, but also for the healthcare provider as well. Research in musculoskeletal orofacial pains has questioned the need for surgical interventions hence leading to some question if oral and maxillofacial surgery is the most appropriate specialist to manage some of these pains. Other dental specialities have also been involved historically with tempormmnandibular joint disorders such as orthodontists and prosthodontists however again the peer reviewed academic literature questions the benefit from irreversible measures such as periodontal straightening the teeth and full mouth reconstruction of the teeth. Periodontists have had a strong history in managing chronic pains associated with oral mucous disorders with some of the initial pioneers in this area cooing from periodontal medicine.
Orofacial pain is not a recognized specialty in Canada. Oral medicine has been a recognized specialty in Canada for several years now. Oral medicine is the specialty that oversees oral mucosal disorders, medically complex patients as well as temporomandibular joint disorders and complex pains.
The US seems to have had two schools of thought evolve in this new field with one group developing programs in Oral Medicine and another group developing programs in Orofacial Pain.
Why is this important? Dr. Mehta's training encompasses Hospital Dentistry which deals with medically complex patients requiring dental care but presenting in a hospital setting. In addition his training then focused on all aspects of orofacial pains such as oral mucosal disorders, musculoskeletal pains including temporomandibular joint disorders, neuralgias and neuropathic pains, burning mouth disorders and complex headache such as tension, posttrauamtic, migraine, trigeminal autonomic cephalgias and hemicranias masquerading as toothache or jaw pains.
Education
U.C.L.A. Diploma - Orofacial Pain 2002
Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Sepulveda, CA - Hospital Dentistry Residency 1997
Tufts University D.M.D. 1995
U.C. San Diego B.A. 1990
Activities & Affiliations
former clinical instructor UBC School of Dentistry & Orofacial Pain Clinic
former Complaints Investigator - College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia
contributor in Orofacial Medicine for UBC Pain Residency program
guest lecturer UBC School of Pharmacy