Our master in Orofacial Pain and TMD
First level university master course
When it’s possible to attend: 2026–2027
Language: English
Format: Fully Online
Duration: 2 Years | 120 ECTS
Director: Prof. Daniele Manfredini (University of Siena)

Why This Program?
Chronic facial pain, temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), bruxism, and sleep-related conditions are growing fields in both dentistry and medicine — and few programs in the world offer a structured, academic-level education in this complex area. This two-year online master provides an exceptional educational opportunity for health professionals eager to deepen their knowledge and clinical skills in orofacial pain and TMD.
Who Should Apply?
This master is ideal for:
- Dentists
- Physicians
- Physiotherapists
- Chiropractors
…interested in gaining advanced expertise in pain management, jaw disorders, and sleep-related dysfunctions.
Educational Goals
This postgraduate program aims to:
- Explore the physiopathology, diagnosis, and clinical management of orofacial pain and TMD
- Cover related fields such as bruxism and sleep disorders
- Provide access to cutting-edge knowledge taught by world-renowned experts
- Meet the growing global demand for trained professionals in this complex field
Faculty
The teaching team includes over 30 international leaders in the field, including:
Daniele Manfredini (Siena), Frank Lobbezoo (Amsterdam), Barry Glassman (Florida), Gary Heir (Rutgers), Chuck Greene (Chicago), Birgitta Haggman-Henrikson (Malmoe), Rob Delcanho (Perth), Antoon De Laat (Leuven), Ian Boggero (Kentucky), Sanjvan Kandasamy (Perth), Dania Tamimi (Orlando), and many others.
Full list in alphabetical order:
| Prof. Daniele Manfredini |
| Dr. Andre Mariz Almeida |
| Prof. Ramesh Balasubramaniam (Perth) |
| Prof. Steven Bender |
| Prof. Alessandro Bracci |
| Dr. Anna Colonna |
| Prof. Leopoldo Correa |
| Dr. Janani Dakshinamoorthi |
| Dr. Robert Delcanho |
| Dr. Ricardo Dias |
| Dr. Antonio Romero Garcia |
| Dr. Charles Greene |
| Prof. Birgitta Haggmann-Henrikson |
| Prof. Gary Heir |
| Dr. Rich Hirschinger |
| Prof. Sanj Kandasamy |
| Prof. Gary Klasser |
| Dr. Olga Korzceniewska |
| Prof. Frank Lobbezoo |
| Dr. Alberto Malacarne |
| Med. St. Giacomo Manfredini |
| Prof. Rosario Marchese Ragona |
| Prof. Luca Guarda Nardini |
| Dr. Laura Nykänen |
| Dr. Carlo Poggio |
| Dr. Matteo Pollis |
| Dr. Tara Renton |
| Prof. Claudia Restrepo |
| Dr. Marco Rossit |
| Dr. Andrei Santa |
| Dr. Ovidio Saracutu |
| Dr. Gayathri Subramaniam |
| Dr. Matteo Tresoldi |
| Dr. Matteo Val |
| Dr. Marek Vlna |
| Prof. Harry Von Piekartz |
Apply Now
Seats are limited. Enroll today to secure your place in this internationally recognized program.
Read more about requirements, admission, pre-application – master in Orofacial pain and TMD: find a step-by-step procedure to understand the requirements and to pre-apply, click on the button below:
In this way we will receive your pre-application and we will be able to help you in case of need. It contains all the documents required to apply and also some additional info we also need from you.
Upon enrollment you will have to certify your access title. This step is mandatory and without a certified and comparable title the University of Siena will have to exclude you from the master.
Course Format
- Fully Online: All lessons are delivered through a flexible e-learning platform
- Asynchronous Study: Access to scientific readings, lecture recordings, and support material
- Annual Online Seminar: Focused on selected topics, also open to students from previous cohorts
- Optional Clinical Observation (not included in the tuition):
- Summer and Winter Schools organized by the Orofacial Pain Academy/GSID
- Hands-on observation on real patients in Marina di Carrara (Italy)
- Discounted access for enrolled students
Unique Features of the master in Orofacial pain and TMD
- One of the very few master’s programs worldwide entirely dedicated to Orofacial Pain and TMD
- Global faculty: Learn directly from the top researchers and clinicians in the field
- Flexibility for working professionals
- Optional live clinical exposure through the Orofacial Pain Academy
The steps, recapped
- pre-application – https://dentalnecto.com/master-orofacial-pain-tmd-apply/ – always useful
- application and app fee (we will help you) – must be done by February 2026
- admission (the board will evaluate the applications and will accept or reject them)
- enrollment (we will help you and you will need to pay the first instalment)
- study – course starts in April 2026
- second instalment (After approx. 8/10 months)
- study
- final exam and certification
Dentalnecto will guarantee administrative and communication support with the university. We will also guarantee updates on teaching and will take care of communication and the technical part related to online lessons.
How much does the master in Orofacial Pain and TMD cost?
The current tuition fee is €8,048 + VAT (totaling €8,928) for the upcoming cohort.
Payment is divided into two installments: ✅ First installment: Due upon enrollment, after successful application review.
✅ Second installment: Scheduled later in the program.
This flexible payment structure ensures accessibility while maintaining high educational standards.
The application fee of 213€ is an extra cost not included in the amount mentioned above.
If for some reason you don’t have to pay VAT, of course, the figures will be slightly different.
Educational System in Italy
In Italy, we don’t differentiate as other Universities do abroad. We divide it in “Undergraduate” (requires 180 credits), “Graduate” (requires 120 credits), “Post Graduate” (PhDs) and “Specialising Masters and Continuing Education”.
Orofacial Pain and TMD falls under the category of “University Masters”, meaning that at the end of the program you will have gained 120 university credits. The equivalent required for the foreign MSc. You will earn a I level university master. Second cycle QF-EHEA / level 7° EQF (European Qualification Framework) in Italy. You can check how it will be recognised abroad through the ENIC NARI

The University Masters the University of Siena issues all abide by the directions and all are recognised as such by and throughout the European Union. If you aim at using the title outside the EU, we suggest you check with the local Embassy about its validity.
How our agreement with the university works
Dentalnecto has an agreement to co-organize the master’s program. We take care of looking for candidates through promotion agreements with external entities (e.g., Zerodonto). Then we collect the applications and handle the submissions and all communications with students related to the admission stages. We also collect the fees, and when we have all of them, we pay the university the tuition portion (usually in two installments, the due dates of which are determined by the university). The rest you pay is to cover our support throughout 2 and more years (from application to the certificate), our services mentioned above and all the management of theory classes that take place online through our remote support and through software managed by us. This also includes video recordings of the online meetings.
The amount disclosed on this site include everything, fees, services, and total figures (including two years of courses).
Dates and Topics of the master in Orofacial pain and TMD
Course structure
The master follows a modular approach over two years.
Detailed schedule
2026
| MODULE PHYSIOLOGY AND PAIN MECHANISMS (Batch 4 & 5) | ||||
| (Prof. DANIELE MANFREDINI & Dr. MATTEO VAL) | ||||
| Week | Topic | Date/Hour | Speaker | Affiliation |
| 1 | Anatomy of the Temporomandibular Joint and jaw muscles | April 13, hr 14.00-16.00 | Dr. Matteo Val | University of Siena (Italy) |
| Imaging of the Temporomandibular Joint – a pictorial atlas | April 14, hr 14.00-16.00 | Prof. Daniele Manfredini | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| Anatomy of the Cranial Nerves | April 15, hr 14.00-16.00 | Dr. Antonio Romero Garcia | University of Valencia (Spain) | |
| DISSERTATION DAY (Batch 3 – open to attendance for Batch 4 & 5) | April 16, hr 10.00-16.00 | Prof. Daniele Manfredini | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| Physiology of pain transmission | May 18, hr 14:00-16:00 | Prof. Daniele Manfredini | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| 2 | Nociception vs neuropathy | May 19, hr 14.00-15.00 | Prof. Gary Heir | Rutgers Dental School (USA) |
| Physiopathology of sleep bruxism | May 20, hr 14:00-16:00 | Prof. Frank Lobbezoo | ACTA (The Netherlands) | |
| Tendinopathy of the stomatognathic system | May 21, hr 14.00-16.00 | Med. St. Giacomo Manfredini | University of Pisa (Italy) | |
| Principles of Dental Occlusion | May 22, hr 14:00-16:00 | Dr. Anna Colonna | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| 3 | Physiology of Sleep | June 16, hr 14:00-16:00 | Prof. Leopoldo Correa | University of Mexico City (Mexico) |
| Social Determinants of Health | June 17, hr 14:00-16:00 | Recorded debate with multiple speakers | American Academy of Orofacial Pain | |
| Educational Pathways to improve patient care | June 18, hr 14:00-16:00 | Dr. Andre Mariz Almeida | Egas Moniz Lisbon (Portugal) | |
| Journal Club | June 19, hr 14.00-16.00 | Dr. Andrei Santa, Dr. Ovidiu Saracutu | Cluj (Romania), University of Siena (Italy) | |
| MODULE OROFACIAL PAIN (Batch 4 & 5) | ||||
| (Prof. STEVEN BENDER & Dr. OVIDIU SARACUTU) | ||||
| Week | Topic | Date/Hour | Speaker | Affiliation |
| 1 | International Classification of Orofacial Pains | July 6, hr 14.00-17.00 | Dr. Ovidiu Saracutu | University of Siena (Italy) |
| 2 | Triaging the Orofacial Pain Patient | September 14 | Prof. Steven Bender | Texas A&M (USA) |
| Musculoskeletal Pains | September 15 | Prof. Daniele Manfredini | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| Neuropathic Pains | September 16 | Prof. Steven Bender | Texas A&M (USA) | |
| Trigeminal Neuralgia | September 17 | Dr. Tara Renton | Kings College (UK) | |
| Headaches and neurovascular pains vs face pain | September 18 | Dr. Alberto Malacarne | Tufts Dental School (USA) | |
| Burning Mouth Syndrome | October 13, hr 14.00-16.00 | Prof. Gary Klasser | Lousiana State University (USA) | |
| 3 | Endodontics and Pain | October 14, hr 14.00-16.00 | Dr. Marco Rossit | University of Siena (Italy) |
| Basis of Pain Genetics | October 15, hr 14.00-15.00 | Dr. Janani Dakshinamoorthi | University of Chennai (India) | |
| Genetics of Orofacial Pain | October 15, hr 15.00-16.00 | Dr. Olga Korzceniewska | Rutgers Dental School (USA) | |
| Medication-related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw | October 16, hr 14.00-16.00 | Dr. Gayathri Subramaniam | Rutgers Dental School (USA) | |
| 4 | Orofacial Pain and Systemic Conditions | November 10, hr 14.00-17.00 | ||
| Pharmacology of Orofacial Pains | November 11, hr 14.00-16.00 | Dr. Robert Delcanho | University of Sidney (Australia) | |
| Simulation of cases – the ABOP format | November 12, hr 14:00-16:00 | Prof. Daniele Manfredini | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| Guided simulation of cases – problem solving with quiz | November 13, hr 14:00-16:00 | Dr. Alberto Malacarne | Tufts Dental School (USA) | |
| 5 | Journal Club | December 2, hr 14.00-16.00 | Dr. Andrei Santa, Dr. Ovidiu Saracutu | Cluj (Romania), University of Siena (Italy) |
| Simulated ABOP examination | December 3 | Dr. Rich Hirschinger | UCLA (USA) | |
2027
| 0 | EXAMINATION DAY (Batch 4) | March 11 | Prof. Daniele Manfredini | University of Siena (Italy) |
| MODULE TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDERS (Batch 5 & 6) | ||||
| (Prof. DANIELE MANFREDINI) | ||||
| Week | Topic | Date/Hour | Speaker | Affiliation |
| 1 | History of TMDs | April – 3hrs | Prof. Daniele Manfredini | University of Siena (Italy) |
| Gnathological myth busters | April – 3hrs | Dr. Ovidiu Saracutu | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| The Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) | April – 2hrs | Prof. Birgitta Haggmann-Henrikson | University of Malmö (Sweden) | |
| Clinical Assessment | April – 2hrs | Dr. Ricardo Dias | University of Oporto (Portugal) | |
| DISSERTATION DAY (Batch 4 – open to attendance for Batch 5 & 6) | April | Prof. Daniele Manfredini | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| 2 | ||||
| Psychosocial Assessment | May – 1hr | Dr. Matteo Pollis | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| Dealing with psychological issues | May – 1hr | Dr. Marek Vlna | Bratislava (Slovakia) | |
| Instrumental Assessment | May – 1 hr | Prof. Daniele Manfredini | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| MRI of the Temporomandibular Joint Imaging | May – 1hr | Dr. Matteo Tresoldi | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| MRI of the Temporomandibular Joint Imaging – quiz and guided discussion | May – 2hrs | Dr. Matteo Val | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| 3 | Fundamentals of TMD treatment | June – 2hrs | Prof. Daniele Manfredini | University of Siena (Italy) |
| Cognitive-behavioral Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI)-based approaches | June – 2hrs | Dr. Anna Colonna | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| Oral appliances | June – 2hrs | Prof. Daniele Manfredini | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| Physiotherapy | June – 2hrs | Prof. Harry Von Piekartz | University of Osnabrück (Germany) | |
| Temporomandibular Joint Arthrocentesis | June – 2hrs | Prof. Luca Guarda Nardini | University of Padova/Treviso (Italy) | |
| 4 | Major TMJ Surgery | July – 2hrs | Prof. Luca Guarda Nardini | University of Padova/Treviso (Italy) |
| Orthodontics and the Temporomandibular Joint – part 1 | July – 1hr | Prof. Sanj Kandasamy | University of Western Australia (Australia) | |
| Ortho, Sleep and the TMJ part 2 | July – 2hrs | Dr. Anna Colonna | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| Prosthodontics and the Temporomandibular Joint | July – 2hrs | Dr. Carlo Poggio | Milano (Italy) | |
| The four pillars of modern TMd practice | July – 1hr | Dr. Charles Greene | University of Chicago (USA) | |
| 5 | Journal Club | July – 2hrs | Dr. Andrei Santa, Dr. Ovidiu Saracutu | Cluj (Romania), University of Siena (Italy) |
| MODULE BRUXISM AND SLEEP DISORDERS (Batch 5 & 6) | ||||
| (Prof. DANIELE MANFREDINI) | ||||
| Week | Topic | Date/Hour | Speaker | Affiliation |
| 1 | General concepts on Bruxism | September – 2hrs | Prof. Daniele Manfredini | University of Siena (Italy) |
| Current Research on Bruxism | September – 2hrs | Dr. Ovidio Saracutu | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| Awake Bruxism | September – 2 hrs | Dr. Laura Nykänen | University of Helsinki (Finland) | |
| Standardized Tool for the Assessment of Bruxism (STAB) | September – 2 hrs | Prof. Daniele Manfredini | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| 2 | Ecological Momentary Assessment of bruxism | October – 2 hrs | Prof. Alessandro Bracci | University of Padova (Italy) |
| Polysomnography and Electromyography | October – 2 hrs | Dr. Matteo Pollis | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| Bruxism and Children | October – 2 hrs | Prof. Claudia Restrepo | University of Medellin (Colombia) | |
| Bruxism and Orthodontics | October – 2 hrs | Dr. Anna Colonna | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| 3 | Management of Bruxism | November – 2 hrs | Prof. Daniele Manfredini | University of Siena (Italy) |
| Botulinum toxin and bruxism | November – 1 hr | Dr. Matteo Val | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| Evaluation of tooth wear | November – 2 hrs | Dr. Ovidiu Saracutu | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| Journal Club | December – 2 hrs | Dr. Andrei Santa, Dr. Ovidiu Saracutu | Cluj (Romania), University of Siena (Italy) | |
| 4 | ||||
| General concepts on Obstructive Sleep Apnea | December – 1 hr | Prof. Rosario Marchese Ragona | University of Padova (Italy) | |
| Other sleep disorders of dental interest | December – 1 hr | Dr. Matteo Pollis | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| Role of the dentist in sleep apnea manegement – Prof. Ramesh Balasubramaniam (Perth) | December – 2 hrs | Prof. Ramesh Balasubramaniam (Perth) | University of Western Australia (Australia) | |
| Simulation of cases – the ABOP format | December | Prof. Daniele Manfredini | University of Siena (Italy) | |
| Simulated ABOP examination | December | Dr. Rich Hirschinger | UCLA (USA) | |

