In order to ensure Diplomates maintain a high level of competency in the practice of Orofacial Pain each Diplomate must comply with specific continuing education requirements.  Failure to comply with these requirements can result in revocation of one's Diplomate status.   

Renewal Fees

Diplomates are required to pay yearly Diplomate Dues.  Failure to pay dues before December 15 will result in the assessment of a late fee.  Fees will be accrued over the years and must be paid in full to maintain one's status.

Recertification Guidelines

The American Board of Orofacial Pain (ABOP) presents to the public Diplomates who have been certified through a rigorous validated psychometric testing process as having demonstrated a minimum level of competency in orofacial pain. To maintain that level of competency, the Board of Directors of the ABOP has instituted a policy that requires Diplomates to undertake a high level of continuing education, with specificity in the field of orofacial pain, and to maintain the documentation necessary for recertification.
Diplomates are required to achieve 100 hours of continuing education in the field of orofacial pain every 5 years. Hours earned during one five-year period cannot be carried forward into another recertification period.

1. One hour of continuing education is equivalent to 1 hour of credit towards the continuing education requirement.


2. At least 70 hours of continuing education must be in orofacial pain related fields and must include a combination of courses that cover the following topics:
• Neurovascular pain (example: various primary headache disorders, arteritis)
• Neuropathic    pain    and    dysfunction    (example:     neuralgias,    sympathetically maintained pain)
• Musculoskeletal pain (example: TMJ disorders, myalgia, myofascial pain, cervical pains)


3. The remaining 30 hours of continuing education may come from other related areas:
• Related sleep disorders
• Related movement disorders
• Extracranial, intracranial, and systemic causes of orofacial pain and dysfunction.
• Behavioral and psychological subjects relative to the management of orofacial and chronic pain.
• Topics such as anatomy, pharmacology, physical therapy and other related medical fields as they relate to the diagnosis and treatment of the topics covered under both Sections 2 and 3 of this document. (Example: Pharmacologic treatment of neuralgia or headache)


4. Continuing education credits may be obtained by attending educational meetings of national or international professional societies or associations such as the Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain (AAOP), or quadrennial meetings of the International Congress of Temporomandibular Disorders (ICOT) or similar educational programs at the approval of the Recertification Committee. A Diplomate has the right to appeal the Committee’s decision to reject certain continuing education credits to the Board of Directors.


5. Hours may also be obtained as follows:
• 2 hours per year for clinical teaching at least 1 day per month in an orofacial pain program at a CODA accredited institutions
• 6 hours per year for full time teaching in an orofacial pain program at a CODA accredited institution
• 4 hours per year for lectures related to orofacial pain as noted in sections 2 and 3 at academic dental or medical programs or national professional societies where certified continuing education credits may be earned, credit 1 hour credit per 1 hour of lecture
• 2 hours each for authorship (author of an article in a refereed journal, chapter in a textbook, or submission of a grant related to an orofacial pain-related topic)
• 6 hours each for authorship/editorship (author or editor) of a textbook related to orofacial pain
• 2 hours each for poster presentation at an annual national or international meeting of any recognized pain management organization
• 2 hours each per year for participation in a sponsored and/or funded research project

Hours from this category (5) may only account for a total of 34 hours towards the total 100-hour requirement.



6. All current Diplomates are required to maintain documentation of their CE credit hours. Diplomates can maintain a record of CE hours by logging their CEU credits into the new ABOP CEU Journal in their on-line account at www.abop.net.


7. The due date for submitting recertification documentation will be on March 1st, of the year the 5-year cycle ends. If circumstances exist, whereby a Diplomate has trouble meeting the requirements, they may appeal to the Recertification Committee for a continuance. Failure to fulfill the 100-hour requirement or submit the required CE documentation or to pay the $100.00 recertification fee to the Recertification Committee within 90 days of the due date will result in the Diplomate status being suspended. Diplomates can appeal to the Recertification Committee for reinstatement only after the deficiencies are corrected. If, after one year the requirements for recertification still have not been met, Diplomate status will be revoked. Once Diplomate status has been revoked, individuals who wish to be recertified will be required to successfully challenge the ABOP written examination before they can be reinstated as Diplomates in the ABOP. This will require payment of current fees related to taking the examination at the time.

Diplomates who have been granted Life Membership status by the Board of Directors are exempt from these recertification requirements.
The ABOP strives to maintain the highest standards to assure that Diplomates are competent and qualified when Diplomate status is first achieved. That standard of competence must continue throughout the Diplomate’s professional career.

To Submit Your Recertification Information

• Compile a PDF document that includes a list of all the courses attended, along with the corresponding dates.
• Ensure that each course entry includes essential details such as the course title, provider, and duration.
• Attach evidence of attendance for each course in the form of certificates or other relevant documentation.
• Send the completed PDF as an email attachment to the designated member of the ABOP Recertification Committee Member who has contacted you.

If you have any questions or encounter difficulties during the submission process, feel free to reach out to abopmanagement@gmail.com for assistance.