Faculty Directory
WilliamMaixner, DDS, PhD
Title(s)
- Professor
- Director, Center for Neurosensory Disorders
- Co-Director, Oral and Maxillofacial Pain Program
Department(s)
- Endodonics, School of Dentistry
- Pharmacology, School of Medicine
Education
- B.A., University of Iowa, 1975
- Ph.D., University of Iowa, 1982
- D.D.S., University of Iowa, 1983
Research Interests
- TMD and fibromyalgia
- Pain Transmission and Modulation
- Chronic Sensory Disorders
Research Summary
William Maixner is a professor in the departments of endodontics, pharmacology, neurobiology, and co-director of the Orofacial Pain Management Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He completed his undergraduate work in 1970 at the University of Iowa with BS degrees in biochemistry and zoology. Continuing his education at the University of Iowa, he earned his PhD in pharmacology in 1982 and his dental degree in 1983. Following his training at the University of Iowa, he joined the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland and pursued fellowship studies in the area of pain and pain mechanisms. He joined the University of North Carolina in 1985 and has developed a clinical and basic research program, as well as an orofacial pain management program.
His current research focuses on the underlying biological, biopsychosocial, and genetic factors that contribute to the development of chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions with an emphasis on fibromyalgia and temporomandibular disorders. He has authored more that 100 peer reviewed articles, has spoken at several national and international conferences, and is the recipient of several NIH grants that explore the mechanisms that support persist pain states.