AAP presents awards at meeting in Boston

The AAP awards were presented by the Immediate Past President Dr David Cochran and 2010 President Dr Samuel Low.

“I am proud to honor my colleagues and praise them for their time and efforts throughout the years,” said Dr Low. “This year’s award winners are indicative of the many continued successes we have had in the specialty of periodontics.”

Dr Michael K. McGuire was honored with the Gold Medal Award, the highest honor bestowed by the AAP, for his outstanding contributions to the field of periodontics. Dr McGuire has contributed to clinical research through innovative studies on a number of periodontal therapies, and his lectures have been known to captivate both national and international audiences. In addition to maintaining a full-time private practice, Dr McGuire has chaired many AAP committees and task forces in scientific and clinical practice areas, and he was a driving force as chair of the Task Force on a 2020 Vision for the Academy and the profession. He is on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Periodontology and has served as president of both the AAP and the AAP Foundation. The the Gold Medal Award was sponsored by Sunstar Americas.

Dr James T. Mellonig was honored with the Master Clinician Award for the consistent clinical excellence he has demonstrated and practiced in the field of periodontics. Dr Mellonig has served on many AAP committees, and he was the AAP president in 1996. Dr Mellonig also acted as director and chairman of the American Board of Periodontology. With his longstanding academic career in the Navy and at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX, USA, Dr Mellonig is a teacher and mentor to many in the specialty of periodontics. The Master Clinician Award was sponsored by Hu-Friedy Mfg. Co.

The Distinguished Service Award was presented to Dr Kenneth A. Krebs for his distinguished service to the AAP over several decades. Starting as an AAP volunteer in 1978, Dr Krebs has served on over 25 AAP committees and task forces, as well as on the Board of Trustees. He moved through the officer ranks to serve as academy president in 2006. Dr Krebs volunteered his time while maintaining a private practice and teaching at Northwestern’s dental school until it closed in 2001.

The Distinguished Scientist Award, sponsored by Procter & Gamble Professional Oral Health, was presented to Dr Sigmund Socransky for his contribution to the science and discipline of periodontology. Upon completing his training in periodontics, he accepted a position at the Forsyth Dental Center, where he has been an active scientist for nearly 50 years. More than 30 years ago, Dr Socransky employed anaerobic microbiology techniques to have a fresh look at the flora of healthy gingival crevices and periodontal pockets. His findings are renowned, and changed the understanding of the role of specific bacteria involved in periodontal disease initiation and progression.

The Outstanding Periodontal Educator Award, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, recognized Dr Jack Caton for his distinguished contributions as a teacher and mentor. Dr Caton is professor of clinical dentistry, director of the Advanced Training Program in Periodontics, and chair of the Division of Periodontics at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester. Dr Caton has received the AAP’s Gold Medal Award, the William J. Gies Award for contributions to periodontal literature, and the American Dental Association’s Norton M. Ross Award for Excellence in Clinical Research. He has been a director and former chairman of the American Board of Periodontology, a past president of the AAP, is an incoming president of the AAP Foundation, and is on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Periodontology.

The Humanitarian Award honored Dr William C. Sasser for the selfless donation of his time and expertise to benefit the underserved. Dr Sasser has been actively involved in dental volunteer work since 1993. His endeavors include consulting and volunteering at free clinics in his hometown, Charleston, SC, USA, as well as participating in international dental mission service projects through a number of different Christian organizations, including Global Health Outreach, where he serves as a dental specialty coordinator. Dr Sasser has traveled overseas to 20 different countries to donate services, and is the founder of Dental Community Fellowship, a mission outreach to undergraduate dental students.

The AAP presented an Honorary Membership to Dr Eiji Funakoshi for his outstanding contributions to the field of periodontology. Dr Funakoshi has been an international member of the AAP since 1971, as well as a past president of the Japanese Academy of Clinical Periodontology. Dr Funakoshi is also a member of the Executive Board of the Japanese Society of Periodontology. Dr Funakoshi is currently a clinical professor in periodontics at Kyushu University School of Dentistry in Fukuoka, Japan.

The Clinical Research Award, sponsored by Quintessence Publishing Co., honors an outstanding published scientific manuscript having direct clinical relevance and application to the practice of periodontics. Authors Steven Offenbacher, DDS, PhD, MMSc; James D. Beck, DDS, PhD; Kevin L. Moss; Luisito Mendoza; David W. Paquette, DMD, DMSc; David A. Barrow, PhD; David J. Couper, PhD; Dawn D. Stewart; Karen L. Falkner, PhD; Susan P. Graham; Sara Grossi, DDS, MS; John C. Gunsolley, DDS, MS; Theresa Madden, DDS, PhD; Gerardo Maupome, PhD; Maurizio Trevisan, MD, MS; Thomas E. Van Dyke, DDS, PhD; and Robert J. Genco, DDS, PhD, were honored for their paper “Results from the Periodontitis and Vascular Events (PAVE) Study: A Pilot Multicentered, Randomized, Controlled Trial to Study Effects of Periodontal Therapy in a Secondary Prevention Model of Cardiovascular Disease,” published in the February 2009 issue of the Journal of Periodontology.

The R. Earl Robinson Regeneration Award, sponsored by the AAP Foundation, honors the most outstanding published scientific article on periodontal regeneration in the basic or clinical sciences. Authors Masahiro Kitamura, Keisuke Nakashima, Yusuke Kowashi, Takeo Fujii, Hidetoshi Shimauchi, Takashi Sasano, Toshi Furuuchi, Mitsuo Fukuda, Toshihide Noguchi, Toshiaki Shibutani, Yukio Iwayama, Shogo Takashiba, Hidemi Kurihara, Masami Ninomiya, Jun-ichi Kido, Toshihiko Nagata, Takafumi Hamachi, Katsumasa Maeda, Yoshitaka Hara, Yuichi Izumi, Takao Hirofuji, Enyu Imai, Masatoshi Omae, Mitsuru Watanuki, and Shinya Murakami, were honored for their paper “Periodontal Tissue Regeneration Using Fibroblast Growth Factor -2: Randomized Controlled Phase II Clinical Trial”, published in the July 2008 issue of PLoS ONE.

The William J. Gies Award is sponsored by American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and presented annually for outstanding contributions to literature in the field of periodontology. The award is provided by the William J. Gies Foundation for the Advancement of Dentistry. This year’s recipient was Dr Jan T. Lindhe in recognition of his contributions to periodontics that have spanned four decades and have left a lasting mark on the discipline. Dr Lindhe has published over 400 original peer reviewed publications, book chapters and scholarly texts. His textbook on clinical periodontology and implant dentistry, currently in its 5th edition, is a classic reference manual, widely used in dental schools worldwide.

A Special Citation, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products, was presented to Dr Robert A. Faiella for his service as chair of the AAP Continuing Education Oversight Committee and multiple years of contributing to extraordinary programming of current and past highly successful AAP Annual Meetings.

The AAP, based in Chicago, IL, USA, has 8,000 members worldwide.