Dr. Carl Misch, implant dentistry pioneer, passes away

One of his colleagues, general dentist Gregori Kurtzman, tells a story of Misch. “Years ago, I had to introduce him at an ICOI (International Congress of Oral Implantologists) meeting at the main podium. We had known each other for a number of years, and I called him to ask what he wanted me to say in the introduction,” Kurtzman recalled. “He tells me once he had 45 minutes to speak and the guy introducing him read his entire CV, which took 20 minutes, leaving Carl with only half the allotted time.

“So I get up at the podium and say, ‘Our next speaker is an unknown, but we figured we would give him a shot at speaking, so let me introduce Carl Misch.’ It did get some laughs.”

In 1973, Misch graduated magna cum laude from the University of Detroit Dental School. He received his prosthodontic certificate, implantology certificate and master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. He received his PhD (honoris causa) from the University of Yeditepe in Istanbul, Turkey, and Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, Romania.

Misch held 12 fellowships in dentistry, including the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists the Royal Society of Medicine, the American Association of Hospital Dentistry and the Academy of Dentistry International.

Misch was clinical professor in the department of periodontology and oral implantology and director of oral implantology (hon) in the Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia. Misch served on the board of trustees at the University of Detroit Mercy, where he was also an adjunct professor in the Department of Prosthodontics. He was adjunct professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in the department of periodontics/geriatrics and adjunct professor at the School of Engineering in the department of biomechanics, at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

He was the director of the Oral Implantology Residency Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine from 1989 to 1996.

In 1999, Misch authored the text “Contemporary Implant Dentistry,” and he wrote three subsequent editions of the book, which has been translated into nine languages, including Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Italian and Korean. He also authored “Dental Implant Prosthetics” (Elsevier). He published more than 250 articles and lectured in every state in the United States, as well as in 47 countries.

In 1984, Misch founded the Misch International Implant Institute (MIII) in Beverly Hills, Mich., which served as a one-year continuum for implant education. The MIII currently has locations in Florida and Nevada. The program offers primary implant education forum for six dental school specialty residencies. Programs are offered in both the surgical and prosthetic aspects of care.

Misch held 16 patents and was the co-inventor of the BioHorizons Maestro Implant System. He operated the Misch International Implant Institute, as a training center for dentists seeking to improve their skills in these techniques. To date, the institute has trained more than 4,500 dentists.