The University of Texas
Dental Branch at Houston A Part of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

The Dental Branch was well represented at the Houston Heart Walk on Nov. 7 in Sam Houston Park with at least two teams (and maybe more) participating. The “Hearty Smile Walkers” led by Inga Leon and Anita Rodriguez had 70 members, and the team “Mamie Ellis and Friends” had 11 members, including Development Director John Greer, who was co-chair of the UT Health Science Center effort along with President Larry R. Kaiser, M.D. All proceeds from the event will benefit the American Heart Association.

Lauren Laman, daughter of UT*Dentists Executive Director Stephen Laman, D.D.S., designed the T-shirt that won an award for best design at the event. She is a graphic designer in the Office of Institutional Advancement.

Honoree Dr. Yunzhi “Peter” Yang addresses the audience at the fifth annual Young Investigators Awards Luncheon, after Interim Dean John Valenza, D.D.S., happily presented the award. Photo by Chris Matula.

A researcher from the Dental Branch was among those recognized at the UT Health Science Center’s fifth annual Young Investigators Awards Luncheon last month. Yunzhi “Peter” Yang, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Houston Biomaterials Research Center in the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials, was recognized for his work with bio-inspired biomaterials, with emphasis on bone regeneration for cleft palate and dental and orthopedic implant devices.

Yang earned his doctorate in biomedical engineering from Sichuan University in Chengdu, China in 1997 and completed two postdoctoral fellowships, first in China in 1999, then in the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials at the University of Texas Dental School in San Antonio in 2003.

Prior to joining the Dental Branch faculty in early 2009, he was an assistant professor and director of the Biomaterial Engineering Solutions Laboratory at the University of Tennessee’s School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging, and he has maintained an appointment as an adjunct assistant professor there. Currently, Yang is also an adjunct assistant professor in the Rice University Bioengineering Department and a program faculty member of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin.

Electronic patient record systems can amass huge amounts of health information, yet compiling usable data has been a problem. Now, The University of Texas Dental Branch and three other dental schools will work together to develop a searchable, interuniversity oral health research database that could have as many as 500,000 patients within three years.

The project, supported by a $400,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health, involves the Dental Branch and Tufts University School of Medicine, Harvard School of Dental Medicine and the University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry. The principal investigator is Assistant Professor Muhammad Walji, Ph.D., of the Department of Diagnostic Sciences at the Dental Branch. Collaborators include Paul Stark, Sc.D. of Tufts; Elsbeth Kalenderian, D.D.S., of Harvard; and Joel White, D.D.S., and Ram Vanderhobli, D.D.S., of UCSF.

The schools use the same axiUm software for electronic health records, so data can be sent to Houston for analysis. “We’ll do all the informatics work here,” Walji said, noting that he will have help from local collaborators Elmer Bernstam, M.D., and Parsa Mirhaji, M.D., Ph.D., of the UT School of Health Information Sciences, as well as help from the UT Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences.

The schools use the same axiUm software for electronic health records, so data can be sent to Houston for analysis. “We’ll do all the informatics work here,” Walji said, noting that he will have help from local collaborators Elmer Bernstam, M.D., and Parsa Mirhaji, M.D., Ph.D., of the UT School of Health Information Sciences, as well as help from the UT Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences.

“We’re not only creating the database, but an interface, so that any faculty member or resident here can explore the data being collected in the health records, especially at an aggregate population level, which is something we’ve been lacking,” Walji said.

A practical application might work like this: Suppose a researcher needs recruits for a clinical trial involving diabetics. “With this tool, we can quickly look through the database and see how many diabetic patients we have,” Walji said.

By combining the universities’ health records, even larger numbers of recruits could be identified for research. And the larger the populations studied, the more reliable the results.

Walji said the CCTS, and particularly Phillip Reeder and Mamta Puppula, have been instrumental in helping the Dental Branch pull data from the electronic health record system. Andrew Tran, a second-year dental student with engineering experience, also joined the team during the summer.

Inconsistent data collection will be a challenge to building a searchable database. “How people record information at each school is very different,” Walji said. “In a standard medical history, for example, some schools are collecting up to 300 items of information, while others collected as few as 50. Where it overlaps, we’re able to collect data from across schools.”

The Dental Branch, Tufts, Harvard and UCSF participate in the Consortium of Oral Health Related Informatics, along with approximately 16 other schools.

The UT Dental Branch Parents’ Association has changed its name to the “UT Dental Branch Family and Friends Association” and is accepting new members to join the 54 who have already signed up, said President Kathleen Beetar.

The new name was chosen so that spouses, siblings, mentors or others who care about UTDB students can participate in making life a little easier for them. The group supports a variety of student activities throughout the year, including the annual white coat ceremony and open house, the dental prom, the Dental Olympics, etc. Membership is open to friends and family of dental or dental hygiene students. Current officers include Beetar; secretary-treasurer Betty Pedlar; newsletter editor Terie Collison; and Dr. Bruce Smith, president-elect.

For information on joining the Family and Friends Association, contact Beetar at kbeetardental@hotmail.com or download the membership/support form and return it to UTDB Family and Friends Association, Office of Student Affairs, P.O. Box 20068, Houston,TX 77225-0068.

Dental assistant Pat Henshaw (left) and fourth-year dental student Brian Stanworth work on a Ridgecrest Elementary student. Photo by Rhonda Moran.

It’s a warm, sunny Thursday morning, and The University of Texas Dental Branch’s mobile dental van is parked outside Ridgecrest Elementary School in northwest Houston. The door opens and two children in white shirts and navy-and-khaki uniforms come in quietly for their appointments, taking two small chairs in a corner of the office to wait their turns.

They are among 14 students who will be seen this day – a light load for the dental van crew currently made up of Dr. Tracey Godwin, dental assistants Pat Henshaw and Sara Zelaya, and fourth-year dental students Patrick Beetar and Brian Stanworth.

The team is onsite to do dental exams, cleanings, fillings, extractions, apply sealants and flouride varnishes, and to provide oral health education. For the second- and third-grade students —chosen because they are just getting their permanent teeth — the services are free, thanks to cooperation between the Dental Branch and Communities in Schools Houston (CISH), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students stay in school.

Communities in Schools Houston is part of a nationwide network that provides core services such as tutoring, health care, clothing and counseling. “We try to provide whatever a student or family needs to keep the kids in school,” says Anthony “Tony” Martinez, director of dental services for CISH.

For the past 11 years, CISH has partnered with the Dental Branch to provide care for children, arranging for the dental van to visit an average of 12 schools per year, four times each, typically seeing 70-75 children per school. On the first visit, the students get a dental exam, a cleaning and fluoride treatment, and X-rays if necessary. Depending on what the exams show, the students may be invited back for another check up in six months or referred for more extensive dental treatment.

When more care is needed, Martinez makes appointments for everyone and organizes trips to the UTDB Pediatric Dentistry clinic, where dental students are waiting to treat the young patients. He drives the families who cannot drive and leads a caravan for those who can, helping everyone get familiar with the trip and what to expect. He also stays with the patients and families through the registration process and into the clinic. “By the end of the day, they know the entire process, and then it’s up to them to follow up,” he says.

“No-shows” used to be a problem when parents were only given written instructions. Since Martinez started walking families through the process, he says more than 90 percent keep follow-up appointments at the Dental Branch.

Van gets 4 mpg

Peggy O’Neill, D.D.S., associate dean for patient care, says that in Fiscal Year 2008, the dental van team did 4,875 procedures for children identified through the CISH program. “We calculated that those procedures, if they’d been done in a private dental office, would have been priced at $191,420,” she says. “So CISH is getting an excellent return on their money.”

The Dental Branch does not charge for the dental procedures done in the van, but does charge CISH a fee to cover use of the van itself. “We have to pay salaries for the staff — a dentist and two assistants — and we have to pay for insurance, maintenance and fuel,” O’Neill explains.

When gasoline prices spiked in 2008, so did the cost of filling up the van, which gets about 4 miles per gallon of diesel. Today it costs about $125 each time the tank is filled.

When CISH brings patients to the Dental Branch for more advanced care, CISH pays for each treatment and (ultimately) for patient parking as well. From time to time, CISH patients are found to have congenital defects, abscesses, infections, or severe problems that need oral surgery, orthodontics or extensive treatment. O’Neill says the Dental Branch has used funds from the Susman Family Foundation for some of those cases.

Care at the Dental Branch

The dental van isn’t the only collaborative venture between CISH and the Dental Branch. The program brings UTDB’s dental hygiene students to schools, where they give oral health instructions and distribute toothbrushes to approximately 1,500 students each year. CISH also identifies and transports young patients to the Dental Branch each February for Give Kids a Smile Day, a day of free dental care sponsored by the Dental Branch, the Greater Houston Dental Society and others.

The cooperation between CISH and the Dental Branch is a win-win relationship, O’Neill says. “It’s an excellent program. They’ve made it a point to make dental care a priority and really try to promote dental health in these kids.”

Martinez agrees. “The dental students need the patients to work on, and the kids need the work. Kids with toothaches and other dental problems have a harder time learning. The pain is distracting."

The Department of Diagnostic Sciences has announced winners of the department’s 2009 research awards. Instructor Jeremy Schaefer, Ph.D., received the Bar Levy Award for Innovative Research ($10,000). Assistant Professor Muhammad Walji, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor Wenjian Zhang, D.D.S., Ph.D., tied for second place ($5,000 each).

Jerry Bouquot, D.D.S., professor and chair of the Department of Diagnostic Sciences, thanked everyone who submitted protocols to the department’s research review committee. “It was an outstanding selection. Unfortunately, we could not fund everyone,” he said.

The three researchers and their collaborators are working on a wide variety of projects. Schaefer’s work may someday lead to a way to screen for or treat inflammatory bowel disorders, such as Crohn’s disease. Zhang is studying one of the most common plaque-forming types of bacteria, P. gingivalis, to see how it affects bone and tooth loss. Walji is developing and testing a smart toothbrush that will record how effectively you brush your teeth, then provide feedback via e-mail.

By Rhonda Moran, Dental Branch

The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston has received a $2.2 million gift from an anonymous donor in support of the school's Open to Health fundraising initiative. The gift will be a component of the funds needed to construct a conference and meeting center as part of the new Dental Branch building in the UT Health Science Center Research Park complex on the south campus of the Texas Medical Center.

The gift announcement follows the UT System Board of Regents approval of the new building's site and funding plans at the regents' Aug. 20 meeting in Austin.

UT Health Science Center President Larry R. Kaiser, M.D., directed the gift to the Dental Branch building effort, noting the need for a congregating point for student activities, continuing education and faculty academic and professional development on the Research Park campus. The new meeting center will address that need.

"This generous gift will literally help to bring people together to share ideas, learning experiences and memorable occasions for decades to come," Kaiser said. "A gift of this magnitude speaks eloquently of faith in the future and confidence in us, and we will honor that legacy in every way." The gift boosts the overall fundraising for the new building to $7.7 million toward an estimated goal of $20 million in support of clinical technology and the meeting/conference center. UTDB Development Director John T. Greer said naming opportunities are available for the meeting center, operatories, clinics and other academic areas.

John A. Valenza, D.D.S., interim dean of the Dental Branch, said news of the gift was particularly exciting because the school originally planned for the project to be done in phases, with some spaces, such as an auditorium, either shelled-in or left for future construction efforts. "One positive result of the recession is that construction costs have gone down, and we can now do the entire building, including the meeting center, in one phase," he said. "Gifts like this one bring us closer to the goal."

The Open to Health initiative, begun in September 2006, is a long-range philanthropic effort in support of the new Dental Branch building, as well as scholarships, faculty endowments, dental research and community outreach efforts. Led by volunteer chair Stephen F. Schwartz, D.D.S. (UTDB '68, '70), and co-chaired by S. Jerry Long, D.D.S. (UTDB '66), the initiative's goals are to help create the financial support necessary to maintain UTDB's status as a top-tier institution nationally.

The Department of Pediatric Dentistry has a new publication, "P.D. Tooth Chatter," to share news about the department and the people who work there. Department Chair Sanford Fenton, D.D.S., also plans to share the newsletter with UTDB friends and alumni via e-mail. Contributors are welcome, and news items or photos should be sent to Vanessa.Ponce@uth.tmc.edu. For now, the newsletter is planned as a quarterly publication. To see the first edition, CLICK HERE.

By Rhonda Moran, Dental Branch

The AAE (American Association of Endodontists) Foundation has awarded its first Endowed Faculty Matching Grant to the Department of Endodontics at The University of Texas Dental Branch. The $100,000 contribution will fully fund the John R. Ludington Jr., D.D.S., M.S.D. Distinguished Professorship in Endodontics.

The professorship, honoring former longtime department chair John R. Ludington, D.D.S., will support the program's yet-to-be-named predoctoral director of endodontics in the department currently chaired by Dr. Samuel O. Dorn, an AAE past president. The foundation's contribution was made possible by matching gifts and pledges from the university's generous alumni. UTDB Development Director John Greer said approximately 10 other donors have contributed to the professorship.

The Ludington Professorship becomes only the third faculty endowment at the Dental Branch and represents a success for the school's Open to Health initiative chaired by Houston endodontist Stephen Schwartz, D.D.S. (UTDB '68, '70), who is also a special advisor to the dean. "This type of matching gift was only made possible by alumni stepping up to the plate with their personal pledges in excess of $150,000," he said. "It readily becomes apparent the value they place on their specialty education by such a generous effort and the compounding effect of the match by the AAE."

The current Department of Endodontics chairman, Dr. Sam Dorn, thanked the AAE Foundation. "This is grant is another example of the generosity of the AAE Foundation in supporting endodontic education," Dorn said. "We're very grateful them and to our alumni for completing the John R. Ludington, Jr. Endowed Professorship, which will enable us to attract a full -time faculty member to serve as predoctoral director."

Ludington officially retired in 2008 after 26 years at UTDB, but he came back only a few weeks later to oversee the department until Dorn could arrive and get settled. Now, Ludington is looking at retiring for real, but that may depend on whether UTDB can recruit enough endodontics faculty. "It's difficult to attract endodontists to the teaching arena," he said. "They all want to be in private practice, so having a little extra incentive will be an encouragement to them."

The AAE Foundation introduced the Endowed Faculty Matching Grant in 2008. The award provides an annual opportunity for endodontics programs to receive up to $100,000 that can be used to support an endowed faculty position at their institution. The goal is to promote academic excellence and to help ensure that endodontics will be taught by specialists. The grant is also intended to boost the recipient institution's fundraising capacity.

"We hope this grant will stimulate fundraising efforts at endodontic departments across the country," said AAE Foundation President Dr. A. Eddy Skidmore. "Our goal is to ensure that every dental student has the opportunity to learn about endodontics from a specialist and that endodontics is a significant presence in dental schools."

The Ludington Professorship is the first of two endowments being created in support of the Department of Endodontics. More than $150,000 has been given or pledged to the Dr. Frank B. Trice Chair in Endodontics, which has a requirement of $500,000. The endowment is in memory of the late Frank B. Trice, D.D.S., the first chair of the department. He was also a past president of the American Association of Endodontists and was a friend, mentor and teacher to decades of UTDB students.

"Frank will always be remembered for helping students at every turn," Schwartz said. "There may have never been a more beloved professor by his students than Frank Trice was, and a chair in his honor will provide a lasting tribute to his dedication to endodontics, the profession of dentistry and to this school."

Kathleen O’Neill (left) presents the Hu-Friedy Clinical Achievement/Golden Scaler Award to Kimberly Birdsong

The University of Texas Dental Branch School of Dental Hygiene Class of 2009 gathered May 20 for an elegant graduation celebration at Picazo Restaurant in downtown Houston. It was a night for nostalgia, honor and joy as students, faculty, family and friends enjoyed dinner and dancing. Nearly a dozen awards were presented, including membership in Sigma Phi Alpha National Dental Hygiene Honor Society.

SAN ANTONIO - Stephen F. Schwartz, D.D.S., of Houston is this year's recipient of the Texas Dental Association's Gold Medal of Distinguished Service. This is the highest honor a member dentist can achieve within the TDA, the largest, statewide professional association for Texas dentists. Schwartz joins a select list of 12 other Texas dentists who have received the award since its inception in 1997.

The honor was announced on May 9 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center during the TDA's 139th annual convention in San Antonio. TDA president Hilton Israelson of Richardson made the presentation before the House of Delegates, the Association's governing body of 226 dentists from across the state.

The Texas Dental Association is headquartered in Austin and boasts a membership of more than 8,400 dentists. It is the state-level affiliate of the American Dental Association, and the third largest statewide dental association in the nation.

Each year the TDA's awards committee reviews several confidential nominations for the Gold Medal. The criteria involve service in TDA leadership positions, service in the American Dental Association, contributions to a local dental society chapter that affected state concerns, commitment to organized dentistry through other organizations including teaching, and service to the community. Schwartz was nominated by his colleagues in the Greater Houston Dental Society, a local component of the TDA.

Schwartz, an endodontist, earned his dental degree from The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston in 1968, and went on to achieve his master's degree and certificate in endodontics there in 1970. He joined the TDA in 1969.

Currently, he is an adjunct clinical professor at UTDB and serves as a special advisor to the dean. His exhaustive list of professional credits include serving as president of the Texas Dental Association, as first and second vice presidents of the American Dental Association, and as president of the Texas and American Associations of Endodontists. He regularly donates his time to serving the Houston community through volunteer dentistry and other endeavors. He and his wife Sharon have three children and five grandchildren.

The Gold Medal award piece is a unique, hand-crafted, bronze-relief sculpture by master artist Ronadro, and depicts a dentist caring for a patient.

The Mu Mu Chapter of Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society held its annual convocation banquet April 9 at Trevisio in the John P. McGovern Texas Medical Center Commons. The guest speaker was Houston dentist S. Jerry Long, D.D.S. ('66), who currently serves as a trustee for the 15th district of the American Dental Association. A special guest for the occasion was Larry R. Kaiser, M.D., president of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

The UT Health Science Center at Houston hosted an elegant event, "Gratias Dono," as a way to thank donors and friends of the health science center, including the Dental Branch. In Latin, "gratias dono" means "an offering of thanks for a gift." The event combined a meeting of the development board and a dinner, all organized by the UTHSC-H Office of Institutional Advancement. Dr. Randa Safady, UT System vice chancellor for external relations, attended as moderator.

Among the donors recognized were three who have contributed to the Dental Branch: The Cullen Foundation and Billy Joe "B.J." Westbrook, D.D.S., who have supported the building project; and Mrs. Evelyn Howell, whose donations have helped provide dental care for residents of The Women's Home in Houston.

Health science center President Larry R. Kaiser, M.D., delivered a State of the University address, emphasizing that the depth of talent of faculty, students and staff, coupled with strong support from the local philanthropic community, should allow the university to thrive despite the downturn of the national economy. He noted that contributions from alumni and the Development Board increased over the past year and that the health science center ended 2008 with a positive financial margin.

AUSTIN — A new loan repayment program will help Texas increase the number of dentists, doctors and specialists who provide care for children with Medicaid coverage.

Once the loan repayment program is fully implemented, it will provide loan repayments for up to 1,200 dentists and physicians a year. Each doctor will be eligible for up to $140,000 in loan repayments over four years by meeting targets for services provided to children on Medicaid. University of Texas Dental Branch Dean Catherine M. Flaitz, D.D.S. served on the 17-member advisory committee that reviewed and recommended funding for the loan repayment project and others.

The new program, which will begin in March, is among the initiatives funded from $150 million set aside by the 2007 Texas Legislature to make it easier for children with Medicaid coverage to get dental and medical services. The funding is part of the Legislature's $1.8 billion plan to increase Medicaid rates and the availability of services in response to the Frew v. Hawkins lawsuit over utilization of preventive services in children's Medicaid. The funding was approved by the Governor's Office and the Legislative Budget Board.

"This program is an innovative way to address the root cause of one of our greatest challenges - the lack of doctors taking Medicaid and an overall lack of pediatric specialists," said Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Albert Hawkins. "This will help Texas recruit and retain new doctors, especially in hard-to-serve areas. It will be the first loan repayment program in the nation to specifically target specialists who treat children."

The program will enroll up to 300 dentists and physicians a year, and the state may prioritize the applications based on particular specialties or locations. The loan repayment program is expected to cost about $300,000 in state funding this fiscal year, with the cost growing to $42.6 million a year once the program achieves the maximum number of participants after four years.

Doctors will be able to apply for the loan repayment program starting in March. Applications will be accepted year round with new participants selected each June. The loan repayments will be made through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The University of Texas System Board of Regents has named Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., a highly-regarded transplant surgeon and president of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, as chancellor of The University of Texas System.

The UT Dental Branch Pediatric Dentistry Department joined the UT Student Nurses Association at the Teddy Bear Checkup held Saturday (Dec. 20) at the John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science.  Children were invited to bring their teddy bears, dolls or other favorite friend for a special checkup. Using the stuffed animals as stand-in patients, museum educators and UT volunteers demonstrated how to brush and floss teeth, how blood pressure and heartbeats are monitored, how to choose a healthy meal, how to wash hands (or paws) properly, etc.

A live puppet show taught children about how to keep themselves, and their bears, safe.

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) has selected Professor Millicent Goldschmidt, Ph.D., to receive the 2009 Roche Diagnostics Alice C. Evans Award. The award will be presented at the ASM General Meeting Awards Banquet and dinner, and she will be the guest of honor at the annual reception hosted by the ASM's Committee on the Status of Women in Microbiology. Goldschmidt has a joint appointment in the Department of Periodontics at the UT Dental Branch and in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the UT Medical School.

The Roche Diagnostics Alice C. Evans Award recognizes contributions toward the full participation and advancement of women in microbiology. This award was established by the ASM's Committee on the Status of Women in Microbiology, and is given in memory of Alice C. Evans, the first woman to be elected ASM President in 1928. Nominees can be any member of ASM who has made major contributions toward fostering the inclusion, development and advancement of women in careers in microbiology. Nominees must demonstrate commitment to women in science through mentorship and advocacy and by setting an example through scientific and professional achievement.

Stephen F. Schwartz, D.D.S., has been named one of 10 "Outstanding Community Volunteers" from The University of Texas Health Science Center. They were honored at the 2008 National Philanthropy Day Luncheon Nov. 13 at the Hilton Americas Hotel. Schwartz is an alumnus of the UT Dental Branch ('68, '70) and practiced endodontics for nearly 40 years. Currently, he serves as chair of the school's Open to Health fundraising initiative and as special advisor to the dean.

The University of Texas Dental Branch had an excellent response to the 2008 State Employee Charitable Campaign, with a 9 percent increase in overall participation, according to campaign chairs Mamie Ellis and John O'Black. Donations also increased by more than $2,300 over that for the prior year, for a 2008 total of $15,101.

A new edition of “Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology” — a textbook used at the UT Dental Branch and by the majority of dental schools in the United States — is now available, and UTDB Professor and Diagnostic Sciences Department Chair Jerry E. Bouquot, D.D.S., is listed as fourth author. The other authors include Brad W. Neville, D.D.S., of the College of Dental Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina; Douglas D. Damm, D.D.S., University of Kentucky College of Dentistry; and Carl M. Allen, D.D.S., Ohio State University College of Dentistry. The four know each other well. Neville was a dental student under Bouquot, and the professor was impressed by Neville’s interest and aptitude for oral pathology, as well as his organizational skills.

“When the previous standard textbook got way out of date, I asked him to write the replacement book,” Bouquot said. “And I asked the other two authors, who are good friends of his, to write it. They wouldn’t do it unless I helped, so that’s the reason I’m involved.” When the first edition of “Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology” appeared in 1995, it was well received. “We were told at one point that for several years it was the second best-selling textbook in dentistry. It’s become the standard,” Bouquot said.

The text’s second edition, published in 2001, was the first to have color photos. The newest edition has an additional 100 color photographs and approximately 130 new pages of text. It also has an appendix that lists diseases and lesions according to the way they would look to the dentist — one of the book’s most popular features, according to the publisher.

“For example, all the yellow ones are clumped together, all the black spots on X-ray are clumped together, and they’re also listed with the most frequent ones first,” Bouquot said. “It turns out, this appendix was the handout I’d been giving my students in West Virginia for 25 years, and (Neville) remembered it.”

Updating the book required a methodical approach. Neville made an outline and assigned chapters. He came up with a list of diseases for each chapter. Most of the collaboration was done via e-mail, but the authors occasionally worked together in person.

Bouquot recalls one weekend: “We met at Ohio State and started early one morning. We had four projectors, and we each had our slides in the order (Neville) gave us, and for two solid days we did nothing but show slides — thousands of slides — and we chose the best from there,” he said. “Toward the end of that session we had students and residents sitting in the auditorium of the dental school. It was a pretty good CE course, because they could hear us arguing ‘This picture shows this, but that one shows that.’ It was a pretty intense effort for more than two-and-a-half years.”

The authors proofread each other’s chapters so they could agree on the content. “That’s unusual — usually the first author does all the editing,”Bouquot said. “But we wanted to make sure it was as clear as possible.”

The 7-pound textbook sells for $125, and despite its popularity, it won’t make Bouquot rich. As fourth author, he said he gets about $1 for every copy sold. But knowing he helped write the book on oral pathology is reward enough.

“I’m very proud of it,” Bouquot said. “These guys are younger than I am, so they’ll be around to update it in future editions. I think it’s likely to remain the standard for several decades.”

Richard M. Smith, D.D.S., of Amarillo has been named 2008 Texas Dentist of the Year™ by the Texas Academy of General Dentistry. He is a 1972 graduate of The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston.

The award has been presented annually since 1965 and is considered one of the most prestigious honors a Texas dentist can earn. Smith was one of only 19 dentists nominated for this year’s award and was honored, alongside his colleagues, in a special ceremony at a Sept. 5 gala during the Texas Academy of General Dentistry’s annual Lone Star Dental Conference in Austin. Each nominee was recognized and received an engraved plaque. The gala concluded with the announcement of the 2008 Texas Dentist of the Year, and Smith was presented with the trophy.

To earn a nomination by a local dental society or AGD component, a dentist must show dedication to the profession, service to the community, commitment to the principles of continuing education, and other activities that indicate character and excellence. Smith was nominated by the Panhandle Dental Society.