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

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“When the previous standard textbook got way out of date, I asked him to write the replacement book,” Bouquot said.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.