ANN ARBOR—
The University of Michigan School of Dentistry will host a conference featuring some of the nation’s most renowned oral health care professionals next year. The conference will also be a “first” for a federal agency.
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) will bring its “Scientific Frontiers in Clinical Dentistry” program to a university campus for the first time. The conference, to be held at Hill Auditorium Jan. 5-6, is a part of the School of Dentistry’s Continuing Dental Education program.
Created in 1991, the “Scientific Frontiers” program brings together clinicians and researchers to discuss the latest advances in dentistry and clinical research, including state-of-the-art diagnostic treatment approaches. The program also offers a glimpse into the future of the practice of dentistry.
Theme of the two-day event is “Building a Healthy Millennium—from the Laboratory to the Operatory.”
Dr. Harold Slavkin, NIDCR director since 1995, will deliver the keynote address. He is expected to focus on megatrends that will affect the future of the dental profession. Dr. Slavkin oversees a staff of about 450 scientists and administrators with an annual budget of more than $234 million.
NIDCR’s research focuses on a wide range of oral health concerns—cell and molecular biology studies of birth defects, chronic pain conditions, oral cancer, oral infections and immunity, bone and joint diseases, and developing new diagnostics and therapeutics. NIDCR also directs the NIH Pain Research Clinic.
Following Dr. Slavkin’s remarks, Stephen Eklund, DDS, M.H.S.A., Ph.D., associate professor at the U-M School of Public Health and adjunct professor, School of Dentistry, will speak about trends in dental care during the past two decades.
Other speakers include leading clinicians and researchers from across the nation, including two U-M School of Dentistry faculty members: Christian Stohler, DDS, professor and chair, Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, and Martha Somerman, DDS, Ph.D., professor and chair, Department of Periodontics, Prevention, and Geriatrics.
Other speakers are Frederick Eichmiller, DDS, B.S.M.E., director of the Paffenbarger Research Center, American Dental Association Health Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Bethesda, Md.;
Harald Heymann, DDS, M.Ed., professor and chair, Department of Operative Dentistry, University of North Carolina School of Dentistry, Chapel Hill;
John D.B. Featherstone, M.Sc., Ph.D., professor, Departments of Restorative Dentistry and Stomatology, University of California, San Francisco;
Steven Offenbacher, DDS, Ph.D., M.M.Sc., director and professor, Center for Oral and Systemic Diseases, UNC School of Dentistry;
Stanley Malamed, DDS, professor and chair, Department of Anesthesia and Medicine, School of Dentistry, University of Southern California.
The speakers will highlight scientific advances and new technologies likely to affect the practice of dentistry in the 21st century. Hosted by the U-M School of Dentistry, the conference will be co-sponsored by NIDCR and the Delta Dental Fund.
The U-M School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, and patient care. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the School to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout southeast Michigan and the state. Classroom and clinic instruction trains future dentists, dental specialists, and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia, and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide.
More information is available on the Web at http://www.dent.umich.edu.

School of DentistryNational Institute of Dental and Craniofacial ResearchSchool of Public HealthNational Institute of Standards and Technologyhttp://www.dent.umich.edu