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ORAL PATHOLOGIST EARNS 1995 ROSS AWARD
GENETICISTIORAL PATHOLOGIST EARNS 1995 ROSS AWARD
In the 48 years since he graduated from Washington University dental school in St. Louis, Dr. Robert J. Gorlin has written more than 500 journal articles, identified nearly 75 diseases, authored or co-authored textbooks that have become standard fare in most dental schools and served as a driving force behind the establishment of oral pathology as a dental specialty. To honor his lifetime achievements, the ADA named Dr. Gorlin, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota, recipient of the 1995 Norton M.
Ross Award for Excellence in Clinical Research. Known throughout the world as a pioneer in oral pathology, Dr. Gorlin has Imade contributions that extend beyond the field of den-
began in 1948, a time when the field was still in its infancy. During those years, the focus of oral pathology was limited to diseases involving the dentition. Dr. Gorlin suspected that this scope could be widened to include oral manifestations of systemic diseases. To that end, he used his National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Dental Research fellowships to study medical and surgical pathology at Columbia University in New York. Drawing on his broad educational background and his abilities as a diagnostician, Dr. Gorlin penned more than 500 articles exploring oral manifestations of systemic diseases. His name was cited so often in conjunction with new syndromes that the 1967 Yearbook of Pediatrics humorously chided him, "We are becoming a bit exhausted trying to keeupwt
tistry to genetics and various
medical special-
syndromes, especially those stemming from
new
Dr. Robert J. Gccrlin, winner of the 1995 Norton M I. R,088 Award.
ties such as pediatrics and dermatology. His belief that anomalies in the oral tissues could be indicators of systemic diseases led him to identify no fewer than 75 diseases, including the Gorlin cyst and Gorlin's Syndrome. His forays into oral pathology 1344 JADA, Vol. 126, October 1995
Dr. Gorlin and his colleagues. There are times when we wish that he would stick to teeth." Dr. Gorlin was among the first to consider that oral and mucosal tissues could be keys to diagnosing cancer. While serving as chair of the University of
Minnesota's oral pathology division, Dr. Gorlin organized the first oral cancer screening clinic. Supported by the American Cancer Society of Minnesota, Dr. Gorlin and his colleagues trained area dentists and physicians to identify malignant and premalignant lesions in and around the mouth. His group examined nearly 1,000 adults for signs of oral cancer, and the model he established has since been used as a screening tool for breast cancer. In addition to his numerous journal articles, Dr. Gorlin has co-authored several definitive texts in dentistry and genetics, including "Thoma's Oral Pathology" and "Syndromes of the Head and Neck." During his tenure at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Gorlin held joint professorships in the departments of pathology; dermatology; pediatrics; obstetrics and gynecology; and otolaryngology. Although Dr. Gorlin formally retired from the university in 1993, he continues to work full time in the dental school conducting research and teaching courses. Dr. Gorlin will receive a $5,000 award and a plaque at the ADA Board of Trustees' dinner in Phoenix, which will be held Oct. 2. The Norton M. Ross Award honors outstanding achievements in clinical investigations that have contributed to the prevention and treatment of oral diseases. The award, funded by Warner-Lambert Co. and administered by the ADA, is named in memory of Dr. Ross, who died in 1990. Dr. Ross was a dentist and a phar-
NEWSmacologist who contributed significantly to the fields of oral medicine and dental and clinical research. FINANCIAL STRESS LINKED TO PERIODONTAL DISEASE
People who manage their financial stresses poorly are more likely to develop periodontitis than are people who react positively to their financial situations, according to a study sponsored by the National Institute of Dental Research. Dr. Robert Genco and colleagues at the State University at Buffalo in New York, as well as scientists from the University of North Carolina and University of Michigan, analyzed data from more than 1,400 people aged 25 to 74 years to find out if stress, distress and poor coping behaviors are risk factors for periodontitis. Researchers evaluated study participants and matched them by age, gender, smoking and oral hygiene habits and periodontal health. Psychological tests identified and weighted the causes of stress (children, spouse, financial strain, single life, work stress) in each person's daily life and measured the individual's ability to cope with stressful situations. The investigators compared the participants' psychological profiles with their oral health status and found that people with financial strain had more severe periodontal disease than did others in the study. Because most of the participants had received little or no treatment for their gingival problems regardless of their financial situation, researchers ruled out the inability to pay for treatment as the reason for more severe periodontitis in the financially 1346 JADA, Vol. 126, October 1995
stressed groups. The investigators further found that extent to which these individuals coped with their financial stress affected the severity of their periodontal disease. People who dealt with their financial strain in an active and practical way had no more risk of severe periodontal disease than did those without money problems, whereas people who were highly emotional in dealing with their financial strain had the greatest risk for severe periodontitis. Although the role of stress is clear in some medical conditions such as heart disease, this is the first time that scientists have shown a link between daily stress, coping behaviors and severity of periodontitis. The findings suggest that the increased stress may weaken natural defense mechanisms, making individuals more prone to gingival infection. APPOINTMENTS/ ELECTIONS/AWARDS
- Dr. Richard Elzay, dean of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, will resign in July 1996. - Dr. Allan J. Kucine has been appointed assistant dean for postdoctoral education at the State University of New York at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine. - Dr. Linda C. Niessen, public health dentist at the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center, has received the 1995 Carl A. Schlack Award from the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States in honor of her contributions in dental education and geriatric dentistry. - Dr. Clifford Marks, Miami, has been elected president of the American Association of
Orthodontists. - Dr. Marvin J. Ladov, New Brunswick, N.J., has been appointed chief of dentistry at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. - Dr. Gary R. Goldstein, professor of restorative and prosthodontic sciences at New York University College of Dentistry, has been named director of the N.Y.U. advanced education program in prosthodontics. - Dr. Cynthia D. L. Fazekas has been chosen as the Roerig Fellow in Hospital Dental Practice. - Dr. Jay Cline, Minneapolis, has been elected president of the Alpha, National Association, an organization for people affected by alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency. MEETINGS
- The Greater Houston Dental Meeting will convene March 1416 at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Houston. For information, contact Sue Comstock, Greater Houston Dental Meeting, One Greenway Plaza, Suite 110, Houston 77046; phone 1-713961-4337; fax 1-713-961-3617. - The Yankee Dental Congress will meet Jan. 25-28 at Boston's Hynes Convention Center. For information, contact Dr. James N. Thiel, general chair, 83 Speen St., Natick, Mass. 017604144; phone 1-508-651-7511. - The 8th Annual Symposium on Treatment of Headaches and Facial Pain will convene April 14 at the New York Marriott-East Side in New York City. Contact Alexander Mauskop, M.D., director, New York Headache Center, 301 E. 66 St., New York, N.Y. 10021; phone 1-212-794-3550. Compiled by Julie A. Jacob, senior editor, ADA News.
In the 48 years since he graduated from Washington University dental school in St. Louis, Dr. Robert J. Gorlin has written more than 500 journal articles, identified nearly 75 diseases, authored or co-authored textbooks that have become standard fare in most dental schools and served as a driving force behind the establishment of oral pathology as a dental specialty. To honor his lifetime achievements, the ADA named Dr. Gorlin, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota, recipient of the 1995 Norton M.
Ross Award for Excellence in Clinical Research. Known throughout the world as a pioneer in oral pathology, Dr. Gorlin has Imade contributions that extend beyond the field of den-
began in 1948, a time when the field was still in its infancy. During those years, the focus of oral pathology was limited to diseases involving the dentition. Dr. Gorlin suspected that this scope could be widened to include oral manifestations of systemic diseases. To that end, he used his National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Dental Research fellowships to study medical and surgical pathology at Columbia University in New York. Drawing on his broad educational background and his abilities as a diagnostician, Dr. Gorlin penned more than 500 articles exploring oral manifestations of systemic diseases. His name was cited so often in conjunction with new syndromes that the 1967 Yearbook of Pediatrics humorously chided him, "We are becoming a bit exhausted trying to keeupwt
tistry to genetics and various
medical special-
syndromes, especially those stemming from
new
Dr. Robert J. Gccrlin, winner of the 1995 Norton M I. R,088 Award.
ties such as pediatrics and dermatology. His belief that anomalies in the oral tissues could be indicators of systemic diseases led him to identify no fewer than 75 diseases, including the Gorlin cyst and Gorlin's Syndrome. His forays into oral pathology 1344 JADA, Vol. 126, October 1995
Dr. Gorlin and his colleagues. There are times when we wish that he would stick to teeth." Dr. Gorlin was among the first to consider that oral and mucosal tissues could be keys to diagnosing cancer. While serving as chair of the University of
Minnesota's oral pathology division, Dr. Gorlin organized the first oral cancer screening clinic. Supported by the American Cancer Society of Minnesota, Dr. Gorlin and his colleagues trained area dentists and physicians to identify malignant and premalignant lesions in and around the mouth. His group examined nearly 1,000 adults for signs of oral cancer, and the model he established has since been used as a screening tool for breast cancer. In addition to his numerous journal articles, Dr. Gorlin has co-authored several definitive texts in dentistry and genetics, including "Thoma's Oral Pathology" and "Syndromes of the Head and Neck." During his tenure at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Gorlin held joint professorships in the departments of pathology; dermatology; pediatrics; obstetrics and gynecology; and otolaryngology. Although Dr. Gorlin formally retired from the university in 1993, he continues to work full time in the dental school conducting research and teaching courses. Dr. Gorlin will receive a $5,000 award and a plaque at the ADA Board of Trustees' dinner in Phoenix, which will be held Oct. 2. The Norton M. Ross Award honors outstanding achievements in clinical investigations that have contributed to the prevention and treatment of oral diseases. The award, funded by Warner-Lambert Co. and administered by the ADA, is named in memory of Dr. Ross, who died in 1990. Dr. Ross was a dentist and a phar-
NEWSmacologist who contributed significantly to the fields of oral medicine and dental and clinical research. FINANCIAL STRESS LINKED TO PERIODONTAL DISEASE
People who manage their financial stresses poorly are more likely to develop periodontitis than are people who react positively to their financial situations, according to a study sponsored by the National Institute of Dental Research. Dr. Robert Genco and colleagues at the State University at Buffalo in New York, as well as scientists from the University of North Carolina and University of Michigan, analyzed data from more than 1,400 people aged 25 to 74 years to find out if stress, distress and poor coping behaviors are risk factors for periodontitis. Researchers evaluated study participants and matched them by age, gender, smoking and oral hygiene habits and periodontal health. Psychological tests identified and weighted the causes of stress (children, spouse, financial strain, single life, work stress) in each person's daily life and measured the individual's ability to cope with stressful situations. The investigators compared the participants' psychological profiles with their oral health status and found that people with financial strain had more severe periodontal disease than did others in the study. Because most of the participants had received little or no treatment for their gingival problems regardless of their financial situation, researchers ruled out the inability to pay for treatment as the reason for more severe periodontitis in the financially 1346 JADA, Vol. 126, October 1995
stressed groups. The investigators further found that extent to which these individuals coped with their financial stress affected the severity of their periodontal disease. People who dealt with their financial strain in an active and practical way had no more risk of severe periodontal disease than did those without money problems, whereas people who were highly emotional in dealing with their financial strain had the greatest risk for severe periodontitis. Although the role of stress is clear in some medical conditions such as heart disease, this is the first time that scientists have shown a link between daily stress, coping behaviors and severity of periodontitis. The findings suggest that the increased stress may weaken natural defense mechanisms, making individuals more prone to gingival infection. APPOINTMENTS/ ELECTIONS/AWARDS
- Dr. Richard Elzay, dean of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, will resign in July 1996. - Dr. Allan J. Kucine has been appointed assistant dean for postdoctoral education at the State University of New York at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine. - Dr. Linda C. Niessen, public health dentist at the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center, has received the 1995 Carl A. Schlack Award from the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States in honor of her contributions in dental education and geriatric dentistry. - Dr. Clifford Marks, Miami, has been elected president of the American Association of
Orthodontists. - Dr. Marvin J. Ladov, New Brunswick, N.J., has been appointed chief of dentistry at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. - Dr. Gary R. Goldstein, professor of restorative and prosthodontic sciences at New York University College of Dentistry, has been named director of the N.Y.U. advanced education program in prosthodontics. - Dr. Cynthia D. L. Fazekas has been chosen as the Roerig Fellow in Hospital Dental Practice. - Dr. Jay Cline, Minneapolis, has been elected president of the Alpha, National Association, an organization for people affected by alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency. MEETINGS
- The Greater Houston Dental Meeting will convene March 1416 at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Houston. For information, contact Sue Comstock, Greater Houston Dental Meeting, One Greenway Plaza, Suite 110, Houston 77046; phone 1-713961-4337; fax 1-713-961-3617. - The Yankee Dental Congress will meet Jan. 25-28 at Boston's Hynes Convention Center. For information, contact Dr. James N. Thiel, general chair, 83 Speen St., Natick, Mass. 017604144; phone 1-508-651-7511. - The 8th Annual Symposium on Treatment of Headaches and Facial Pain will convene April 14 at the New York Marriott-East Side in New York City. Contact Alexander Mauskop, M.D., director, New York Headache Center, 301 E. 66 St., New York, N.Y. 10021; phone 1-212-794-3550. Compiled by Julie A. Jacob, senior editor, ADA News.