More than 200 dentists made headlines this year for a multitude of reasons, including leadership appointments, legal battles, acquisitions and innovations in dentistry.
Dentists who made headlines in 2021:
- A Kansas judge sided with Mark Troilo, DDS, and Christopher Leiszler, DDS, in a lawsuit alleging that Delta Dental of Kansas made changes to its terms that stripped member dentists of power.
- Rick Coker, DDS, Teresa Skalyo, DDS, and Michael Davis, DDS, shared with Becker's the biggest lessons they learned this year.
- The state of Vermont revoked the license of Randall Miller, DDS, senior member of the state board of dental examiners, for unprofessional conduct charges related to improper dispensing and use of prescriptions.
- Three dentists shared with Becker's how they manage stress and burnout.
- Kevin Dens, DDS, chair of the American Dental Association's council on dental benefit programs, sent a letter to dental insurance payers asking to consider inflation when negotiating fees with practices.
- George Bruder, DMD, was named chief research and strategies officer of Pittsburgh-based DSO North American Dental Group.
- Scott Terry, DDS, Michael Davis, DDS, and David Buchan, DDS, spoke with Becker's about how they chose where to practice.
- Michael Davis, DDS, Oksana Boyechko, DMD, and Greg Pyle, DDS, spoke with Becker's about the biggest opportunities in dentistry, which include changes in technology and a commitment to public service.
- Brian Vierthaler, DDS, was elected president of the American Orthodontic Society.
- Arpana Verma, DDS, president of the Maryland State Board of Dental Examiners, spoke with Maryland Matters about the board's staffing shortage that has led to delays in investigations.
- 12 dentists were named officers and trustees for the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
- Five dentists were added to the American Association of Dental Boards' new board of directors.
- George Shepley, DDS, was named president-elect of the American Dental Association.
- Matthew McDonough, DDS, was installed as the Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners' next president.
- Cesar Sabates, DDS, was installed as the next president of the American Dental Association.
- Seven dentists shared with Becker's their thoughts on COVID-19 vaccination mandates for healthcare providers.
- Richard Levy, DDS, wrote a letter published Oct. 7 in the Wall Street Journal urging dentists to oppose dental benefit expansions under Medicare.
- Stephen Skoly, DMD, was ordered by the Rhode Island Department of Health to stop seeing patients after he publicly defied the state's vaccine mandate for healthcare providers.
- Laila Hishaw, DDS, is working to diversify dentistry through her nonprofit, Diversity in Dentistry Mentorships, which will hold its first youth summit in November.
- Two dentists shared with Becker's what worries them about the proposed Medicare dental benefit expansion.
- Eight dentists were elected as officers and trustees of the Minnesota Dental Association.
- David Lustbader, DMD, was appointed director of clinical affairs at Waltham, Mass.-based DSO 42 North Dental.
- Ronald Redden, DDS, a professor at the Houston-based University of Texas Health School of Dentistry and former president of the Texas Dental Society of Anesthesiology, died Sept. 23.
- Five dentists told Becker's how they deal with unexpected costs.
- Stephen Dargan, DDS, was named president of the Maryland State Dental Association.
- Roger Elliston, DMD, was identified as the victim of a fatal Sept. 13 car wreck in McAdenville, N.C.
- Shivi Gupta, DMD, and Tony Hatch, DDS, were added as clinical leaders for Imagen Dental Partners' affiliated practices in California.
- Kevin Patterson, DDS, co-founded PayDent, an alternative to dental insurance for patients and dental care providers, that launched Sept. 14.
- Paul Mullasseril, DDS, was named dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry in Oklahoma City.
- James Heaton, DDS, closed his Chandler, Ariz.-based dental practice temporarily after a nearby explosion damaged the building.
- Natalia Chalmers, DDS, PhD, was appointed chief dental officer of CMS.
- Kevin Byrd, DDS, PhD, will lead a team of researchers mapping cells of respiratory tissue in the nose, mouth and airways for the Human Cell Atlas.
- Jonathan Shenkin, DDS, a former vice president of the American Dental Association and past president of the Maine Dental Association, died Aug. 23.
- Seven dentists shared their best and worst decisions with Becker's.
- Michael Sawyer, DDS, agreed to have his license placed on probation after the Missouri Dental Board investigated claims of unsanitary conditions at his practice.
- Elizabeth Shapiro, DDS, was named the American Dental Association's chief of governance and strategy management.
- Four dentists were appointed to various leadership positions with the New York Dental Association.
- Mark Austin, DDS, surrendered his license to North Carolina's State Board of Dental Examiners after an investigation into a patient's August 2020 death.
- Frank Eggleston, DDS, a former American Dental Association trustee, died July 25 at the age of 78.
- American Dental Association President Daniel Klemmedson, DDS, MD, sent a letter to Congress Aug. 12 advocating for a program dedicated to providing dental coverage to low-income Medicare seniors.
- Chris Jernigan, DMD, died Aug. 7 from COVID-19 at the age of 67.
- Michael Glick, DMD, was named director of Philadelphia-based Penn Dental's new Center for Integrative Global Oral Health.
- Eight dentists spoke with Becker's about threats to the dental industry.
- David Hirsch, MD, DDS, was recently appointed chair of the oral and maxillofacial surgery department at Northwell Health's Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
- Walter Lamacki, DDS, a former ADA trustee who served as president of the Chicago Dental Society, died July 27 at the age of 85.
- Stephen Canis, DMD, former national dental director for United Concordia Dental/Highmark, was named chief dental officer at Camp Hill, Pa.-based Progressive Dental Concepts.
- Sarah Oweis, DMD, began providing services at a new integrated medical-dental clinic opened by Irvine, Calif.-based Pacific Dental Services in Henderson, Nev.
- Dr. Ron Barrett, a former president of the South Carolina Dental Association and the South Carolina Board of Dentistry, died July 28 at the age of 79.
- Chue Cha, DDS, was ordered by the Minnesota Human Rights Department to pay $54,000 in restitution to a former employee for age discriminiation.
- Three dentists spoke with Becker's about recent measures that are expanding access to dental care and what else needs to be done to improve oral healthcare access.
- Guy Bibbs Jr., DDS, a former president of the Chicago Dental Society, died June 7 at the age of 73.
- Thomas Aye, DDS, a retired dentist from Michigan, was found dead in his home July 25. His son, Scott Sterffy, was arrested July 31 in connection with his death.
- A dental technician school founded by Kami Hoss, DDS, was granted accreditation from the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education.
- Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS, R-Ariz., will no longer receive financial contributions from the American Dental Association after the organization's board of trustees determined that it should suspend contributions following a campaign by the representative's siblings asking leading organizations to no longer back him.
- Norma Desjardins, DDS, was elected to be the Maine Dental Association's next president, marking the first time all three executive positions are filled by women.
- K. Jean Beauchamp, DDS, was named the new president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Beauchamp is also the president of the Tennessee Dental Association.
- Joseph Cohen, DDS, Seena Patel, DMD, Bruce White, DDS, and Rebecca Schaffer, DDS, began serving patients at the A.T. Still University-Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health's new Orofacial Pain, Oral Medicine, and Dental Sleep Solutions Institute.
- Longtime dental industry leader Herbert Yee, DDS, died of pneumonia June 26 at age 96.
- Kaz Rafia, DDS, was selected as the Oregon Health Authority's new dental program director.
- Minyoung Lee, DDS, donated $25,000 to the Hunt School of Dental Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso to fund multiple student scholarships.
- Ruben Cohen, DDS, was found in the wreckage of a private plane July 4 after a crash near Aspen, Colo.
- Homayoun Zadeh, DDS, agreed July 1 to plead guilty to filing a false tax return in connection with a national college admissions scandal.
- Ed De Andrade, DDS, was named president of the Nevada Dental Association.
- Wayne Augustus Patterson III, DMD, died June 29 after he was hit by a vehicle while riding his bike.
- Emad Fathy Moawad, DDS, pleaded not guilty to nine counts of sexual battery by restraint, three counts of sexual penetration by use of force and one count of attempted sexual penetration by use of force after being accused of sexually abusing nine patients at his office in Los Angeles.
- Dental surgeon Charles Simms Nicholson, DDS, was identified as one of three people killed in a triple homicide June 18.
- In June, Several dentists warned against the use of Mr. Clean's magic erasers to whiten teeth after a TikTok user demonstrated how she uses the cleaning agent on her teeth.
- George Blue Spruce Jr., DDS, was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Macy Foundation for his work in the dental industry as the first Native American dentist in the U.S.
- Kari Hexem, DMD, chief dental officer at Philadelphia FIGHT Family Dentistry, described a significant decline in this year's patient volume compared to before the pandemic, part of a larger trend in the city of dentists seeing fewer patients and higher costs.
- Natchez, Miss.-based pediatric dentist Craig Bradford, DMD, died June 19 in a tractor accident.
- Bruce Rotter, DMD, announced his retirement June 11 as dean of the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine in Edwardsville.
- Martinsville, Va., dentist James Jordan, DDS, died June 9 of complications from COVID-19.
- William Armstrong, DDS, announced in a May 26 Facebook post that his Elizabethton, Tenn.-based practice merged with Kingsport, Tenn.-based Martin Dentistry.
- Rear Adm. Timothy Ricks, DMD, was honored with the American Dental Association's Distinguished Service Award.
- Former Illinois dentist James D'Alise was sentenced to 270 days in jail June 9 for practicing dentistry without a license.
- Retired dentist Bruce Baker, DMD, was sentenced June 7 to 15 months in prison for evading more than $644,000 in taxes.
- Patrick Foley, DDS, was elected president of the American Board of Orthodontics.
- Chris Salierno, DDS, was appointed the first chief dental officer of dental technology startup company Tend.
- John Badolato, DDS, partnered with Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker's Starting Five initiative to provide free dental care to Arizona Special Olympics athletes.
- Daniel Cave, DMD, a dentist in Washington, D.C., was found guilty of failure to pay district taxes for four years.
- Gerald Lutz, DDS, closed his North Carolina practice in May after 56 years.
- Edmond Massabni, DDS, and Houssam Alkhoury, DMD, purchased four buildings at the Leominster (Mass.) Commerce Center for $5.8 million.
- Robert Eugene Lindsey, DDS, died May 21 from congestive heart failure at Salem (Ore.) Hospital at the age of 93.
- In May, dentists at Oklahoma City-based Implant and Prosthodontic Associates reported a stolen hard drive containing the information of about 6,100 patients.
- John Sellers, DDS, began leading a new dental clinic owned by the Living Water Community Clinic in Locust Grove, Va., offering free dental care to qualifying patients.
- Yonathan Nigatu, DDS, spoke with Becker's in May about his decision to join Aspen Dental after graduating from Nashville, Tenn.-based Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry.
- Giles Willis, DDS, opened a practice in his Arkansas hometown to increase access to affordable dental care.
- Gordon Brady, DMD, and Vincent Montgomery, DMD, joined U.S. Oral Services Management's clinical governance board.
- Penn Dental Medicine received the first half of a $20 million gift from Carol Corby-Waller in honor of her father, alumnus Arthur Corby, who earned his dental degree from Penn Dental Medicine in 1917.
- Raymond Cohlmia, DDS, was appointed as the American Dental Association's executive director.
- Jacksonville, Fla.-based Paul Hinder, DDS, joined North American Dental Group as its seventh affiliated practice.
- Dr. Gunjan Dhir and Dr. Gaurav Puri paid $3.1 million in May to resolve allegations that they defrauded the Texas Medicaid program and violated the False Claims Act.
- In May, California dentists requested insurance companies bear the increased costs of COVID-19 personal protective equipment.
- Scott De Rossi, DMD, was announced as High Point (N.C.) University's founding dean May 5.
- Wade Newman, DDS, surrendered his license to Pennsylvania's dentistry board in May after the board ruled that Dr. Newman acted unprofessionally by engaging in sexual misconduct with two patients.
- Robert Crim, DDS, senior vice president and chief dental officer at Smile Brands, discussed what led him to join the DSO, new patient expectations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the importance of building trust with patients.
- Raul Escalante, DDS, a San Marcos, Calif.-based dentist, spoke with Becker's in April about how the dental field is changing and the potential boon for teledentistry and tooth growth.
- Oklahoma dentist Mark Andregg, DDS, his wife, Shannon, and their son Nathan, all died in a plane crash April 23.
- Santa Barbara, Calif.-based dentist Steve Johnson, DDS, was "slammed" as a backlog of patients returned for dental care in May.
- Louisville, Ky.-based Mortenson Dental Partners named Britt Bostick, DDS, as its new chief dental officer in April.
- B.D. Tiner, DDS, MD, retired from San Antonio-based Alamo Maxillofacial Surgical Associates on May 1 after 40 years of clinical practice.
- In April, Nick Conte, DMD, director of Delaware's Bureau of Oral Health and Dental Services, discussed the closures of all Public Health Dental Clinics in the state.
- In April, Washington dentists Michelle Steinhubel, DDS, and Amy Norman, DDS, shared how the shortage of dental hygienists and assistants was affecting their practices.
- Roshan Parikh, DDS, Walmart's head of dentistry, left the company in April to pursue other opportunities.
- Oksana Boyechko, DMD; Thomas Matanzo, DDS; and Edwin Boy, DDS, shared with Becker's in April what was going well at their practices and what keeps them up at night.
- Pradeep Adatrow, DDS, and Irish dentist Dr. Vanessa Creaven warned against a TikTok video that suggested InstaMorph beads could be used as an alternative to dentures.
- In April, nine dentists shared their differing perspectives with Becker's about teledentistry.
- Stephen Pachuta, DDS, was announced April 7 as the new dean of West Virginia University's dental school in Morgantown.
- J. Thomas Soliday, DDS, former American Dental Association speaker of the House of Delegates and former president of the Maryland State Dental Association, died April 12 after suffering from cardiac amyloidosis.
- Robert Sorin, DMD, a New York City-based dentist and board member of the New York County Dental Society, was featured on "Becker's Dental + DSO Podcast" to discuss challenges providers are facing, how the dental industry is evolving and advice for early career providers.
- The Tennessee offices of Jason Pittman, DDS, and Glenn Vance Jr., DDS, were closed in April after a large sinkhole was discovered.
- Brian Heck, DDS, of Heck Family Dentistry, purchased Enhance Dental Care from Patrick Moriarty, DDS.
- In March, New York oral surgeon Reed Attisha, DMD, MD, performed tooth extractions for a woman with head and neck cancer who needed the procedure done to continue radiation treatment.
- John Osborn, DDS, and Misako Hirota, DMD, shared their views on teledentistry with Becker's in April.
- Lori Anderson, DDS, a Phoenix-based dentist, began offering to deliver and administer COVID-19 vaccines at local households in March.
- The Mankato (Minn.) Department of Public Safety honored Drew Neumann, DDS, March 22 with the Medal of Valor for saving a woman from a burning car.
- Washington, Pa.-based dentist Tom Green, DMD, shared with Becker's three supply chain challenges he was facing at his private practice.
- San Francisco-based dentist Julia Hallisy, DDS, discussed with Becker's the advantages of using teledentistry for diagnostic purposes.
- Gary Klugman, DDS, was sentenced to five years in prison March 24 for violating probation after being convicted on charges of possessing child pornography and an illegal assault weapon.
- Retired dentist Richard Plasch, DDS, died March 15 after suffering injuries from a hit-and-run in California.
- George Kostakis, DDS, and Jennifer Chiang, DDS, spoke with Becker's in March about the supply challenges they were facing.
- San Marcos, Calif.-based dentist Raul Escalante, DDS, shared with Becker's how he thinks teledentistry will evolve.
- The Michigan Periodontal Association elected Allan Padbury Jr., DDS, president.
- Oral implantologist LeRoy Horton, DDS, shared how he is improving Black representation in the dental industry.
- In February, David Johnsen, DDS, stepped down from his position as dean of the University of Iowa's College of Dentistry in Iowa City following a mass email condemning an executive order issued by former President Donald Trump.
- Brighton, Mass.-based Amity Dental Center and Christina Hsu, DDS, agreed to settle allegations that the dentist refused to accept MassHealth members.
- Marc Henschel, DDS, was chosen to lead Philadelphia-based Penn Dental Medicine's new Advanced Education in General Dentistry program.
- Lubbock, Texas-based dentist Jason White, DDS, pleaded not guilty in federal court to charges related to child pornography.
- Scott Howell, DMD, and Barry Raphael, DMD, were honored at the 2020 Teledentistry Innovation Awards.
- Duane Douglas, DMD, was appointed associate dean for the faculty at Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine in Alton.
- Mitchell Weiner, DMD, and Minerva Patel, DDS, discussed the effects of informing patients about the vaccination status of dental staff.
- Charles Bertolami, DDS, dean of New York City-based NYU College of Dentistry, shared the strategies that slowed the spread of COVID-19 at the school.
- In February, the Connecticut attorney general received several complaints against dentists regarding COVID-19 surcharges.
- Salem, Ore.-based Capitol Dental Care President and Dental Director Manu Chaudhry, DDS, shared leadership advice with Becker's. In January, Dr. Chaudhry also participated in the Becker's discussion, "What to expect in the dental industry over the next 5 years."
- Dentists made up the majority of those featured in Global Summit's "Doctor-to-Doctor World's Top 100" list.
- In January, Francis Bane, DMD, and Todd Carter, DDS, shared with Becker's the ways President Joe Biden's administration could affect the dental industry.
- The Chicago Dental Society named Thomas Schneider Jr., DDS, president-elect.
- In January, Ohio dentist Jeffrey Banford, DDS, was sentenced to six months in prison after he was convicted in a tax evasion scheme.
- Edwardsville-based Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine named Cornell Thomas, DDS, chief diversity officer and director of the school's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
- Michael Tillery, DDS, warned against a TikTok trend in which young people undergo major cosmetic dental procedures.
- A Jan. 14 news release by the American Dental Association remembered former California Dental Association President Charles Wilson, DDS, who died Dec. 23 at age 96.
- Glenn Prager, DDS, CEO of Community Dental in Sicklerville, N.J.; Craig Abramowitz, DDS, vice chair of Dental Care Alliance in Sarasota, Fla.; and Raul Escalante, DDS, a dentist in San Marcos, Calif., shared with Becker's In January what risks were worth taking during the year.
- Joel Strom, DDS, former California State Dental Board president and adjunct fellow at Cambridge, Mass.-based Forsyth Institute, said in January dentists should perform COVID-19 saliva tests on patients.
- Eric Tobler, DMD, national clinical director of Mortenson Dental Partners; Timothy Quirt, DDS, vice president of clinical operations at Heartland Dental; and Jason Genta, DDS, vice president of clinical affairs at DecisionOne Dental Partners, participated in a discussion regarding the future of technology in dentistry in January.
- J. Randall Pearce, DDS, a 69-year old dentist in Tennessee, died from COVID-19 complications.
- Founder and CEO of New York City-based Dental365 Scott Asnis, DDS, was among the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in New York's Nassau County.
- The Iowa Dental Board placed William George, DDS, on probation for failing to include periodontal charting in patients' dental records.
- Texas dentist David Palmer, DDS, reported an increase in dental visits and blamed pandemic delays.
- Ussa Bunnag, DDS, and Robin Bethell, DDS, sought answers in January regarding when dentists could receive the COVID-19 vaccination.
- New York pediatric dentist Louis Surace, DDS received a five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to a sex offense against a child.