CHICAGO, January 4, 2016– The Academy of Osseointegration (AO) announces that Ole T. Jensen, DDS, MS, is the ninth recipient of the Nobel Biocare Brånemark Osseointegration Award. This annual award by the Osseointegration Foundation (OF), AO’s philanthropic arm, is made possible by a grant from Nobel Biocare. The award honors an individual whose impact on implant dentistry is exemplary in any or all of the Foundation’s mission categories: research, education, and charitable causes.

“Dr. Jensen is the ideal recipient of this award because he truly carries on the tradition of putting our patients first,” said OF President Dr. Mollie Winston, who will present the award Saturday, February 20, 2016, at AO’s 31st Annual Meeting in San Diego. “He is a distinguished clinician, researcher and osseointegration educator who is quite worthy of this honor.”

An active AO member, Dr. Jensen of Greenwood Village, Colo., chaired two AO Consensus Conferences in 1996 and 2014. He also serves as Associate Editor and Section Editor, Tissue Engineering, for The InternationalJournal of Oral and Maxillofacial Implants (JOMI) — the official journal of the AO.

“In a strange way this award is not given to its recipient but is rather bestowed each year in the Brånemark traditionto honor our patients who are precious, beautiful and valued,” said Dr. Jensen. “The award is a collective effort, one which no single individual can claim to achieve on their own. The Brånemark tradition reminds the profession of dentistry of where we have been and where we might go in our humble quest to help restore our fellow human beings.”

“This award means the world to me, especially in the year following Professor Brånemark’s passing,” added Dr. Jensen. Professor Brånemark was the first Nobel Biocare Brånemark Award recipient. His life and legacy were honored with a special video tribute that was presented during the Opening Session of last year’s Annual Meeting. Click here to view the video: https://youtu.be/FqJ5dL8gMGY

Dr. Jensen is also a Board Certified American Board of The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) and served as Editor and Chief Oral Maxillofacial Tissue Engineering (2009-2012). He is a frequent lecturer andrenowned researcher whose literary contributions include 70 journal publications, 25 book Chapters and five books. 

Dr. Jensen is a graduate of University of Utah (B.S.), Northwestern University (DDS), and University of Michigan (M.S.). He holds faculty appointments at University of Utah, University of Michigan, New York University and Hebrew University.

Other previous Nobel Biocare Brånemark Award honorees include Drs. Stephen Parel,Daniel Buser, William R. Laney, and George A. Zarb, and Professors Daniel van Steenberghe, Ulk Lekholm and Tomas Albrektsson.

The 31^st Annual Meeting is February 17 to 20, 2016, in San Diego. You can register to attend at https://meetings.osseo.org. Follow AO on Facebookand Twitterusing #AOSanDiego to stay up-to-date. 

CHICAGO, December 15 – Today, Oral Health America (OHA) announces that Dr. Michael Alfano will be recognized with the Tribute Award at its 26th Annual Gala & Benefit on February 24, 2016 at Navy Pier in Chicago. Dr. Michael Alfano, DMD, PhD serves as Professor, Dean and Executive Vice President Emeritus at New York University. Each year, OHA honors an individual whose career significantly impacts oral health on a regional or national level; has been innovative, creative and pioneering; able to demonstrate positive, measurable change over a sustained period; and, achieved success in overcoming barriers to oral health access, education and advocacy. “Dr. Alfano more than exemplifies each of these criteria for this award in the most profound ways imaginable,” said Beth Truett, President & CEO for Oral Health America. “Beyond his loyalty to Oral Health America’s mission and work, his belief in health equity and the need for change in prioritizing oral health for all Americans lives with the Santa Fe Group, the 2016 Global Oral Cancer Forum and so many other important initiatives.”  The tribute award will be presented at OHA’s Annual fundraising benefit. Hosted at Chicago’s historic Navy Pier, this highly anticipated event kicks off the Chicago Midwinter Meeting and will feature a cocktail reception, dinner and dancing, as well as a silent auction and raffle. The theme, Mardi Gras Redux, also heralds Oral Health America’s return to one of the city’s spectacular landmark during its centennial year. Tickets for OHA’s gala are currently on sale. Proceeds underwrite OHA's mission to connect communities to resources to solve problems and raise awareness about the importance of oral health's impact on overall health. OHA’s programs serving children and older adults have grown through support received from this annual event. Please join Oral Health America at Mardi Gras Redux and commit to making a difference in the oral health of all Americans, especially those most vulnerable. The gala is generously sponsored by Presenting Sponsor Kavo Kerr Group; Technology Sponsors Ivoclar Vivadent and Patterson Dental; Entertainment Sponsor Henry Schein Dental; Diamond Sponsors, DENTSPLY International, Colgate Palmolive, DentaQuest, SciCan, Septodont and Philips Sonicare; Platinum Sponsors Midmark and Darby Dental and Gold Sponsor Planmeca USA, Inc. To purchase tickets, sponsorships or for additional information, please visit oralhealthamerica.org/gala or contact Brad McLaughlin at brad.mclaughlin@oralhealthamerica.org or (312) 836-9900.

December 31, 2015 (ST. PAUL, Minn.) – Patterson Dental, a business unit of Patterson Companies (NASDAQ: PDCO) is committed to helping dentists and their teams as they face operational issues in the wake of recent natural disasters.

Residents in many parts of the U.S. have been hit hard over the past few weeks by a host of natural disasters including severe weather, tornadoes and flooding across the Midwest and Southeast.

Patterson Dental’s outreach efforts are being conducted within impacted communities through its network of local branches. Dentists affected by disasters in areas where a state of emergency has been declared can obtain assistance from Patterson by contacting their local representative or by calling 800.873.7683, which routes callers to the nearest Dental branch. All Patterson locations are operational and are prepared to help dentists manage their business needs by providing a variety of financial terms for re-equipping and re-supplying their dental practice.

“Our hearts go out to everyone affected,” said Paul Guggenheim, CEO, Patterson Dental. “We want our customers to know that we are here to support them during this challenging time and to assist in any way we can to help them get their businesses back up and running.”