College of Dental Medicine Lasting Impressions Magazine

10 © NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY CDM IMPRESSIONS ORAL HEALTH A TOPIC AT SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS The importance of oral health and the future of dentistry were the subjects of several seminars and discussions held this past semester at NSU. Sibel A. Antonson, D.D.S., Ph.D., M.B.A., professor and director of clinical research for the CDM’s Department of Cariology and Restorative Dentistry, discussed “Restor- ative Dentistry Update: Contemporary Restorative Materi- als and Technologies” as part of the NSU Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine’s monthly seminars. Before joining the CDM faculty, Antonson served as a clinical professor and director of dental biomaterials at the Uni- versity at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine in New York and worked as a director of education and professional services at Ivoclar Vivadent. She was simultaneously involved with teaching, re- search, and practice at the University of Florida’s Depart- ment of Dental Biomaterials (1997–2000) and at NSU’s CDM (2001–2008). In 2000, Antonson was appointed new products man- ager at Dentsply Caulk, where she invented and launched PoGo—the first one-step, composite, finishing and polishing device. Antonson was president of the International Association of Dental Research, Dental Materials Group in 2007–2008 and currently serves as councilor. She has authored book chapters and peer-reviewed publications and lectured nationally and internationally on dental biomaterials, as well as prosthodontic and restorative techniques. Additionally, nationally known author and health care journalist Mary Otto guest lectured at the Distinguished Speaker Series hosted by NSU’s Farquhar Honors College. Otto is the author of Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America and has dedicated her career to highlighting the disparities in dental care for impoverished people in the United States. Now working as an independent journalist and oral health topic leader for the Missouri School of Journalism- based Association of Health Care Journalists, Otto began writing about oral health at The Washington Post , where she covered social issues, including health care and poverty. In 2007, Otto’s stories about Deamonte Driver—a 12-year-old Maryland child receiving Medicaid benefits who died from complications of an untreated dental infection—spurred Congressional hearings, a revamping of Maryland’s Medicaid dental system, and increased attention to oral health access for poor children nationwide. After leaving The Washington Post , Otto spent an aca- demic year studying oral health at Harvard University as a Knight Science Journalism Fellow. In 2010, she received the Gies Award, presented by the American Dental Educa- tion Association, for outstanding achievement for her contributions to oral health and dental education. u Steven I. Kaltman, D.M.D., M.D., FACS, professor and chair of the Depart- ment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and assistant dean for extramural and hospital affairs, was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons during its annual meeting in San Diego, California. The American College of Surgeons fellowship admits only those surgeons whose professional activity is devoted to surgical practice and who agree, without compromise, to practice by the organization’s professional and ethical standards. This surgical accomplishment is rare among those who practice oral and maxillofacial surgery and recognizes Kaltman’s outstanding contributions as an educator and scientist, as well as his expertise as a surgeon and mentor. u PROFESSOR INDUCTED AS AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS FELLOW