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On most occasions when people congregate, be they purely social or business functions, the interactions can be perfunctory or people will gel and we speak of the presence of “good chemistry” between participants. The latter was surely in abundance at our 64th Annual Meeting which opened with Registration on the morning of October 19, 2007. It was obvious that enthusiasm and interest was at an extremely high level not only among our members, but also among the distinguished faculty assembled by our president, Dr. Shahrokh Shabahang. The meticulous planning by our Meeting Arrangements Chairperson, Dr. Ron Fink and the invaluable, tireless efforts of our Executive Secretary June Barrientos, as well as the input of the Advisory Council and Board of Directors, would pay off with an excellent Continuing Education experience for our attendees and their accompanying persons. The Faculty deserves major credit not only for the content and delivery of their presentations but also for the obvious collegiality, which developed between them as well as their exchange of ideas and interaction with our participants. We have received much positive feedback from this year’s faculty and are again in their debt for informing us of the very latest in biologic science as it applies to our patients as we move forward in the 21st century. It can truly be said of this year’s meeting, that the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. As those in attendance know, Dr. Ron Fink’s wife, Diana, had an acute hospitalization in Alaska, in early October, which prevented Ron, our Meeting Arrangements Chairperson from attending the meeting. Not to worry, however, as Ron had not only done his pre-conference planning, but also, was in constant touch by phone during the meeting with the appropriate Hilton staff. As there were virtually no “glitches”, we want him to know how much his extraordinary efforts were appreciated. His dedication to the AIOB was above and beyond the call of duty. During the Opening Dinner on Friday evening, Dr. Shabahang thanked Ron and we prayed for a full and speedy recovery for Diana. Happily, the Finks are now living in sunny Arizona for the winter, with Diana recuperating, but having to adapt to Ron’s omnipresence, as he is now fully retired and has joined the ranks of the “gainfully unemployed”! Friday’s Scientific Session commenced with Dr. Nikola Angelov’s presentation on “Oral Mucosal Healing: The Role of the Secretory Leukocyte Protease Inhibitor (SLPI)”. This research was based on the observation that oral mucosal healing is more rapid and occurs with minimal scarring compared to skin. His very elegant research was carried out on “knock-out” mice, and as Dr. Shabahang pointed out in his recap, it is obvious that a complex of factors are in play at the molecular and genetic level, and that in wound healing as in other bodily processes, there is obviously no single “magic bullet” at work. Dr. Angelov’s second presentation, ”Periodontal Plastic Surgery: Some Clinical Aspects of Root Coverage” was also very comprehensive. It not only provided a rationale for treatment but also a review of available procedures with their indications, as well as photos of some excellent results. Dr. Ellen Eisenberg's presentation was a much-requested lecture on a topic of intense current interest and controversy, “Bisphosphonates and Osteonecrosis of the Jaws: A Pathologist’s Perspective”. She elucidated the role of these important systemic medications, the history of the observations of oral cavity associated problems and the need for following strict diagnostic criteria in order that truly valid conclusions can be drawn and appropriate treatments developed and applied. On Saturday, we were treated to Dr. Eisenberg’s 2nd presentation, “Precancerous Oral Mucosal Lesions: Current Clinicalpathological Concepts”. This has been one of her core interests for many years and her presentation surely reflected her expertise. Dr. G. Rex Holland presented two seminars, “Local Anti-Nociception in the Dental Pulp” and “Neural & Vascular Changes in the Inflamed Dental Pulp”. After attending his lectures and reading the biographical data he submitted for the Proceedings Manual, we as well as his dental students at University of Michigan, indeed, are fortunate that he was able to return to teach in the USA, under an “amnesty program.” Veteran AIOB faculty member, Dr. William Carpenter, spoke on the latest on infection control, overuse of antibiotics and the need for pharmaceutical companies to reinstitute antimicrobial research. Additionally, he presented a discussion on the American Heart Association update on Antibiotic Prophylaxis against Infective Endocarditis. This is the latest in a series of periodic revisions and as a result far fewer people will require antibiotics. Dr. Mahesh Mankani a collaborator of Dr. Pamela Robey delivered the Philip J. Boyne Lecture on Stem Cells, in her absence. Dr. Mankani is a Plastic Surgeon and Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco. He also delivered an additional lecture entitled, “Post-Natal Skeletal Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine”. The Institute was, indeed, very fortunate that Dr. Mankani made himself available to us with very little advance notice and that he presented such high quality seminars on such a “hot” topic. Rounding out the program were presentations by our returning German colleagues, Drs. Nikolaus Gersdorff and Matthias Roedinger. They discussed the basic science research ongoing at their University and we were reminded that science truly has no boundaries. To quote President Shabahang, “We were pleased and proud to have you here.” Many thanks again to all our presenters for making the Discussion Forums most meaningful this year. A good deal of interplay amongst the faculty made them especially rewarding for attendees. During the Friday evening Opening Dinner, our president, Dr. Shabahang presented an inscribed plaque to our Senior Fellow, Dr. Eb King, honoring him not only for having achieved an AIOB record attendance milestone of 50 annual meetings, but also for his many contributions in guiding the Institute over the years. Eb served on our Advisory Council and Board of Directors for many years, in addition to his contributions to his specialty including service as a Director of the American Board of Orthodontics. We wish him many more years of health and anticipate his return. The next order of business was the awarding of Ten year Fellowships to the following Individuals:
We wish to also recognize Dr. Max Wagner, who attended his milestone 40th Annual Meeting this year, while his brother, Dr. Rex Wagner was the next-senior Fellow to Eb King with his presence at 44 meetings. Both Drs. James Fitzpatrick and Leonard Warren reached their 35 meeting milestone, while attending their 15th annual meeting were Drs. Ed Kuhn, Michael Neal, and Dr. Phillip Seltzer. Halfway to their 10-year Fellowship status were Drs. Don Barrow, Wayne Del Carlo, Wes Murakami, Robert Weiser and Guy Welty. A very distinguished group consisting of our Past President, Drs. Philip Boyne (37), Leonard Nelson (33) and Donald Niewold (33) rounded out our Senior Fellows at the meeting. This year we welcomed four new freshmen attendees:
The Friday evening Social Hour provided an opportunity for members and guests to renew acquaintances and make new ones. The President’s Reception on the following evening, hosted by president Shabahang and his wife, Dr. Karin Hatami, was very well attended, and all were pleased to have the opportunity to again visit with Mrs. Mary Anne Boyne. Again many thanks are due to our “Keepers of the Spirits,” Drs. Don Niewold and Leonard Nelson who performed their duties so ably at the President’s Reception, despite the absence of the third member of their usual triumvirate. Sunrise Walk The early risers and walkers-most sporting their AIOB sweatshirts - were again treated to the sight of the sun rising majestically over the mountains surrounding Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. This alone is adequate reason to join in our “treks” to the various surrounding neighborhoods, to say nothing of the camaraderie of the group. Plan on joining us next year, when we meet in November, and will be on Daylight Savings time. Spouses’ Program
This year’s speaker, Dr. Steven Robert Gundry, Director, The International Heart and Lung Institute of Palm Springs, and former Chairman of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, presented a riveting seminar on “Eating As If Your Life Depends On It”. Starting by relating his profound personal dietary and lifestyle changes, Dr. Gundry enthralled his audience for over 21/2 hours as he explained the rationale for his current theories. As an active cardiothoracic surgeon, he now spends a considerable amount of his professional time counseling patients so they can, hopefully, avoid surgical intervention. Those wishing additional information will find it available in a book he wrote which will be published shortly. At the conclusion of the Spouses Program, Debby Splaver, announced that she was relinquishing her role as Chairperson. There have been sixteen Spouses Programs since the Board of Directors asked Debby to initiate this activity. Topics have been widely varied to attract as wide an audience as possible, and the Institute thanks Debby for her many efforts over the years. This year’s program was a great finish to a most successful tenure! The mantle of Chairperson has been passed to Jo Fitzpatrick, wife of Board Member, Dr. Jim Fitzpatrick, who has graciously accepted this responsibility. Please send suggestions to Jo for future programming. A modest tuition increase of $25 was voted to help defray our increased costs in presenting quality Continuing Education programming. This brings our tuition to $375, with included meals for the registrant making a total package cost of $555 - with 26 CEU available. By way of comparison, your editor has been trolling the web, and has found many courses, even dental school and university-sponsored, which charge in excess of the above for a one-day 6 hour course, while tuition charges for a one-day “technique” course can run into the thousands! (Our government is fortunate that the cost of Dental Continuing Education is not considered in figuring the rate of inflation, as this would surely skew the statistics.) We were again reminded by Dr. Fink that room reservations, and especially dietary requests must be received by the Hilton Hotel no later than 30 days prior to the meeting. Neither the Institute nor the Hilton wishes to disappoint our members and any special arrangements can usually be accommodated if adequate lead-time is given. The death of Dr. Gordon Lambson an AIOB Fellow, Redlands, California, was noted as published in The Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. Gordon was an enthusiastic supporter of the Institute, who attended with his wife, Marge. In a selfless act, Gordon donated his body to the Loma Linda University Program in appreciation for the opportunities his professional education afforded him. We also note the passing of Dr. Kornberg, age 89, Nobel Laureate in Medicine in 1959 and past AIOB Faculty member. Dr. Kornberg discovered DNA polymerase for which he received his award and according to his New York Times obituary, he worked in his lab at Stanford University until a few days before his death. “In 1967, Dr. Kornberg and his team became the first to produce the active inner core of a virus in a laboratory…”. Interestingly, he was also one of six Nobel winners whose sons also were laureates. “In 2006, Roger D. Kornberg was the Nobel chemistry laureate for creating the first pictures of how genes convey messages so that cells can make proteins.” An information-packed website on all things dealing with science is: http://scitechdaily.com/. SciTech Daily contains links to a multitude of reference material and journals as well as current scientific advances. Well worth bookmarking, in my opinion. The Drug Enforcement website: www.dea.gov/ contains a Power Point presentation on Hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab, Lorcet) (use “Search” if you can’t find it). According to the slide set, which you may download for use, in the year 2004, 19.1 million Americans (7.9% of the U.S. population) were current illicit drug users. It is sobering to read that hydrocodone was the most commonly diverted and abused controlled pharmaceutical in this country. Astonishingly, hydrocodone products were the most frequently prescribed drugs in the U.S.! Approximately 125 million hydrocodone prescriptions were dispensed in the U.S. in 2005, with the 2nd most prescribed drug, Lipitor, accounting for about half that number at 60,000,000. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently instituted a free electronic newsletter for professionals to disseminate timely news regarding medication and drugs. Since the FDA has also recently assumed responsibility for post-marketing surveillance of recently released drugs this is an especially valuable resource for all of us. Additionally, their adverse drug reaction reporting system, Med Watch is also available for electronic access through their site. To request your free email subscription, go to the FDA website: www.fda.gov/. While on their Home Page, also check their “Information for Health Professionals” page, which is packed with valuable material. The FDA News Digest of December 12, 2007 contained a notice that manufacturers of drugs containing carbamazepine (Tegretol, Carbatrol & Equetro) will add a labeling warning that people of Asian ancestry should have a genetic test for an inherited variant of the gene HLA-B* 1502, which is seen almost exclusively in Asians; prior to initiating drug therapy. Individuals with the gene variant run a 10 times higher risk of developing the rare but serious skin disorders toxic epidermal necrolysis and Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which is seen at the risk of 1-6 per 10,000 new users in countries with mainly white populations. A study from the Netherlands conducted by Michel D Ferrari, MD, PhD, reported in the December 4, 2007 issue of Neurology found that patients with sporadic hemiplegic migraine should have genetic testing. According to the article individuals with this rare, often-severe, form of migraine are often initially misdiagnosed as epileptic, stroke or having other disorders and are often given ineffective medications which have a high risk of side effects; rather than medications specifically to treat migraine. None of the 39 men and women studied had family members with the condition; however, variants of three genes known to be associated with familial hemiplegic migraine were found in 18% of them. The author concluded that,” Our findings reinforce the growing evidence that familial and sporadic hemiplegic migraine along with normal migraine have some shared pathways. Unraveling these pathways may help us to identify new treatment options.” The December 13, 2007 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, pp. 2426-2429, contains an article entitled, “Knock Out, Knock In, Knock Down-Genetically Manipulated Mice and the Nobel Prize,” by John P. Manis, M.D. In it, the author describes the collaborative efforts of Martin Evans, Oliver Smithies and Mario Capecchi, which resulted in their discoveries of “principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells.” To excerpt in detail, “The concept of genetically engineering a mouse is straightforward: devise a specific gene modification in a chromosome of embryonic stem cells and use these modified cells to generate mice that can transmit the new trait to their offspring. The method’s simplicity rests on two principles: the ability to exchange specific chromosomal DNA sequences in mammalian cells by means of homologous recombination and the manipulation of embryonic stem cells in a way that allows inheritance of the genetic modification.” Smithies made his initial research discoveries in the 1960s and the ultimate research tool, which the three devised, paved the way for much stem cell research and are certain to continue to contribute greatly to understanding of various disease states and their cures. “Simple ideas lie within the grasp of complex minds.” The fields of Pharmacogenomics and Genetic Medicine continue to evolve. 
The 2008 meeting will be the 65th Annual Meeting and we hope you all will attend. Reserve the dates, November 14-17, on your yearly calendar now. Hope you all enjoyed the Holidays and let us hope that the year 2008 brings a modicum of peace to the world. Ted Splaver, Editor (954) 970-9366 June J. Barrientos, Executive Secretary (909) 558-4671 Office (909) 558-0285 Fax |
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