Implant
Education & Treatment Make Important Strides at Columbia University College
of Dental Medicine
Recruitment
of Dr. Dennis Tarnow Marks New Focus
NEW YORK (October 1, 2010) – Recognizing the need for
better awareness and training of dentists who perform implant procedures as
part of their normal practice, the College of Dental Medicine (CDM) at Columbia
University Medical Center has recruited Dr. Dennis Tarnow, an internationally
renowned expert in the field of implantology, as Director of Implant Education
at CDM.
As part of his duties, Dr. Tarnow will begin directing a
multifaceted implant program that will include training of dental students,
postdoctoral students, and hospital residents, as well as continuing education offerings
for dentists in practice, and research.
The implant procedure usually
involves a surgeon placing titanium screws in the jaw bone, and prosthetic
teeth being secured to the implant. Several office visits are needed to
surgically place and add the prosthetic teeth. A host of complications can crop
up in the hands of an inadequately trained dentist or oral surgeon. The implant
may not graft to the jaw bone and loosen over time. In complex cases,
the recognition of underlying medical conditions (such as diabetes mellitus), recognition
of the importance of developing an appropriate treatment plan, and an awareness
of the different implant systems are essential so that appropriate care can be
provided.
Implants are a relatively new treatment for people missing
all teeth. Dentures tend to wear away jaw bone over the years, impede chewing (force
of bite is estimated at 75 percent less powerful among denture wearers), hamper
speech, and exact a psycho-social toll that is hard to imagine among those who
enjoy a full set of teeth.
Improvements in implants even have dentists endorsing the
removal of badly damaged teeth before they actually cause discomfort, which has
helped drive up the number of dentists offering implants. An American Dental
Association survey shows the number of implants performed between 1995 and 2002
has nearly doubled.
“As many general practice dentists venture into this rapidly
changing field, some practitioners -- especially those who trained prior to the
widespread introduction of ‘osseo-integrated’ implants -- are not properly trained
to handle the planning and treatment required for successful implant therapy,”
says Dr. Ira Lamster, the Dean of the College of Dental Medicine, which
successfully recruited Dr. Tarnow from New York University, along with 12 other
new recruits who will be focusing on implantology services. “We recognize that
as demand for implants increases, more people will be seeking care from
dentists and oral surgeons who must be trained properly.”
Another
important implantology initiative that CDM is embracing right away with the
recruitment of Dr. Tarnow: bringing lower cost services to the community. An implant to replace a single tooth can
cost $3,000 to $4,500. Implants to replace a full or partial set of teeth can
run from $20,000 to as much as $45,000. In Northern Manhattan, where a
significant number of people suffer from advanced dental problems, a full-range
of discounted implantology services together with assistance plans offered by
Columbia will make implants more affordable.
“The advances
we’re making every day in materials and techniques are going a long way to
reduce costs over the long term as well as provide decades of wear and
usability for implant patients, whose age is increasingly is not a factor,” Dr.
Tarnow says. “With as many as 20 million people in need of dental implants and
the procedure taking less time than a decade ago, the field of implantology is
poised for a growth that necessitates a corresponding level of skill and
training that we at CDM are gearing up for.”
The recruitment of Dr. Tarnow also marks an expanded and strengthened interdisciplinary
implantology agenda that will be fully integrated throughout CDM’s predoctoral
and postgraduate curriculum under the direction of Dr. Panos Papapanou,
chairman of the section of oral & diagnostic sciences and director of the
Division of Periodontics. Dr. Tarnow, who trained in both periodontal and
prosthetic dentistry and is known for innovative implant research, also will
direct an implantology continuing education (CE) continuum and a Columbia
fellowship in implantology. International continuing education exchanges are
expected to follow.
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Columbia
University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) was established in 1916 as the School of Dental and Oral Surgery, when
the School became incorporated into Columbia University. The College’s mission
has evolved into a tripartite commitment to education, patient care, and
research. The mission of the College
of Dental Medicine is to train general dentists, dental specialists, and dental
assistants in a setting that emphasizes comprehensive dental care delivery and
stimulates professional growth; inspire, support, and promote faculty, pre- and
postdoctoral student, and hospital resident participation in research to advance
the professional knowledge base; and provide comprehensive dental care for the
underserved community of northern Manhattan. For more information, please
visit: http://dental.columbia.edu/
Columbia
University Medical Center provides international leadership in
basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences
education, and in patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and
includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health
professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians &
Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine,
the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of
Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in
1767, Columbia's College of Physicians & Surgeons was the first institution
in the country to grant the M.D. degree and is among the most selective medical
schools in the country. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the
largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the
largest in the United States. For more information, please visit http://www.cumc.columbia.edu.
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