Prosthodontics Residents' Initiative

Advanced education students in the Department of Prosthodontics have recently instituted two new projects, a study club and an alumni reunion. Initiated by third-year residents Drs. Arnau Aparicio, Todd Slogocki, and Cramin Wiltz, the success of both projects was due to participation by all of the residents in the department and the encouragement of Dr. Arturo Mendez, department chairman, and Dr. J Hochstedler, program director.

Advanced Prosthodontics Study Club
During fall 2011, residents in the LSUSD prosthodontics program organized Is Pendeo, a study club for advanced prosthodontics. The club, run solely by the residents, provides an opportunity for dentists to meet in a casual and friendly environment to learn about issues, techniques, and trends in prosthetic dentistry. At each monthly meeting, one resident presents a topic and leads discussion among the participants. Invited attendees include general dentists in the community, residents in other programs, and fourth- year dental students. To preserve the casual atmosphere and foster participation by all present, the residents limit the number of attendees at each meeting to no more than twelve.

Although the third-year residents deserve kudos for creating Is Pendeo, first- and second-year residents, Andrés Pappa, Jonathan Esquivel, Burke Jardine, Adriana Cordero, Luisana Echandi, and Jose Viquez, and implant fellow Elias Rivera, also lecture, coordinate the meetings, and contact sponsors. At each meeting, sponsors have the opportunity to discuss their services and products.

Prosthodontics residents, from left: (back row) Arnau Aparicio, Burke Jardine, Todd Slogocki, Jonathan Esquivel (front row) Cramin Wiltz, Andrés Pappa, Luisana Echandi, Adriana Cordero, (not pictured, Jose Viquez)

Among the topics presented during the first year of the advanced prosthodontics study club were “Digital Dental Photography” (Dr. Jardine), “Bleaching Systems: What Works” (Dr. Pappa), “The Balance of Beauty: Esthetic Analysis” (Dr. Esquivel), and “Immediate Hybrid Dentures” (Dr. Aparicio). Is Pendeo is a Latin phrase meaning “it depends,” commonly heard in discussion of treatment of prosthetic dentistry cases. All meetings are held at the dental school and begin at 6:00 pm. For more information about Is Pendeo, contact Adriana Cordero at acorde@lsuhsc.edu.

First Annual Alumni Reunion
Dr. Mendez and the third-year prosthodontics residents planned the first-ever alumni reunion on April 13. Twenty-five alumni from as far away as Canada, Mexico, and Costa Rica joined current residents and faculty members at the event.

Dr. Gerard Chiche, Prosth ‘79, and former chairman of the department, was the keynote speaker. The idea for the reunion began with Dr. Mendez’s long-standing invitation to Dr. Chiche to return to LSUSD to lecture. Also on the program were lectures by Dr. Ron Shupe, Prosth ‘83, and Dr. Marco Brindis, Prosth ’07, assistant professor at LSUSD.

Prosthodontics graduates and current residents at the first alumni reunion

Another highlight of the day was the awarding of professor emeritus status to Dr. Chiche and Dr. Shawky Mohamed. Dr. Chiche, first graduate of the program and an internationally known author and lecturer on esthetics and dental ceramics, retired from LSUSD in 2008 to direct the Medical College of Georgia Center for Esthetic and Implant Dentistry. Dr. Mohamed, instructor of morphology and occlusion, director of the temporomandibular disorders clinic, and recipient of numerous Golden Apple teaching awards, retired from the dental school in 2009.

Since establishment of the prosthodontics advanced education program in 1977, a total of 65 residents will have received certificates through 2012.