Gary Klasser Joins Department of Comprehensive Dentistry

Gary Klasser

Gary D. Klasser, DMD, has been appointed associate professor in the LSUSD Department of Comprehensive Dentistry and Biomaterials, Division of Diagnostic Sciences. The announcement was made by Dr. Alex Ehrlich, chairman of the department.

Dr. Klasser received his doctor of dental medicine from the University of Manitoba, Canada, in 1980. For 22 years he practiced dentistry in urban and rural settings in Canada from both private practice and public health perspectives. In private practice, he managed a large group focused on preventive dentistry. In the public health environment, he was responsible for fiscal planning and overall operations of a 16-member dental team.

In 2002, Dr. Klasser moved to Kentucky to pursue advanced training. Two years later he received a certificate in orofacial pain from the University of Kentucky, College of Dentistry. In 2005, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in oral medicine and oral oncology at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences. For the next six years, he was an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he also served as director and clinical chief of the oral medicine and orofacial pain clinic. His responsibilities included clinical management, continuing education, research, and training of both predoctoral and postdoctoral students.

Since 2005, Dr. Klasser has authored or co-authored 44 peer-reviewed journal articles, one textbook and six textbook chapters. He serves as an editorial consultant for dental journals published in Australia, Scandinavia, China, Canada, and the United States. He has been an expert witness and consultant for the American Dental Association, Ortho-McNeil, the Canadian government, and the Iowa Dental Board. His research interests include orofacial pain, temporomandibular disorders, and oral cancer detection. His work has been funded by Zila Pharmaceutical and Triad Pharmaceutical.

Dr. Klasser lives in Mandeville and will be joined shortly by his wife Anne and two teenage children.