Dr. Kent Receives AAOMS Award

John N. Kent, DDS, FACD, FICD, received the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) Presidential Achievement Award on September 10, during the opening ceremony of the 96th annual meeting of the AAOMS in Honolulu. The award was presented in recognition of Dr. Kent's significant contributions to the specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery.

John N. Kent, DDS, FACD, FICD

Dr. Kent served as head of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) at LSU Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry and chief of OMS at Charity Hospital in New Orleans in 1973-2002 and 2003-2008. Simultaneously he served as head of OMS, Division of Surgery, at the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport from 1978-2003.

Dr. Kent was appointed a Boyd Professor in 1983, one of seven Boyd Professors in the history of the LSU Health Sciences Center. He has served as president-elect of the medical staff of the University Hospital in New Orleans and president of both the Louisiana and Southeastern societies of oral and maxillofacial surgeons.

In 1988 the OMS department established the James R. Peltier Endowed Chair, the LSU Medical Center's first $1 million chair. Dr. Kent occupied the chair as its first eminent scholar from 1988 to 2012. An authority on orthognathic surgery, facial deformities and reconstructive surgery, cosmetic surgery, dental and facial implants, facial bone grafting, and biomaterials, Dr. Kent is the author of 15 textbooks, over 250 journal articles, and numerous abstract publications. He is the co-author of the first textbook on orthognathic surgery and facial deformities in the United States.

Among Dr. Kent's other honors are the Geis Foundation Award, the Simon P. Hullihen Award, the Louisiana Dental Association Distinguished Service Award, and the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Harry Archer Award. He is a Fulbright Scholar.

Dr. Kent has served on the editorial board of several surgical, medical, and dental journals, including the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, where he was the surgery section editor for several years. He is a fellow of the American College of Dentists and International College of Dentists and a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (ABOMS). He served on the ABOMS Advisory and Examining Committee for six years, the board of directors for seven years, and was president of ABOMS in 1987-88.

Emphasis on Professionalism

Throughout the curriculum, the LSUHSC School of Dentistry stresses ethical behavior. To emphasize to students the importance of professionalism, the school holds two ceremonies every fall. During the White Coat Ceremony, held this year on October 24, second-year dental students pledged to exhibit personal and professional integrity as they transition from classroom student to clinician. In his keynote address, "With Great Expectations", Dr. L. Scott King, '78, discussed selflessness, skill, and trustworthiness, three elements common to all professions. After students received their white coats, class president Martin Duplantier led the recitation of the professional oath.

Martin Duplantier, Dr. L. King Scott, Dean Gremillion at the White Coat Ceremony

First-year students in dentistry, dental hygiene, and dental laboratory technology participated in the F. Harold Wirth Ceremony, held on November 21. Students worked together to compose a unique professional honor code. Dr. Mike Robichaux, '72, keynote speaker, explained Dr. Wirth's philosophy and stressed that the most important ingredient in a successful practice is to always put your patients' interests first.

Wirth Committee members (l-r) Drs. Mike Robichaux, Bruce LeBlanc, Henry Gremillion, Richard Atkins

Wirth Ceremony speakers (l-r) Rebecca Payne, Dr. Sandra Andrieu, Jerry Clark, Dr. Mike Robichaux, Dr. Robert Barsley