John Kent, DDS, FACD, FICD
Boyd Professor
Former Department Chairman 1973-2008
Dr. John (Jack) N. Kent, is a 1963 graduate of University of Nebraska School of Dentistry
and 1969 graduate of the University of Texas Medical Center in Houston Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgery (OMS) residency training program. At the age of 35 he was appointed Head of
OMS at LSU Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry and Chief of OMS at Medical
Center of Louisiana (Charity Hospital) in New Orleans 1973 - 2002 and 2003 - 2008.
Simultaneously he also served as Head of OMS, Division of Surgery, at LSU School of
Medicine in Shreveport, 1978-2003.
Dr. Kent was appointed the 33rd Boyd Professor of the LSU System in 1983, and is one of 7 Boyd Professors in the
history of the LSU Medical Center. He served 9 years on the Executive Board of Hotel
Dieu/University Hospital in New Orleans in which he was Chairman of the Eye, ENT,
OMS department for 6 years. He was President of the Louisiana Society and the Southeastern
Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Dr. Kent occupied the James R. Peltier
Endowed chair, the first $1 million chair in the LSU Medical Center, as its first
eminent scholar from 1988 to 2012.
Dr. Kent's teaching and research rendered him an authority in orthognathic surgery,
facial deformities and reconstructive surgery, cosmetic surgery, dental and facial
implants, facial bone grafting and biomaterials with authorship in 25 textbooks and
over 250 journal and abstract publications. He is the coauthor of the first textbook
on orthognathic surgery and facial deformities in the United States and is a Fulbright
Scholar. Since 1974 Dr. Kent has directed nearly 100 OMS continuing education courses.
Dr. Kent has been the P I of numerous research projects totaling several million dollars,
and along with Drs. Mike Block, Marilyn Zimny, and Sam McClugage, provided integrated
OMS residency with PhD training for 9 LSU residents. Dr. Kent is the recipient of
the coveted Geis Foundation Award, the Louisiana Dental Association's Distinguished
Service Award, the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon's Harry Archer
Award, the 2014 AAOMS Presidential Achievement Award, and the 2016 Southeastern Society
of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Life Time Achievement Award. Dr. Kent has served
on the editorial board of several surgical, medical and dental journals including
the Journal of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery where he was the Surgery section editor
for several years. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgery, and was President of ABOMS 1987-88.
Dr. Kent worked tirelessly to expand and promote LSU OMS well beyond his voluntary
retirement in 2014. Jack, along with outstanding faculty such as Director of Research,
Michael Block, and several Program Directors over 3 decades such as Michael Zide,
Dale Misiek, G. E. Ghali, Jon Perenack, and Rob Laughlin, led the resurgence of the
OMS programs in Louisiana to international prominence. During this time 150 residents
generated a remarkable body of clinical care and scientific contributions to the literature. Many
of these residents became respected leaders in their communities and in organized
OMS & Dentistry. Dr. Kent achieved the rare trifecta of excellence as a clinician,
an educator, and a researcher. Dr. Kent's mission was to inspire and educate OMS residents
to provide the highest standard of care for patients entrusted to them.
To all his former residents Jack is "FOREVER CHIEF".