Dentistry Mourns One of the Greats

Harold C. Slavkin, DDS, a tremendous contributor to dental education, dental research, and oral health promotion, passed away on December 22, 2023. A professor emeritus and dean emeritus at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California in Los Angeles, he was also the former director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). One of the major accomplishments of his tenure at NIDCR was completion of the first United States Surgeon General’s Report, “Oral Health in America,” which focused exclusively on craniofacial and oral health. Slavkin was a member of the National Academy of Medicine and a fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. A cofounder of the Santa Fe Group, an oral health think tank, he was recognized with the 2016 William J. Gies Award for Vision as a Dental Educator and the 2016 American Association for Dental Research Jack Hein Public Service Award for promoting oral health research activities to a wide constituency.

From Decisions in Dentistry.Jan/Feb 2024; 10(1):10