As surely all Fellows of the Pierre Fauchard Academy are aware, this organization bears the name of the one surgeon whose supreme contribution to the literature of dentistry launched the profession into the modern era and earned him the undying distinction of “Father of Dentistry” as we know it. Much as his work is valued, little is known of the man.

Historians agree he was humbly born in 1678 in Brittany, that province in the northwest of France that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. In 1693, at the age of fifteen, he joined the French Royal Navy and became an able assistant and student of a Major Surgeon, Alexander Poteleret. In this duty Pierre had his attention directed to the considerable dental problems of the sailors, particularly affected by scurvy. Three years later, with his interest focused on dentistry and the problems faced in its practice, he left the Navy to study the knowledge inherited from those who preceded him in the theory of dental care. He began to hone his skills through experience.

Between 1696 and 1718, he is known to have engaged in the practice of dentistry in a number of communities in western France, notably Rennes, Nantes, the university town of Angers, and Tours. In his studies, he discovered there was no compendium of information in the literature to guide a dental practitioner. Although self-educated and devoid of any formal training, Fauchard successfully subjected himself to examination for recognition as an “expert pour led dents.” As required by the Royal Edict of 1699. He earned a reputation for uncommon ability and dedication as a “chirurgien dentiste”—an appellation applied to a dentist in France even in modern times.

Around 1718 Pierre settled in Paris where he continued to practice dentistry for the rest of his life. In 1729 he married into a prominent family of actors. (His son later left dentistry for acting.) By 1734 Pierre Fauchard had become a seigneur and lord of the castle and domain of Grand Mesnil. This was at the pinnacle of his career. He was 56 years old, six years after he first published his famed text, Chirurgien Dentiste.

In 1740, Pierre’s partner in his dental practice, Pierre Nicolas Gaulard, ended his career on the Place de Greve gallows for theft. Fauchard weathered the embarrassment handily.

His celebrated contribution to dental literature had been in print for 12 years, translated into German for seven years, and a new, enlarged edition was in production. The author was the most revered and respected representative of the dental arts in a country acknowledged to be in the forefront of medical and surgical development. Other surgeons frequently consulted him.

To be expected, the envy of lesser colleagues was evoked. Fauchard did not escape the penalty of leadership. There were efforts to belittle him and to destroy his reputation. Some tried to block the publication of his text. Pierre’s candor and revelation of dental techniques rankled the charlatans who were publicly exposed for what they were. A rumor that Pierre was retiring from practice evoked this response from him, “The rumor having been falsely set about that I am abandoning the profession, which rumor could not have been invented otherwise than by those individuals who sacrificing their honor to interest, would attract to themselves the persons who honor this author with their confidence, I therefore find it necessary to give warning that I still continue the practice of my art in Paris, in the Rue de la Comedie Francaise, together with my brother-in-law and sole student, M. Duchemin.”

Aware of the inadequacy in training dentists, Fauchard urged the examining board, established by the Royal Edict of 1699, to include in their membership at least one “skillful and experienced dentist.” His suggestion was rejected.

Le Chirurgien Dentiste ou Traitedes Dents is the first scientific contribution to the literature of dentistry, and the first dental textbook. First appearing in 1728, five years after completing his first manuscript, it was held from publication until the author had it reviewed by recognized authorities in medicine and surgery. One of these experts, a close friend, Jean Claude Devaux, was a leading contributor to the medical literature of the time.

This epic achievement was hailed for its merit by prominent professional contemporaries—physicians, surgeons, and anatomists—who, like Fauchard, perceived the importance of proper treatment of oral ills to restore and maintain a healthy well-being. Notable among them were Etienne Bourdet, Claude Mouton, and Robert Bunon who soon followed Fauchard with their own dental treatises. Fauchard had precipitated a long delayed interest in the art of dental care, which resulted in significant additions to dental literature and advanced the art as a profession.

In his Chirurgien Dentiste, Pierre synthesized all that was known about dentistry in Europe—from Hippocrates to his time—which would have included De Chirurgia by the first important oral surgeon, Cordovan Albucasis (10th Century), and Dix Livres de la Chirurgie by the “Father of Modern Surgery” Ambroise Pare (16th Century) whose pioneering attention to oral surgical procedures might earn him the title “Foster Father of Dental Surgery.” Fauchard’s first edition appeared in two volumes. It was universally recognized as the vehicle of enlightened thought and technology in dentistry. In 1733 the German translation appeared in Berlin. In 1746 the second French edition was published, revised and enlarged to 919 pages with 41 illustrations. In 1786, a third edition was published, twenty-five years after the author’s death. His text was the foundation for the profession of dentistry for a century. In 1946 dental historian Lilian Lindsay translated it into English.

Pierre Fauchard covered the entire field of the profession for his day. But this foundation eventually evolved into today’s practice. He included anatomy, the irregularities of teeth, moving misaligned teeth in younger patients was easier than older ones, removing carious tissue and filling the cavities with tin or lead, prosthetic replacement of missing teeth with devices of carved ivory or bone, alleviation of periodontal disease through tartar removal and debris from the gingival sulcus. He rejected the “worm theory” of his day. He noted that oil of cloves and cinnamon relieved dental pain while sugar was detrimental to teeth and gums. He provided formulas for home mouth washes, but advocated brushing every morning with freshly voided urine.

In the area of surgery, he cited numerous case histories for the treatment of pathological conditions such as abscesses, cysts, and tumors. He advocated retaining deciduous teeth until normally exfoliated, though he did not know where the roots went. He described the enamel fixed to the dentin by “innumerable small filaments.” He replanted evulsed teeth. He transplanted them from person to person. He designed that an extraction patient should be seated in a steady, firm armchair, and not flat on the floor, which was the practice of the day. His innovation of treatment led to better suited instruments and a vastly improved drill.

Prosthetic dentistry received much attention. Appliances, fixed and removable, partial and complete were carefully described and illustrated. Though carved ivory dentures were known from the 15th Century, Fauchard was the first to demonstrate complete dentures, stabilized by springs, and aesthetic for the patient.

Fauchard’s heroic attention to treating oral ills turned a craft into a profession separating it from medicine and surgery. He introduced the term “dentist” into the literature. He had concern for the patients in their proper treatment. And he believed that dental practice should be limited to trained surgeons.

Pierre Fauchard died in his home in the Rue des Cordeliers on 21 March 1761 at 83 years of age. His burial record listed him as “Maitre Chirurgien Dentiste”—the patriarch of his profession.

(This material was extracted from biographies on Pierre Fauchard by Bernhard Wolf Weinberger (1948), Malvin E. Ring (1985), Walter Hoffman-Axthelm (1981), and Milton B. Asbell (1988).-

The major topics covered were (1) Intelligence, (2) Courage, (3) Focus (value), and (4) Adaptability. Intelligence is understanding our mission and how to apply it to our areas. Then gather the facts needed to plan for tomorrow. Assess our potential. Courage is the energy and commitment to carry out our program over the long haul and to inspire others in helping us. Focus is concentrating on what we want to achieve as a group. And Adaptability is to be able to make course corrections as problems arise.

Setting goals helps to achieve success and understand our status. Vice President Gordan Stine had done some preliminary Section membership statistics that were distributed. If PFA set a 5% membership goal, we would break even. So we need to assess at our potential and study such Section problems as lapsation, retention, and recruitment. A suggestion that came from this was to centralize membership invitations to potential members from our headquarters. Another was for President Campbell to send out a letter to Section Chairs asking for a membership growth of 5% with the Regional Trustees following up with phone calls.

L-R, Long-range Planning Committee Trustee Gary Lowder, Daniel Castagna, Trustee Michael Perpich

Trustee Mike Perpich setting membership goals

Budgetary constraints were considered and discussed. Foreign exchange rates, recessions in non-U.S. countries, and individual area financial stress were brought up.

Programs such as mentoring, continuing education, and local projects that attract membership were reviewed. Each Section is encouraged to adopt a program to unite their members in working together. Foundation grants are geared to help promote this.

A timetable of three years for every Section to have an active mentorship program at their dental schools and five years for all Sections to have a functioning mentor program was suggested. Publicity was gone over in depth. Trustee Robert Friedman (PFA Publicity Chair) discussed urging every Section to develop their own newsletter. Editor Brophy is developing a newsletter manual for their use. A timetable was established for each Section to get an article in their local journals within the year, two articles a year within three years, and two articles a year with a Section Editor office appointed in five years.

Continuing Education was a topic for inquiry with suggestions of having one of the two Board Meetings be a CE course, holding a traveling CE course every quarter in a different location, to promoting on-line CERP. We need to search for a niche to fill.

A local projects timetable was suggested that in one year all Section Chairs receive and review the grant proposal applications; three years actually submit a grant; and in five years receive a grant for their project.

The definition for the PFA is honor, ethics, leadership, and professionalism with our target audiences of the (1) profession, (2) our patients, and (3) the public.

More discussion ensued about the PFA being viewed as being an exclusive American organization. While 75% or so of the membership is from the United States, we need to appeal to more countries for international growth.

The many suggestions and proposed goals were submitted to the Executive Committee for consideration and implementation.

Trustee Gary Lowder leading the discussion about our future

Rear Admiral Richard Shaffer retired from the Navy in 1989 having earned the Distinguished Service Medal, three Legions of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal and two Presidential Commendations.

He was awarded Fellowships in ICD, ACD, and AGD. Case Western Reserve University School of Dentistry presented him their 1998 Alumnus of the Year Award.

Upon his retirement from the Navy, Dr. Shaffer accepted the position as Secretary General of ICD and Registrar for the U.S. Section. During his tenure, ICD reached an international membership growth of 8500 members in 90 countries. He retired from ICD in 1999 but still remains Chairman of the Audiovisual Committee to produce the “Outstanding Leaders in Dentistry” series, and Chairman of the Convocation Committee.

Dr. Shaffer serves on the Board of Visitors of the National Museum of Dentistry and is Chairman of their Development Committee.

He serves as Trustee of the McLean Bible Church in Virginia, is consultant to the Navy Dental School in Bethesda, and is a Red Cross volunteer.

He and Barbara, his wife of 44 years, have three sons and nine grandchildren.

But Dr. Shaffer’s resume hardly expresses the personal warmth of this professional man. When visiting with him at major dental meetings, you feel within heartbeats that he is a friend. Always optimistic and uplifting, you come away feeling better for just having exchanged a few words. For a good purpose, Admiral Shaffer knew how to cut the red tape. What the resume fails to express is what a wonderful person Richard Shaffer is. And that, with his outstanding professional credentials, makes him an excellent choice for the PFA Gold Medal. The many suggestions and proposed goals were submitted to the Executive Committee for consideration and implementation.

Dr. Shaffer, a native of Lakewood, Ohio, graduated from Wesleyan University in 1956, Case Western Reserve School of Dentistry in 1960, and earned his Master’s degree from George Washington University in 1978.

He entered the U.S. Navy as an intern in 1960, completing a General Dentistry residency at the Naval Dental School in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1970. He became Dean of that school in 1975. He then served at the Great Lakes Naval Center as Commanding Officer for the Regional Dental Center. In 1982 he was promoted to Commodore. Dr. Shaffer then served as Commanding Officer for Norfolk Naval Regional Dental Center with additional duties as the U.S. Atlantic Fleet Dental Officer.

In 1983 Dr. Shaffer became the first Vice Commander of the Naval Medical Command responsible for U.S.Navy medicine worldwide.

He received his second star in 1984 to become the first dental officer to hold a major medical command at the National Capitol Region covering five states and the President’s Hospital in Bethesda. That year he was appointed Chief of the Navy Dental Corps, and Assistant Chief of the Bureau Surgery for Dentistry.

Chairman of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry. He has published more than 200 articles, text chapters, and abstracts in the areas of microbiology and immunology, and he is co-author of the textbook Practical Infection Control in Dentistry.

Dr. Molinari has lectured internationally on topics dealing with diseases and asepsis. Dr. Molinari is a consultant to the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs and a member on the Michigan Dental Association Special Committee on Health Hazard Resources. He served as Project Coordinator for the governmental Health Resources and Service Administration Task Force on AIDS and Dental Education. He serves on the Michigan Governor’s Risk Reduction and AIDS Policy Commission.

Dr. Molinari currently serves as editor for the Infection Control Section for the Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry. He is also a member of the Editorial Board for the ADA Journal.

Dr. Molinari is an honorary member of the Michigan Dental Association and ICD.

President Campbell selected Dr. Molinari because of his excellence in academics and research.

John Molinari received his B.A. degree from St. Vincent College and his Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dentistry. He is currently Professor and

The Academy of General Dentistry recently put out an article entitled, “Prying Reality from Hype in New Technology” in which they noted that, among their membership, the use of computers has risen to 85% in 2000 from 51% in 1997 and 25% in 1995. They related that the dental community has been slow to embrace the new technology because of the initial investment to get started. As a practitioner myself for more than a quarter of a century, I have seen that my older staff are not familiar with the office computer and avoid it. With the younger dental assistants coming on that have been trained in computerese since grammar school, the transition has been rewarding and productive to the dental office.

Under then President Shig Ryan Kishi, your Academy adopted his far-sighted vision into the future on the upswing of the technology. “In for a penny, in for a pound” is an old English saying, which means if you make the commitment, go all the way. And President Kishi went first class, establishing a “state of the art” Web site that has served us well in distributing information and saving money.

The most important feature to the Academy budget has been the Online Fellowship Directory, which contains the most current listing of active and life members in your Section. In the past, the Academy had to plan funding such a directory every year, then every other year, then every three years, and finally every five years due to the rising cost. The printing and mailing costs were in the thousands of dollars. The six months it took from start to “in your hands” made it 15% out of date by then. And there always was the debate about taking advertisements and whether that meant product endorsement. Now the Directory is up to the minute at your disposal.

Members were always inquiring about what the Academy does. Brochures were printed and handed out and lost. But now anyone can visit the Web site and get a history, browse through all the Awards that are presented along with a list of their recipients, discover the officers and trustees, and download PFA forms.

All the back issues of Dental World can be found at this place. In visiting many non-U.S. countries, I have seen a great many members get their most recent copy of Dental World off the Internet before it reaches them by mail. In a sleepy border town in the Central American jungles, I walked into the modern dental office of Bertram and Ivan Moldauer, who punched up Dental World on their computer even before the magazine found its way to them.

The history of the Foundation, with all its projects and grant programs, is there. No need to write anyone and wait for a reply. There it all exists for your 24/7 demand.

A calendar of events is kept up-to-date for immediate referral. If your Section wishes to post their dates there, you are welcome. Download the Meeting Form, fill it out, and e-mail it back for posting. Then the entire world can attend your function.

Our publications are listed, and the books The Life and Times of Pierre Fauchard and Dental Legacy can be purchased right there. A PFA Online Catalogue of Academy items can be purchased with the PFA logos on them. And you can pay for them by using your PFA credit card, an application for which is there as well, supplied by MBNA. Every time you use that card, PFA receives a small stipend. The more you put all your purchases on the PFA card, the more you help support your Academy.

The International Online Dental Hall of Fame has a list of our recipients and the location sites of the main venue in Paris and the U.S. venue in Baltimore. The PFA Museum at the Community College of Southern Nevada is featured, with displays of dental artifacts. Your old artifacts are welcomed by curator Richard Kozal.

The PFA Dental Museum in formation

The site index that first pops up helps you get around to the area you want. One of those areas is our Links page, which will take you to related areas of interest and other professional organizations.

Not only does this site save an enormous amount of time in our busy world, but also the cost of maintaining the site is well offset by the savings in printing, office time, and mailing costs. This is the future. While we are honoring the principles of a 1700s professional, his namesake Academy is well into the 21st Century.

There were a few fine-tuning changes reported out of the Chicago Foundation Board Meeting that you may need to be aware of. Section grant applications for Section projects that have “fast track” approval have the added stipulations that such projects “are conducted by a significant number of Fellows” and that such projects are “in the control” of the applying Academy Section.

Another change is that the Humanitarian Award grant permits recipients to use the additional $5000 “in any manner that they choose that aids their program.”

A $10,000 budget line item was provided for which permits the Board to act on immediate funding of special projects that come before it which have missed the earlier deadline. In such cases, time constraints demand attention immediately as the project will not be available for next year’s consideration under the Foundation deadlines. But funding requires unanimous consent by the Foundation Board.

The Academy grant application request is also to include a summary of the prior year’s programs.

The non-U.S. dental school scholarships for 2001 will be awarded in Argentina, Australia (3), Belgium, Canada (3), Chile, Costa Rica, France (2), Germany, Hong Kong, India (2), Ireland, Japan (3), Korea, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Poland, Singapore, and the United Kingdom (2). All 2001 scholarship amounts will be $1500. Any division of this amount by the individual Section needs to be submitted to the Foundation in writing for approval by the Executive Committee.
The Academy President and President-elect serve as voting ex-officio members of the Foundation Board. For that reason, the Academy Board cannot meet at the same time as the Foundation Board.

The Foundation Board has been struggling with the concept of how to operate with “a minimum of eight and a maximum of 14 voting Trustees ...” when there are more past PFA Presidents wishing to serve on the Board than positions open. A newly passed amendment would establish “a Roster of Available Past Presidents.”

Stay connected! Visit the PFA Web site at www.fauchard.org/

The Foundation commitment of $104,500 will be completed this year to the University of Costa Rica School of Dentistry for their Multimedia Teaching facility. Another $7500 will be awarded for the Loader-Espinach Award presented in Costa Rica. The next event for that award will be in 2002.

The Costa Rica flower shop property is being transferred to Fundacion Piedad, a Central American dental charity organization. The jewelry shop property has a buyer and was determined to be sold by the Board.

Of the 20 grants approved by the Foundation at their Chicago Meeting, the University of Oklahoma—Good Shepherd Mission was not awarded due to recipient amendments to the Foundation contract that were not favorable to the Foundation. Ten grant applications were disapproved. The Academy grants for 2001 were approved for $40,000 of which $10,000 goes for the Continuing Education course in Kansas City this Fall; $15,000 goes to maintaining and updating our Web site, $10,000 goes for our Hall of Fame/ Dental Museum projects, and $5000 funds the Mentorship Program.

The Foundation Scholarship Program has received student nominees from all 53 U.S. dental schools.

Academy Fellows donations have risen to $26,675 with $22,840 from the United States, $710 from international members, and $2925 from Life Members in 2000.

Foundation President Robert Shira submitted his report to the Atlanta Meeting, which was mostly covered by the Executive Secretary orally. Additions were that 32 grant applications were considered at the Chicago Meeting with 20 being approved, 10 rejected, and two withdrawn for a total of $134,548 awarded. The Scholarship awards totaled $123,000 for 54 U.S. dental schools (Northwestern will be closed next year) and 28 non-U.S. dental schools.

The Foundation ByLaws currently read that the Board shall consist of at least eight and not more than 14 members. Since the Board is at capacity, the following change was made to accommodate this situation. “When the current President of the Academy who is serving as Foundation Trustee becomes a past President, he will not automatically become a Foundation Trustee. His name will be placed on a roster of available past Presidents and will be appointed to the Foundation Board when a vacancy exists in the order of their listing on the roster.”

Discussion ensued about holding a Foundation fund raising program to raise capital to offset paying more income tax. Past PFA President Larry Barrett was appointed Chairman of this committee. His committee will consist of Drs. Campbell, Stine, Halik, Long, and Shira.

The Foundation contribution list is located at the Academy Web site. To view it, at the site, click on inquiries, and scroll down to the link.

Executive Secretary Shig Kishi reports reviewing 114 grant applications for presentation at the Kansas City Meeting this October. All 53 U.S. dental schools have responded to the scholarship requests.

This year the ADA Health Foundation solicited funding from PFA for a grant to increase access to care for underserved children across America. Unfortunately, one of the Foundation grant provisions prohibits the Board from funding other Foundations. But the project did reach their funding goals through the generosity of Dr. Samuel Harris (of the Dental Museum fame) and a $100,000 grant from Procter & Gamble. The ADA Health Foundation reports receiving 14 grant requests a day for the Harris Fund Grants Program.


Director Shig Ryan Kishi

International Trustee Robert Friedman (Academy Publicity Chairman) reports that his article on the Foundation and Dr. Robert Shira was published in the ADA News on March 19th.

Foundation Treasurer George Higue filed a 65-page year 2000 Financial Report for the Foundation, which includes the three funds maintained by his office—(1) the Brenes Espinach account; (2) the Academy Foundation account (your contributions); and (3) the Nakayama account for the Japanese Section. Dr. Higue noted that the tremendous stock market losses did not affect the PFA accounts due to his wise investment policies.

Brazil

At their annual Dinner Meeting celebrating their first decade as a PFA Section, Chair Professor Lucy Dalva Lopes awarded the Foundation Scholarship to dental student Opas Tujihara of Mogi des Cruzes University with Dean Renato Sergio Chuirilete.

L-R, Dean Renato Sergio Chuirilete, scholarship recipient Opas Tujihara, Chair Lucy Dalva Lopes, and Secretary/Treasurer Renato Geromel

United States

Michigan

Chair Virginia Merchant held their PFA Breakfast in Detroit to award the Foundation scholarships to dental students Andrew Cheung with the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Assistant Dean Marilyn Woolfolk present, and to Judy Wybenga with the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry, Associate Dean G. William Knight present. PFA President David Malcolm Campbell helped officiate. This was reported in the Journal of the Michigan Dental Association, April issue.

Nevada

The Nevada Dental Journal, Spring issue, printed a pagelong article on the Foundation and its grant program.

Texas

“By the Roots” Program Administrator J. Phillip Ford of Baylor College of Dentistry reports that more than 14,000 children were instructed in proper dental hygiene through their program. A school nurse from an east Texas town noted that there has been a definite increase in better oral health care among her students. The PFA logo appears on their Oral Health poster.

Georgia

Medical College of Georgia student Michael C. Williams has been selected to receive the Foundation scholarship.