Renowned Scholar Joins Dentistry

One of the world’s leading experts in prosthetic dentistry has joined the Faculty of Dentistry at U of T, where he plans to introduce the latest teaching technology and forge greater links with the local dental community.

Professor Asbjørn Jokstad, who arrived in Toronto in October from the University of Norway in Oslo, is the new Nobel Biocare Chair in Prosthodontics. The chair was created in 2004 through a $2-million gift from the Swedish dental company Nobel Biocare to promote prosthodontics scholarship.

Prosthodontists specialize in the replacement of missing teeth or parts of teeth due to injury, aging or disease. “Dr. Jokstad is among the most highly regarded academic prosthodontists in the world,” says

Professor David Mock, dean of U of T’s Faculty of Dentistry. “He excels at using information technology to assist and augment learning, and is very student-oriented. He’s going to make our faculty more receptive to student concerns and orient our programs more directly around the student.”

Dr. Jokstad is also keen to bridge what he sees as a gap between academics and the dental community. He hopes to eventually establish more links between U of T and Ontario’s 7,500 dentists and to encourage more practising dentists to engage in research and to share their clinical experience. He replaces retiring professor George Zarb, the inaugural chair holder and North America’s foremost expert in implant dentistry.

Heliane Canepa, president and CEO of Nobel Biocare, says her company places a high value on its links to universities. “We rely on the dental profession to tell us what patients need,” she says. “Together we are strong.”