Harry Dym, DDS, Editor

I am very pleased to once again have the privilege of being part of the Dental Clinics of North America and working with such talented editors as Mr. John Vassallo and Ms. Stephanie Carter. This is a wonderful scholarly series dedicated to bringing new, relevant and evidence based scientific information to a readership committed to providing quality dental/oral care to their patients.

Implant surgery is a vital service that we as dentists can offer our patients and it is an area of practice that is growing by leaps and bounds. I have been involved in dental and oral surgical resident education for over thirty years and am a firm believer that general dentists have the ability, skill and knowledge to practice and master many different areas in the field of dentistry, based on their education, training and experience. General dentists, as the clinical gate keepers, have the initial opportunity to engage their patients in the discussion of implants. A more complete background in this subject will allow them to grow their clinical practice and meet the needs of their patients.

I am grateful to my esteemed colleagues who have so capably contributed to this text and I am confident that it will be a resource that will be of great help to those practitioners interested in introducing implant surgery into their practice as well as to those already offering implant surgical services to their patients.

As I have done in the past, I would like to take this opportunity to thank certain individuals who I have been fortunate enough to have worked with or interacted with these past many years (and in some cases decades) and without whose guidance, wisdom and loyalty, my professional and personal life would surely have diminished.

• 1.

  Dr Peter M. Sherman, Chairman of Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Woodhull Hospital, mentor, colleague and most trusted and loyal friend for 35 years.

• 2.

  Dr Earl Clarkson and Dr Orrett Ogle, loyal friends and colleagues for over three decades.

• 3.

  Dr Richard Becker, MD, CEO and President of The Brooklyn Hospital Center, a forward thinking leader who has always appreciated the critical and vital importance of dental and oral surgery to the overall health of our community patients, and enthusiastically supports our program’s initiatives.

• 4.

  Dr Benson Yeh, Vice President for Academic Affairs at The Brooklyn Hospital Center and Dr Gary Stephens, Chief Medical Office at The Brooklyn Hospital Center.

• 5.

  Mr. Carlos Naudon, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at The Brooklyn Hospital Center and Mr. George Harris, Trustee of The Brooklyn Hospital Center and dear friends, for their commitment and dedication to The Brooklyn Hospital Center.

• 6.

  Dr Ricardo Boyce, general dentistry residency program director at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, committed educator and dedicated clinician.

• 7.

  Ms. Melissa Molina, Executive Assistant and Oral and Maxillofacial Residency Coordinator who was directly involved in helping me coordinate this issue.

• 8.

  Rabbi Isaac B. Sadowsky, a Talmudic scholar who has devoted his entire life to the dissemination and teaching of Torah.

• 9.

  Dr Stan Bodner, a dedicated friend, for his counsel and good cheer.

• 10.

  My wife Freidy and children Yehoshua, Chani, Hindy, Daniel, Michal, Akiva and Stephanie and my grandchildren Noach, Shira, Malka, Shoshana and Menachem, for their love, sense of humor, and constant caring and Mrs. Hedy Rosner, my devoted mother in law, for her continual interest, caring and love.