Division of Periodontics

Division Chief

Welcome to the Division of Periodontics at Columbia University, one of the oldest dental specialty divisions in the world. The division educates dental students in the specialty of Periodontics—a discipline focusing on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of periodontal disease and in the placement of dental implants—in a setting that emphasizes sound biological principles and evidence-based approaches. Our faculty guide our trainees in providing contemporary, comprehensive, and compassionate periodontal care to members of our surrounding community and those from the tri-state area who seek excellent specialty care at a renowned academic institution. The division also is home to three research labs whose investigations are advancing the professional knowledge base and developing innovative therapies in multiple clinical disciplines.

Education

The predoctoral curriculum is designed to give students an understanding of the fundamental principles of Periodontics, knowledge of the range of procedures performed by periodontists, an appreciation of the importance of periodontal therapy in the context of comprehensive dental treatment, and the training necessary to provide patients with basic periodontal care.

The fundamental principles of periodontics are taught in an integrated fashion along with the other dental disciplines in the first- and second-year preclinical courses. These courses focus on a problem-oriented evaluation of the patient. At Columbia’s comprehensive-care predoctoral clinic, third- and fourth-year students provide periodontal diagnoses and basic periodontal therapy to all of their patients. Additionally, third-year students participate in a rotation at the postdoctoral Periodontics program, where they attend didactic seminars and clinic sessions and participate in advanced periodontal and implant-related surgical procedures. All fourth-year dental students perform at least one periodontal surgery before graduation. Finally, fourth-year students who complete their clinical requirements early and have a particular interest in Periodontics may participate in an honors program where additional time is spent with the postdoctoral Periodontics curriculum.

The Postdoctoral Periodontics Program prepares the licensed dentist to practice the specialty of periodontics, either in private practice or in academia. Two parallel tracks are available: a primarily clinical track that leads to a Certificate in Periodontics and a track that includes a substantial research component that leads to a Master of Science degree in Periodontics. Both tracks meet the educational requirements of the American Academy of Periodontology and the American Dental Association.

The Division offers one-week externships for third- and fourth-year dental students as well as a postdoctoral externship for foreign trained dentists

Patient Care

Many of our faculty are practicing dentists with ColumbiaDoctors Dentistry, the faculty practice of the College of Dental Medicine. At these sites, divisional faculty provide specialty treatment for the entire spectrum of periodontal diseases (gingivitis and periodontitis of various stages), including regenerative therapies (bone grafts), treatment for mucogingival defects (soft tissue grafts), pre-prosthetic procedures (crown lengthening, ridge augmentation/site development), and placement of dental implants for the rehabilitation of partial or full edentulism.

The Division of Periodontics also provides treatment for children and adults at the College of Dental Medicine's Teaching Clinics. Graduate dentists in specialty training provide care with the assistance and supervision of faculty specialists.

Research

The division has several active research programs supported by multiple external sources including the National Institutes of Health, foundations, and industry. Current projects encompass the epidemiology and pathobiology of periodontitis, the microbially driven pathogenesis of oral and non-oral diseases, the identification of undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes in the dental setting, and the evaluation of adjunctive approaches to enhance the outcomes of periodontal and peri-implant therapy.

Columbia University has three research labs led by Periodontics faculty:

Han Lab

Research in the Han laboratory focuses on the interactions of the vast population of microbes that inhabit various surfaces of the body and their human hosts. Visit the Han lab’s web page.

Momen-Heravi Lab

The Momen-Heravi lab conducts immunology research with applications in periodontics, cancer, and diabetes. Specific projects include investigating how interactions between tumors and immune cells govern the progression of cancer, understanding the pathogenesis of periodontitis, and editing innate immune cells to combat cancer. Visit the Momen-Heravi lab’s website.

Papapanou Lab

Current research of the Papapanou team centers on two main themes. One is understanding periodontitis pathobiology and the factors that affect susceptibility to periodontitis. The second focus is examining the role of periodontal infection/inflammation as a systemic health stressor. Visit the Papapanou lab’s web page.

Associated Postdoctoral Programs

Newsletter

The Division of Periodontics publishes an annual newsletter to recognize the achievements of faculty and postdoctoral students and to highlight notable events and programming from the past year. Archived newsletters are available for download:

2020 • 20192018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015