On Friday, February 17, Lyndon Cooper, D.D.S., Ph.D., dean of VCU School of Dentistry, was presented the William R. Laney Award at the Academy of Osseointegration’s (AO) annual meeting in Phoenix, Az. 

Named after AO’s first president and former editor of the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Implants (IJOMI), William R. Laney, D.M.D., M.S., the award recognizes the best article published in the past year in the official publication of AO, in which Dr. Laney served for many years as Editor Emeritus. Cooper was honored for his article “A 5-Year Esthetic RCT Assessment of Anterior Maxillary Single-Tooth Implants with Different Abutment Interfaces,” published in Volume 36, Issue 1, 2021, of the IJOMI.

“It is a great honor to be recognized in this way,” Cooper said. “This work represents a wonderful collaboration with my co-investigators over the duration of this project. Together, our work has added knowledge that can provide better outcomes for patients.” 

In his study, Cooper conducted a five-year clinical trial treating and evaluating 141 participants randomized to three different treatment groups. The first group of 48 participants received conus interface dental implants, 49 participants in the second group received flat-to-flat interface implants while 44 participants in the third group received platform-switched implants. The manuscript included clinical, radiographic, molecular and patient-reported outcome measures.

“The study demonstrated that different implanted devices can elicit different responses in the clinical environment. The result that a conical implant-abutment interface system results in the relative absence of initial marginal bone loss in comparison to the other two designs merits further study of the longer term impact on dental implants and oral health” said Cooper. 

With nearly 4,500 members in more than 70 countries around the world, AO is recognized as the premier international association for scientists and professionals interested in osseointegration and implant dentistry. Recipients of the William R. Laney Award are selected by a group of peers who serve on the Academy’s William R. Laney Committee, which reviewed dozens of abstracts when considering this year’s winner. 

Follow the link to learn more about Cooper’s study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33600538/.