Dr. Markus Blatz’s Evolution of Esthetic Dentistry a JDR Centennial Featured Article

Dr. Markus Blatz, Professor and Chair of Preventive and Restorative Sciences

Philadelphia — In celebration of the Journal of Dental Research (JDR)’s Centennial year, this highly respected journal is featuring a yearlong, commemorative article and podcast series that highlights topics that have transformed dental, oral, and craniofacial research over the past 100 years. Among the featured articles is one by Penn Dental Medicine’s Dr. Markus Blatz, Professor and Chair of Preventive and Restorative Sciences. Titled “Evolution of Esthetic Dentistry,” it provides a historical review of the evolution of esthetic dentistry over the past 100 years and highlights advances in the development of dental research and clinical interventions that have contributed to the science and art of esthetic dentistry.

“There is strong scientific evidence that the appearance of a person’s face and teeth has a profound impact on the perception and judgment by others,” said Blatz. “The options to reach the goal of mimicking the most natural esthetics have significantly improved over the last decade. In the future, artificial intelligence and machine learning will likely lead to automation of esthetic evaluation, smile design, and treatment planning processes.”

Blatz co-authored the JDR article with Dr. Gerald Chiche, Augusta University Dental College of Georgia; Dr. Oded Bahat, Beverly Hills, Calif., Dr. Richard Roblee, Roblee Orthodontics, Fayetteville, Ark.; Dr. Christian Coachman, Penn Dental Medicine; and Dr. Harald Heymann, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The November 2019 issue of the JDR also includes a JDR Centennial podcast “Evolution of Esthetic Dentistry,” which features a conversation between Dr. Blatz, Dr. Chiche and AADR Past President Jack Ferracane of Oregon Health & Science University. Over the last century, the JDR has been dedicated to the dissemination of new knowledge and information on all sciences relevant to dentistry and to the oral cavity and associated structures in health and disease.