Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery - Dental Columbian Yearbook (New York, NY)

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stomatology diagnosis and radiology The Division of Stomatology, comprising the Sections of Oral Diagnosis, Radiology, and Periodontology, has a number of functions. As its name implies, it is concerned primarily with teaching the science of the mouth and its dis- eases with emphasis upon the relationship to general body economy. The knowledge ac- quired during earlier years in the basic sciences is reviewed and utilized for the crit- ical study of oral disease. Every attempt is made to correlate instruc- tion current with the newer concepts and the philosophy stressed that continual study after graduation is essential for future progress. Through the Section of Oral Diagnosis it also serves as an interdivisional consultant group and emergency station. It strives to bring about a closer alliance between divisions thereby strengthening our teaching efforts. In addition to the scheduled undergraduate teaching, courses of instruction are arranged for all postgraduate students registered in the institution. n «- - G. Minervini W. Halpert. B.S.. D.D.S. A.B.. D.D.S. Clin. Asst. in Dentistry Clin. Asst. in Dentistry Lewis R. Stowe. D.D.S. Professor of Dentistry Edward V. Zegarelli A.B., D.D.S.. M.S. Assoc. Prof, of Dentistry John D. Piro. D.D.S. Clin. Asst. in Dentistry Evald Linder Inst, in Radiolog 12

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excellence of mechanical details. It was soon realized, however, that mechanical beauty and excellence alone did not make an ideal restoration of a tooth or teeth. Dentists fi- nally realized that there were biological as well as mechanical requirements to be met by the restorations. In other words, the mechanical procedures were no longer to be considered as ends in themselves but rather as means to an end, which in this case is biological. Various methods have been used to attain this end but one being used today is the method of comprehensive diagnosis and treat- ment planning. In this way restorative den- tistry assumes its responsibility of rendering a real health service. Prosthetic work is correlated with other phases of dentistry and is not a separate en- tity in itself. Surgical and periodontal therapy are frequently vital aspects of prosthetic pro- cedure which insure the success and longevity of restorations. The restorations themselves are so designed as to elicit physiologic re- sponses from the tissues. Undue stresses are avoided on the remaining teeth and on the bone and soft tissues of the oral cavity. No matter what the scope of a case may be, whether the restoration of a single missing tooth or the restoration of a completely eden- tulous mouth, each step towards its comple- tion is carried out with the health and toler- ance of the tissues in mind. It is the responsibility of the dental gradu- ate to insure the future of dentistry as a great profession by a continued search for truth and an improvement of the service he renders. Contact with his alma mater, dental societies, research and publications will provide a res- ervoir from which to draw. It is hoped that the prosthetic training given to students at Columbia will provide them with an adequate background to evaluate this knowledge. It remains for the dental graduate to use his knowledge wisely and accept future teachings only after openminded and intelligent con- sideration. Joseph DiLisi D.D.S. Assistant in Dentistry George Schwendener D.D.S. Clinical Assistant I. Frank Boscarelli B.S.. D.D.S. Asst. in Dentistry Louis A. Cohn. D.D.S. Asst. Clin. Pro), of Dentistry Oscar E. Beder William J. Miller B.S.. D.D.S. A.B.. D.D.S. Asst. Prof, oi Dentistry Asst. Clin. Prof, oj Dentistry

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Joseph A. Cuttita A.B., M.S.. D.D.S. Asst. Prof, oi Dentistry 1 MaMxA Jack Budowsky, D.D.S. Asst. Clin. Prof. oi Dentistry F. A. Tuoti. D.M.D. Instr. in Dentistry Ida M. Golomb. D.D.S. Clin. Asst. in Dentistry During the past decade notable advances have been made in the various specialties of dentistry with particular progress in the scien- tific aspects. True, the advent of chemother- apy and antibiotics is responsible for certain therapeutic improvements. It is fallacious, however, to attribute our progress in relation to oral disease as being due entirely to thera- peutic innovations. There is manifest in den- tistry at present an awakening, a realization that if we are to fulfill our obligations in the field of mouth diseases we will have to do it almost solely through our own efforts. Assum- ing these responsibilities and attaining a de- gree of self-reliance has truly elevated den- tistry as a health science. This comparatively new trend is evident in most schools and institutions of dental learn- ing. It is emphasized by the countless numbers of research projects directed not simply to discovering improved therapy for our many oral diseases but rather to uncover the true nature of these little known diseases. The field of oral diagnosis is playing its role in this new trend. Diagnosis is not simply the art of recognizing or identifying a specific oral disease; diagnosis is the corre- lation of basic knowledge directed toward the study of the nature of each disease with its inherent, specific, peculiar inner processes. Thus, diagnosis is more than a discipline — it is a science.