Benno Edward Lischer (June 27, 1876 – October 9, 1959) was an American orthodontist who at one point was the president of American Association of Dental Schools and

American Association of Orthodontists Founded in 1900, the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) is the world's oldest and largest dental specialty organization. It represents nearly 19,000 orthodontist members throughout the United States, Canada and abroad. All orthodontists are ...

. He was the first full-time dean at

Washington University School of Dental Medicine The Washington University School of Dental Medicine (WUSDM) was the dental school of Washington University in St. Louis. It operated from 1866 to 1991. Over 5,000 dentists were educated at WUSDM. WUSDM was a pioneer in Harvard School of Dental Medi ...

Life

He was born in

Mascoutah, Illinois Mascoutah is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States, named for the Mascoutens, a tribe of the Michigan Indians. The population was 7,483 at the 2010 census. According to the US Census Bureau, the population was estimated at 7,994 in ...

to Christopher Lischer and Caroline Freund. He attended elementary and high school in Mascoutah. He graduated from Washington University's dental program in April 1900 and received his dental degree there. He was married to Mary E. Lischer. After graduation, he served on the Washington University faculty from 1900 to 1924 teaching Operative Technique and Dental Anatomy. In addition he also taught as a professor at the Department of Orthodontics at

University of Michigan School of Dentistry The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is the dental school of the University of Michigan, a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Established in 1875, the School of Dentistry engages in oral and craniofacial health ca ...

and at University of California, San Francisco. In 1933, Lischer returned to Washington Dental School where he was appointed the Dean of the dental school which he served until his retirement in 1945.

Orthodontics

Dr. Lischer translated ''The Diagnosis of Dental Anomalies'' by German orthodontist Paul Simon. This textbook was regarded as the introduction of gnathic system as an aid to orthodontic treatment to United States. Lischer introduced the terms neutro-occlusion, mesio-occlusion and disto-occlusion to describe different varieties of

malocclusion In orthodontics, a malocclusion is a misalignment or incorrect relation between the teeth of the upper and lower dental arches when they approach each other as the jaws close. The English-language term dates from 1864; Edward Angle (1855-1930), ...

. In 1909 he published a textbook called ''Elements of Orthodontia''. He stressed the importance of muscles, malformations and malocclusion.

Awards and positions

* Albert H. Ketcham Award * Washington University School of Dentistry, Dean, 1933–1945 * American Association of Dental Schools, President * American Association of Orthodontists, President * St. Louis Dental Society, President

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lischer, Benno American orthodontists People from St. Clair County, Illinois Writers from Illinois 1876 births 1959 deaths Washington University School of Dental Medicine alumni University of Michigan faculty Washington University in St. Louis alumni University of California, San Francisco faculty