Jørgen Slots is a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

-born periodontist notable for his contributions to the field of

periodontology Periodontology or periodontics (from Ancient Greek , – 'around'; and , – 'tooth', genitive , ) is the specialty of dentistry that studies supporting structures of teeth, as well as diseases and conditions that affect them. The supporting ...

. He is currently professor of periodontology and microbiology at the

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC The Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry is the dental school of the University of Southern California. It was established in 1897 as simply the "University of Southern California School of Dentistry," and graduated its first class of 11 students in ...

, and served as chairman of periodontology from 1991 to 2001.

Education

Slots graduated from the Royal Dental College of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

in 1969 and received his postgraduate certificate in periodontology in 1976. In 1977, he received a certificate in

microbiology Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...

from the

Forsyth Institute The Forsyth Institute, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of the leading centers for dental and craniofacial research in the world. It was envisioned in 1908 by James Forsyth, who left $500,000 in his will for the establishment of a dent ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. To fulfill United States licensing requirements, he redid his dental training at an

American Dental Association The American Dental Association (ADA) is an American professional association established in 1859 which has more than 161,000 members. Based in the American Dental Association Building in the Near North Side of Chicago, the ADA is the world's ...

-accredited dental school, graduating from

University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine The University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine (often referred to as Penn Dental Medicine or simply Penn Dental) is the dental school of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), an Ivy League university located in Philadelphia. It is one ...

in 1987, along with an MBA received in 1989 from the same institution.

Career

Slots is currently a professor in the department of periodontology at the

. He is

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of ''Periodontology 2000'' and editor-in-chief emeritus of the ''Journal of Periodontal Research'', as well as the author of numerous articles related primarily to the use of

antimicrobial An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms or stops their growth. Antimicrobial medicines can be grouped according to the microorganisms they act primarily against. For example, antibiotics are used against bacteria, and antifungals ar ...

s and

antibiotic An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of ...

s in the treatment of

periodontal disease Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, is a set of inflammatory conditions affecting the tissues surrounding the teeth. In its early stage, called gingivitis, the gums become swollen and red and may bleed. It is considered the main caus ...

. He is particularly known for advocating the use of diluted

bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color (whitening) from a fabric or fiber or to clean or to remove stains in a process called bleaching. It often refers specifically, to ...

as both a mouth rinse and a subgingival (under the gum line) irrigant in a clinical setting as an adjunctive treatment for periodontal diseases. Slots has been awarded the 1990 William J. Gies Award by the American Academy of Periodontology for outstanding contribution to the field of periodontology and a 1995 award from the California Society of Periodontists for his outstanding contribution to the specialty of periodontists and personal commitment to the highest professional standards of dentistry. He was also honored at the 2013 American Academy of Periodontology annual meeting for his past and continued contributions to the field. Slots co-authored the textbook
Contemporary Oral Microbiology and Immunology
' in 1992 with Martin Taubman and Samuel Yankell.

''Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans''

Slots is responsible for discovering the role of ''

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ''Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans'' is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobe, nonmotile bacterium that is often found in association with localized aggressive periodontitis, a severe infection of the periodontium. It is also suspected to b ...

'' (previously ''Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans'') in aggressive periodontitis, previously known as juvenile periodontitis. In 1982, Slots developed tryptic soy-serum- bacitracin-

vancomycin Vancomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic medication used to treat a number of bacterial infections. It is recommended intravenously as a treatment for complicated skin infections, bloodstream infections, endocarditis, bone and joint infections, ...

( TSBV), a type of

agar Agar ( or ), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from ogonori (''Gracilaria'') and "tengusa" (''Gelidiaceae''). As found in nature, agar is ...

plate medium to select for this bacteria. It was Slots' work, along with that of Newman, Socransky and others, that substantiated aggressive periodontitis as a

bona fide In human interactions, good faith ( la, bona fides) is a sincere intention to be fair, open, and honest, regardless of the outcome of the interaction. Some Latin phrases have lost their literal meaning over centuries, but that is not the case ...

infection, rather than merely a degenerative disorder.Fryman A, Simonian K. Aggressive periodontitis: the historic quest for understanding. ''CDA Journal'' 2011;39(6):377-382

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slots, Jorgen Danish scientists University of Southern California faculty Periodontists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine alumni Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania alumni Date of birth missing (living people)