Ralph Frederick Sommer (1898 – 1971) is known as one of the two leading pioneers in the development of

endodontics Endodontics (from the Greek roots ''endo-'' "inside" and ''odont-'' "tooth") is the dental specialty concerned with the study and treatment of the dental pulp. Overview Endodontics encompasses the study (practice) of the basic and clinical ...

. He is also noted as a pioneer in the treatment of

root canal A root canal is the naturally occurring anatomic space within the root of a tooth. It consists of the pulp chamber (within the coronal part of the tooth), the main canal(s), and more intricate anatomical branches that may connect the root c ...

infections and the development of the root canal operation. At the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, Sommer was a faculty member (1924–1968) as well as Chair of the Department of Endodontics at the

. He also held status as the charter member and second president of the

American Association of Endodontists The American Association of Endodontists, or AAE, is a not-for-profit organization of endodontists and other professionals with an interest in endodontics founded in 1943. The current Board of Directors is published on the Association'website H ...

.University of Michigan biography

References

1898 births 1971 deaths American dentists Endodontics American dentistry academics University of Michigan faculty 20th-century dentists {{dentistry-stub