Jørgen Slots is a Danish-born periodontist notable for his contributions to the field of periodontology. He is currently professor of periodontology and microbiology at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, and served as chairman of periodontology from 1991 to 2001.

Education

Slots graduated from the Royal Dental College of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

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

microbiology Microbiology () is the branches of science, scientific study of microorganisms, those being of unicellular organism, unicellular (single-celled), multicellular organism, multicellular (consisting of complex cells), or non-cellular life, acellula ...

from the Forsyth Institute in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. To fulfill United States licensing requirements, he redid his dental training at an American Dental Association-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 on ...

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 Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC. 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 editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

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 antimicrobials and

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

s in the treatment of periodontal disease. He is particularly known for advocating the use of diluted bleach 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'' (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 certain bacterial infections. It is administered intravenously ( injection into a vein) to treat complicated skin infections, bloodstream infections, endocarditis, bone an ...

( 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" and " tengusa". As found in nature, agar is a mixture of two components, t ...

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 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 alumni Date of birth missing (living people)