This is an edited version of an interview published in DentArt magazine.
Professor Argirios Pissiotis is presently Professor Emeritus at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Dentistry. He has been the head of the Department of Removable Prosthodontics (2010-2017), Director of the Postgraduate Program in Dentistry (2017-2023), Director of the Post Graduate Program Science and Technology of Prosthetic Dentistry (2020-2023) at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and this year he holds the honorary position of Global President of the International College of Dentists.
Why did you choose the profession of a dentist? Was it a conscious choice or a coincidence?
I come from a family of dentists, my father, my uncle and aunt, four cousins are all dental professionals, but I wanted to become an architect when I was in High School. I always admired the creative part in architecture. However, one year before the entrance examinations for the University I decided to choose dentistry because of my previous experience of playing as a child in a dental office mixing plaster and alginate and carving wax (this was my father’s indirect pressure to become a dentist) and working as a teenager for pocket-money in my uncle’s orthodontic office trimming casts and making retainers, thinking that it would be easier for me to make a career as dentist. Anyhow I ended up making bridges satisfying my creative needs.
How did your professional path lead you to removable prosthetics?
When I started as resident during my post-graduate studies at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, USA, I had the opportunity be taught by great clinicians: Dr. Gino Passamonti and Dr. Phil Williams in removable prosthodontics and Dr. Lloyd Miller, Dr. Maurice Martel, and Dr. Michelle Gaillard in fixed prosthodontics. I was mentored in both removable and fixed prosthodontics. When I returned to Greece in 1984, I thought that I should disseminate the knowledge I had the opportunity to get in the US to my compatriots, students in the Aristotle University School of Dentistry where I was offered a position in the Department of Removable Prosthodontics.
When implant dentistry was introduced, I was told that my department would close, because with implants nobody would care about complete dentures anymore. There isn’t a more naïve thought. All the prosthodontic theories of substituting missing natural teeth lie upon the theories developed for complete dentures and were adopted by both fixed prosthodontics and implant dentistry. It may come a time when the need of providing edentulous patients with dentures will not be necessary, but this time will not come soon and no matter what the prosthodontic therapeutic modality will be, the basic principles that will be used to achieve a successful rehabilitation will be based on complete denture principles.
Is the United States really the world centre of dentistry, in your opinion?
The United States Dental Schools were the pioneers in developing postgraduate programs in a structured way. This made American education in Dentistry much more effective and of a higher profile. Also, the US being one country was able to better regulate the undergraduate and postgraduate programs providing accreditations by the ADA.
Although in dental disciplines such as oral surgery the Europeans were more advanced, especially in central Europe, the development of postgraduate studies in all dental disciplines in the European Dental Schools came much later and followed the lead of the US Dental Schools in their structure. Nowadays I believe the gap has closed and there is much talent in the European Dental Schools that offer very competent undergraduate and postgraduate dental education.
The International College of Dentists, declares its mission as recognition of the merits of dentists to the profession by inviting prominent dentists around the world to become members. Has this mission changed over the past century of its history?
The ICD in its conception by the founders was always focusing its mission on recognizing dentists for their service to the community and giving them the opportunity to further serve by networking and sharing education to promote oral health care worldwide. However, the world has changed, and the ICD must adapt to these changes. It still is dedicated to recognizing the service of dentists to the community but nowadays is giving them the opportunity to serve in a more humanitarian way facilitating the industry’s social responsibility needs in providing oral health services to the underprivileged communities around the world. It also provides education to healthcare providers in these communities to enhance prevention of oral disease in a sustainable way.
How identical and how different, in your opinion, are the activities of various sections of the International College of Dentists?
First, I must admit that to visit all the Sections in one year is almost impossible by the Global President. A lot of Sections have an afternoon convocation which makes it very inefficient to travel for such a short visit. We are familiar with convocations such as the European which is a 3-day event that gives the opportunity for all Fellows to meet with the new Inductees and the leadership of the Sections. Other Sections like the USA Section (Section I) have a convocation where they induct 300 new Fellows and other Sections have a convocation where they induct 12 or 15 new Fellows in a two-hour event. It is understandable that between Sections there are cultural differences especially in multination Sections. However, no matter what the differences are all Sections share or should share the same core values because the ICD is one entity globally.
By what criteria can young dentists be invited to join the International College of Dentists?
The mean age of Fellows is between 50 and 70 and this is too old most of the time. I believe that younger dentists can show their value early enough and I mean in their 30s, but the people designated to recognize them (other Fellows and Leaders) are much older and do not easily know of them and their achievements. There must be a gradual growth of younger members and here is where people in academia can help because they are in a position to recognize rising stars in dentistry and recommend them for Fellowship. New Fellows are also able to recommend dentists they know (closer to their age) who are worthy of recognition. This way we may lower the mean age of Fellows and really approach the younger generation. It is, however, very important to motivate these younger people to understand the value of the College and the value to distinguish between what they can do for the College and not what the College will do for them.
To what extent has the dental profession become traditional for your family? What professions did your children choose?
Although I come from a family of dentists my children did not choose to follow in my steps. When they were young, they both said they wanted to become dentists but when the time came to decide they both took their own way. My daughter chose English literature and started a carrier in publishing and my son studied psychology and human resources but works as an IT professional. I guess that the tradition stops. Maybe I was too liberal to let them choose what they liked most. Time will show if I was right or wrong. For the time being they, both are happy with their choices.
How and with what does the International College of Dentists respond to the growing tension in the world?
Unfortunately, the world was always troubled by unrests smaller or larger even global and the ICD must fight to survive and carry out its mission under any circumstances. It is a pity that politics and financial or power interests manage to create unfavourable circumstances that create increasing needs to the people worldwide and the need for organizations like our ICD to come in their aid, is imperative, providing them essential needs concerning oral health care. We all hope for a better world where our children will grow but it is not entirely in our hands to achieve it. We must have hope however, and this hope must never die.
Interview by Serhiy Radlinsky