Ciancio to receive inaugural Presidential Citation from AADR

Sebastian Ciancio, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Periodontics and Endodontics in UB's School of Dental Medicine, was named the first recipient of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) Presidential Citation.

The new award acknowledges AADR members who have made significant contributions to the association and helped to further the AADR’s mission of advancing research and knowledge for the improvement of oral health.

Ciancio will be honored at the IADR/AADR/CADR General Session & Exhibition in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 21.

“I accept this award on behalf of all the faculty, staff and students with whom I have conducted research over the past 50 years, always with the conviction that today’s research is the promise for tomorrow,” said Ciancio, who is also an adjunct professor of pharmacology and toxicology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB.

“The students, staff and faculty of the School of Dental Medicine offer their congratulations to SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Ciancio on receiving the first American Association for Dental Research Presidential Citation,” said Joseph J. Zambon, dean of the School of Dental Medicine.

“This well-deserved award acknowledges Dr. Ciancio’s many contributions to oral and dental research during his remarkable career.”

An internationally recognized scholar in the fields of periodontology and pharmacology, Ciancio is widely known for his research in the treatment of periodontal disease. His studies examine the effects that oral hygiene devices, such as toothbrushes and dental floss, and chemical agents, such as toothpaste and mouthwashes, have on gum disease.

Ciancio established and directs the UB Center for Dental Studies, which forms partnerships with companies across the world to perform clinical dental research. Since its inception, the center has completed more than $15 million in funded research projects.

He also founded the Chautauqua Dental Congress, a forum for continuing dental education in Western New York, and was named by the publication Dentistry Today as one of the nation's leading lecturers in the area of continuing dental education.

He previously served as chair of the UB Department of Periodontics and Endodontics for 20 years, and as chair of the dental division of the United States Pharmacopeia, where he established sections on dental considerations for drugs.

Ciancio is a fellow of the International College of Dentists, has more than 150 publications in academic journals, written more than 25 books and book chapters, and holds two patents.