The Academy of Laser Dentistry (ALD), the only independent and unbiased non-profit association dedicated to improving patient care with the proper use of laser technology, recently installed Raminta Mastis, DDS, as its president. The announcement was made during the ALD’s recent 25th Anniversary Meeting in Orlando.
Dr. Mastis graduated from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1987. She maintains a private dental practice, Michigan Cosmetic and Laser Dentistry, in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. She previously served as Co-Chair of Certification and Education Committees, Chair of Laser Safety and Communications Committees, and was the 2014 General & Scientific Sessions Chair of the Annual Meeting. Dr. Mastis has been using lasers since 2000 and has 18 lasers of various wavelengths in her practice. She holds ALD Standard Proficiency certifications in Er:YAG, diode, Er,Cr:YSGG, and CO2 laser wavelengths, and has achieved ALD Advanced Proficiency in the Er:YAG wavelength. In addition to laser dentistry, her practice is focused on implant surgery and restoration, esthetic and cosmetic dentistry, and the integration of advanced technologies into practice. Dr. Mastis also holds ALD Mastership status.
Other Installed ALD Officers for 2018-2019
The following, newly-installed ALD officers will serve a term that concludes with the installation of a new slate of officers during the ALD 2019 conference in Dallas that will take place April 4-6, 2019:
Mel Burchman, DDS, President-Elect
Dr. Burchman has maintained a private dental practice in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, for 38 years. He has been using lasers for more than 17 years and has 8 lasers in his office. He has served on the Board of Directors for one 3-year term, served as the 2015 General & Scientific Sessions Chairman for the Annual Meeting as well as volunteering his expertise as Certification Committee Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.
Dr. Burchman has volunteered as a mentor and examiner for more than 15 years. In 2012, he was the honored recipient of the ALD Leon Goldman Award for Clinical Excellence. Dr. Burchman also holds ALD Mastership status.
Ed Kusek, DDS, Treasurer
Dr. Kusek graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Dentistry in 1984. He has served as ALD Communications Chair and Testing subcommittee Chair. He holds the titles of Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry, Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, Mastership in Academy of General Dentistry and Academy of Laser Dentistry, and Diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. Dr. Kusek is in private general practice in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Arun Darbar, BDS, DGDP (UK), Secretary
Dr. Arun Darbar is at the forefront of laser dentistry in the United Kingdom and lectures on the subject worldwide. He has been a clinical laser user for nearly 25 years and provides cutting-edge dentistry to his patients. Dr. Darbar is an accredited member of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Credentialing Committee. He holds ALD Mastership and Educator status and has served as co-chair of Education and Certification, and International Relations Committees. He is a published author, and some of his concepts in low-level laser therapy (LLLT) data have been published as proceedings of SPIE in 2006, 2007, and 2009/10; WALT 2008 South Africa and 2012 Australia; and in UK dental publications. Dr. Darbar is the first and only laser dentist in the UK to be invited to the House of Lords for a charity fundraiser organized by Lasers for Life. Dr. Darbar maintains a private practice in Leighton Buzzard, UK.
Charles R. Hoopingarner, DDS, Immediate Past President
Dr. Hoopingarner attended the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSCH) Dental Branch, graduating with a DDS in 1973. He has maintained a private practice in Houston, Texas, since 1973. He was an adjunct associate professor in anatomical sciences at UTHSCH Dental Branch for 12 years. Currently, he is a member of the adjunct clinical faculty in the Restorative Dentistry Department at UTHSCH and has been a clinical instructor at the Las Vegas Institute for reconstruction and laser dentistry. Dr. Hoopingarner has served on the ALD Board of Directors, has held chairman positions for Regulatory Affairs, Education and General Sessions for the 2013 Conference. He has used dental lasers of various wavelengths as integral parts of his patient care delivery system for the last 12 years. Dr. Hoopingarner holds Advanced and Standard Proficiency certifications in the Er:YAG laser wavelength from the ALD, ALD Mastership status, and has lectured internationally on the safety and use of laser technology in the dental practice.
About the Academy of Laser Dentistry
The Academy of Laser Dentistry (ALD) is the only independent and unbiased non-profit association devoted to laser dentistry and includes clinicians, academicians and researchers in all laser wavelengths. The Academy is devoted to clinical education, research, and the development of standards and guidelines for the safe and effective use of dental laser technology. ALD was founded in 1993, with the merging of the International Academy of Laser Dentistry, the North American Academy of Laser Dentistry and the American Academy of Laser Dentistry. For more information, visit www.LaserDentistry.org.
