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history of dental implants

History of AO

How did the Academy of Osseointegration originate?

Following the introduction of osseointegration to North America in 1982, a group of dental clinicians from the greater New York area participated in a course entitled, “Osseointegration in Clinical Dentistry.”

Subsequently, the group formed a study club to share research and information. This local study club eventually concluded that a national organization was essential to foster education and advancement in this field. As a result, the Academy of Osseointegration (AO) was formed.

The AO’s first Annual Meeting was held in Chicago in 1986. A Pro-Tem Executive Board was elected to include representatives from oral surgery, periodontics, prosthodontics and general practice. The Academy and its affiliate, the Osseointegration Foundation, were incorporated in 1987.

AO founding members remember the early days of the Academy

Per-Ingvar Brånemark, the ‘Father of Implant Dentistry’

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