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Harold (Hal) C. Slavkin, DDS, the 22nd president of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (1993 to 1994), died on December 22, 2023. During a career that spanned almost 6 decades, Hal distinguished himself as an international authority on craniofacial biology and an advocate for oral health equity. He served as dean of the University of Southern California's dental school, founded the school's Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, created the nation's first PhD program in craniofacial biology, and served as the sixth director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Hal's studies of the molecular and cellular underpinnings of craniofacial malformations prepared him to champion translational research later in his career, when his work with patient advocates revealed the importance of applying new discoveries to clinical practice. A visionary thinker, skilled administrator, progressive educator, compelling communicator, researcher, scholar, and mentor, Hal was known as a Renaissance leader. He rejoiced in fostering collaborative synergies among people and organizations. Throughout his life, family was his central grounding force. He and his wife, Lois, advanced a wide range of social and community initiatives and took great pride in their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We remember Hal for his indelible spirit, unflappable enthusiasm for science, fierce advocacy for social justice, and infectious zest for life. Here, we outline his multidimensional accomplishments through the lenses of academia, government, and nonprofit organizations. Although it is with heavy hearts that we bid goodbye to this remarkable man, our spirits are lightened by the many gifts he left behind., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The presence of oral smokeless tobacco lesions among adolescents may be an early indicator of increased risk for oral cancers. Data from the 1986-1987 National Survey of Oral Health in US School Children were used to examine the cross-sectional relationship between the use of tobacco and alcohol and the presence of white or whitish oral soft-tissue lesions. The sample included 17,027 schoolchildren (aged 12 to 17 years) who provided information on the use of snuff, chewing tobacco, cigarettes, and alcohol and who received oral clinical examinations. Smokeless tobacco lesions were detected in 1.5% of students (projects to about 300,000 nationally), including 2.9% of males and 0.1% of females. These lesions were more prevalent among whites (2.0%) than among African-Americans (0.2%) or Hispanics (0.8%). Modeling with multivariate logistic regression revealed that, among white males, current snuff use was the strongest correlate of lesions [odds ratio (OR) = 18.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 8.5-39.8], followed by current chewing tobacco use [OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.3-5.0]. Lesions were strongly associated with duration, monthly frequency, and daily minutes of use of snuff and chewing tobacco. These data suggest that snuff may be a stronger risk factor than chewing tobacco for smokeless tobacco lesions, but the use of either of these forms of oral tobacco exhibits a dose-response relationship with the occurrence of lesions. We found little evidence that the use of alcohol or cigarettes may increase the risk of smokeless tobacco lesions. Preventing smokeless tobacco lesions and their possible malignant transformation may be best accomplished among adolescents by preventing the use of snuff and chewing tobacco.

As part of a Federal consortium, the National Institute of Dental Research's (NIDR) Division of Epidemiology and Oral Disease Prevention (DEODP) staff and consultants collaborated with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) to conduct a national oral health examination as a component of the 1988-94 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). The Phase 1 took place between October 18, 1988, and October 24, 1991, at 44 survey locations; Phase 2, between September 20, 1991, and October 15, 1994, at 45 sites. This article provides general background information on the NHANES III and its oral health examination component which pertains to all six years of the full survey. It also focuses on particular aspects of the first three years of the survey (NHANES III-Phase 1)--the database for the articles in this peer-reviewed Special Issue--and provides the essential context for the substantively oriented analyses of the Phase 1 database which are presented in the articles which follow this overview.

Trend data on oral mucosal lesions are limited. The literature is comprised of a large number of studies documenting the prevalence of various lesions in different populations. Trend data on cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx are the exception. An overview of the international epidemiologic studies of these cancers is provided. General conclusions across studies and countries for trend data of these cancers cannot easily be drawn, since variations exist in data collection methods, risk factors, and other characteristics of the study populations. This paper also reviewed the available prevalence data for oral mucosal lesions in general as well as data on leukoplakia, recurrent herpes labialis, and recurrent aphthous ulcers. A few studies of the incidence of leukoplakia are described. In order to explore the potential for future trend data on oral mucosal lesions, this paper discusses issues related to the feasibility and structure of monitoring these lesions. Criteria that could be used to identify which conditions should be monitored in the future were discussed, such as, those that present a public health problem, those that are sentinel events for serious conditions, and infectious lesions. Once lesions are identified, it is clear that international consensus for diagnostic criteria of these lesions is needed in order to permit comparisons to be made among studies. Finally, strategies for monitoring these conditions and factors that may affect future trends are reviewed.