In March of 1985 P.I. Brånemark was operating in Long Beach, California. Dr. Howard Davis, Richard Berger, David Hochwald, Peter Moy, Robert Fontanesi, and Roy Yanase were observing an autogenous graft from the hip with simultaneous implant fixation to the edentulous maxilla. Professor Brånemark challenged the group to form a study club because there were so many applications of osseointegration that had yet been unexplored. The potential applications were bounded only by one’s imagination.
With the blessing of P.I. Brånemark with the thoughts of interdisciplinary communication and collaboration and the support of Robert Gottlander of the Bofors NobelPharma Company, the first organizational meetings were held with the requirement of attending a lecture or course by P.I. Brånemark or training from George Zarb in Toronto.
The first meeting was held at the Alpine Village Restaurant in Torrance, on March 11, 1986. The founding members were: Dr. Oded Bahat, Richard Berger, John Beumer, Bruce Coye, Howard Davis, Robert Fontanesi, Robert Grady, David Hochwald, Alex Koper, James Kratochvil, Howard Landesman, Peter Moy, George Murrell, Michael Newman, Blair Ota, Jack Preston, John Repp (CDT), Carl Rieder, Henry Takei, Terry Tanaka, Yoshio Yamaguchi, and Roy Yanase.
By September 9, 1988, each founding member was allowed to invite one person to raise the membership to 40 active members. The membership is intended to represent implant surgeons, restorative dentists, and dental technologists. The expanded membership included: Baron Barnett, Fereidoun Daftary, Donald Dornan, Bernard Gantes, Robert Grady, Gary Harmatz, Wynne Hornberg, Robert London, Lawrence Lorenzi, Jay Malmquist, Baldwin Marchack, William Matoska, William Mihram, John Murrell, David Purdom, Steven Sadowski, Robert Sasaki, RDT, Peter Shaw, Mark Spector, Melvyn Wishan, and Henry Yamada.
At our 10-year anniversary meeting in 1995, George Zarb, Patrick Henry, and P.I. Brånemark addressed the study club where P.I. Brånemark suggested starting international collaboration between study clubs. When he developed his inner circle of highly qualified surgeons, they were strategically placed around the world in densely populated areas. Dr. Yataro Komiyama of Tokyo Japan was one of the first PhD students that studied with Professor Brånemark. Patrick Henry, AUS, Peter Moy CA-USA, Kenji Higuchi WA-USA, Joan Pi Urgell, in SP, and others also formed the circle of International Brånemark Osseointegration Centers closely associated with Dr. Brånemark. With the organization of Osseointegration Study Club of Japan, his dream of a close international Pacific Rim collaboration became a reality on May 17, 2002 in Tokyo, Japan. It also joined the directors of the Osseointegration Centers and multi-disciplinary study club members.
In January 2007, Asbjorn Jokstad announced his new position as the Brånemark Chair at the University of Toronto and the future plans for the 25th Anniversary of the Toronto Conference. Asbjorn returned in January 2010 where he reported the summary of the Conference and each member received a copy of the text of the collaboration of papers presented at the conference.
In September 2010, we concluded our 25th anniversary with another two day meeting with keynote speakers headed by Lyndon Cooper, Steven Eckert, George Romanos, and speakers from the OSCSC study club, Osseointegration Study Club of Japan, and other specialists form the community.
Integration with Implant Dentistry in Japan – Osseointegration Study Club of Japan:
In 1998 early discussions about international Pacific Rim Study in Los Angeles were explored with Professor Komiyama. Further interests were developed with Dr. Takao Okada and Tsunehiko Yamashita, CDT, a dental technician who had formal training in Osaka, Japan and Los Angeles, California. The next step was to invite members of the Club 22 Implant Study Club of Tokyo to lecture at the Osseointegration Study Club of Southern California in 2001. The concept of an exchange of information between Japan and the USA became a reality.
With the organization of Osseointegration Study Club of Japan, P.I. Brånemark’s dream became a reality on May 17, 2002 in Tokyo, Japan when the inaugural meeting of members was held. The significance of the new organization is that for the first time in Japan, more than 20 mature teachers of dentistry (Sensei) in Japan came together into one organization with the concept of Osseointegration that has evidenced itself as a successful implant.
Each year, 8-20 proposed members present a lecture before a grading panel and members. The new members are then elected and the top graded speakers are selected to speak at the annual Summer meeting that is open to the dental profession including special programs for dental hygienists, dental technicians, and highlighted with an invited speaker from the USA and selected Founding Sensei from Japan. Three or four of the best speakers at the open meeting are encouraged to prepare their lectures in English and represent the OJ at the joint meeting in Los Angeles in September.
There has been an organized process for electing new and promising members and the sharing of knowledge of various implant systems by the new and founding members. With continuing study and mentoring of the new and younger dentists, excellence and the up-to-date science of implant dentistry will be practiced around the Pacific Rim. It is incredible how many people of the world have benefited to date, and will continue to benefit with future oral health, advancing the art and science of dentistry. The world owes a lot to the vision and dedication of one man, Professor P-I Brånemark and others who began their research in the 1960’s. In May, 2009, P.I. Brånemark celebrated his 80th birthday.
Osseointegration Study Club of Japan Past Presidents:
Takao Okada, D.D.S., 2001-2004
Yasukazu Miyamoto, D.D.S., 2005-2006
Toshihiku Kihara, D.D.S., 2007-2008
Hideaki Ueda, D.D.S., 2009-2010
Reiji Natsubori, D.D.S., 2011-2012
Masana Suzuki, D.D.S., 2013-2014
Tetsuya Mizukami, D.D.S., 2015-2016
Keizo Miyoshi, D.D.S. 2017
Osseointegration Study Club of Southern California 