“I was really impressed by his research and clinical data and how serious his approach was to implants,” Dr. Simion said. “When I saw the research and data from Dr. Brånemark I started to think maybe there’s something good in implant dentistry. I started to follow the topic and became very in tune with it. The more time that passed, the more I dedicated my own career to implantology and osseointegration.”
Prof. Simion was fascinated by the research being done on guided tissue regeneration and began working with a group of prominent clinicians studying this area. Their goal was to determine the different ways a membrane could be used to regenerate bone. By the mid-1990s, the clinicians developed a predictable technique for bone regeneration that remains the gold standard today.
Prof. Simion, known as dentistry’s “father of bone regeneration,” has had an accomplished career, and is this year’s recipient of the P-I Brånemark Award for Lifetime Achievement in Dentistry. The award was created in 2015 to honor the late Prof. Brånemark and recognize exceptional clinicians who have advanced dentistry for society’s general well-being. Previous recipients include Myron Nevins, Tiziano Testori, Dr Istvan Urban, Michael Cohen and Jörg-Rudolf Strub.
And Prof. Simion certainly did that with his contribution to that groundbreaking research and by continuing to share his knowledge and expertise with the profession. Prof. Simion, who is a professor in the University of Milan’s department of periodontology and implant therapy, works in private practice and has served on and led several industry organizations over the years.