Dr. Henry A. Gremillion joined the LSU School of Dentistry as dean in October of 2008. A native of Cottonport, Louisiana, he received his dental degree from LSU School of Dentistry in 1977 and completed a Fellowship in Craniomandibular Dysfunction in 1991 at the University of Florida.
Dr. Gremillion maintained a general dental practice in Cottonport, LA from 1977 to 1989. During that time, he was actively involved in organized dentistry serving at local and state levels in the American Dental Association. He also served as president of the Louisiana Academy of General Dentistry and vice president of the Academy of General Dentistry Region XII. He is past president of the American Equilibration Society.
Following completion of the Fellowship in Craniofacial Pain at the University of Florida in 1991, Dr. Gremillion accepted an appointment as assistant professor in the Department of Prosthodontics at the University of Florida College of Dentistry (UFCD). Appointed director of the Parker E. Mahan Facial Pain Center in 1992, he held the Parker E. Mahan Endowed Professorship in Orofacial Pain in the Department of Orthodontics and an affiliate appointment in the Department of Prosthodontics at UFCD, and an adjunct professor role at the University of South Florida School of Medicine Department of Neurology. He directed a two-year fellowship program in orofacial pain from 1992 to 2008, serves or has served as consultant to the U.S. Army, U. S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, Malcom Randal Veterans Administration Hospital in Gainesville, and the Comprehensive Dentistry Program at UFCD in the area of temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain. Dr. Gremillion also serves as an associate faculty member at the Dawson Center for Advanced Dental Study in St. Petersburg, FL, and serves or has served on the editorial board of The Journal of Craniomandibular Practice and The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. He is on the advisory board of the Academy of General Dentistry’s journal, General Dentistry and is an invited reviewer for the Journal of Orofacial Pain and the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation. Since 2002, he has been co-investigator in research projects with funding in excess of $3 million.
Dr. Gremillion is a Fellow in both the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists, and has attained Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry. In 1994, 2001, and 2007, he received the American College of Dentists, Florida Section Professionalism and Ethics Faculty Award. In 1999, he was honored with the University of Florida College of Dentistry Educational Leadership Award. In 2000, he received the UFCD Faculty of the Year Award from the senior class. His many honors include the recipient of the LSUSD Alumnus of Year in 2001, the school’s highest alumnus award, and the UFCD Teacher of the Year in 2002 and 2007. The Florida Dental Association honored him as the Florida Dental Educator of the Year in 2002 and 2006.
He received the Louisiana Academy of General Dentistry Career Service Award in 2003. In 2007, he was selected as Distinguished Professor by the University of Florida Blue Key Society. In 2008, the American Academy of General Dentistry honored Dr. Gremillion with the prestigious Theodore V. Weclew Award for contributions to the education of general dentists. In 2009, the Dawson Academy honored him with its Career Service Award in. In 2010, he received the American Academy of Orofacial Pain Service Award, and in 2015, the Pierre Fauchard Gold Medal. He is a member of the American Dental Association, Louisiana Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, Omicron Kappa Upsilon Honorary Dental Fraternity, American Academy of Orofacial Pain, American Pain Society, International Association for the Study of Pain, American Equilibration Society, American Association for Dental Research and International Association for Dental Research. In 2020, he was chair of the American Dental Education Association Board of Directors and is a member of the Facial Pain Association/Trigeminal Neuralgia Association Board of Directors.
Dr. Gremillion has lectured extensively in the U.S. and abroad in the areas of diagnosis and management of temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain, occlusion, and anatomy and function of the stomatognathic system. He has authored/co-authored over 100 scientific articles, abstracts, and book chapters in the field of orofacial pain. He served as guest editor on for Temporomandibular Disorders and Orofacial Pain in the Dental Clinics of North America publication, co-editor of Temporomandibular Disorders: A Translational Approach from Basic Science to Clinical Applicability, and medical editor of Specialty Imaging: Temporomandibular Joint. His research interests include temporomandibular disorders, bruxism and psychosocial aspects of orofacial pain. His clinical interests are in the area of diagnosis and management of orofacial pain.
Sadly, Dr. Gremillion passed away unexpectedly at his home in Metairie on Monday, May 18, 2020 after a brief illness. His family, the LSUSD Community, and his colleagues and friends worldwide were shocked and saddened upon hearing the news. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Gremillion held the first-ever virtual LSU Health School of Dentistry Recognition Ceremony with a skeleton group of faculty members to recognize the school’s 2020 graduates the Friday prior to his death.
“A Louisiana native, dedicated doctor and nationally recognized educator, Dr. Gremillion inspired countless dental students throughout his time as dean of the state’s only dental school,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “His vision steered the school through expansions and renovations so that students can practice their skills in the most advanced preclinical labs in America.”
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