PDA RECOGNITION AWARD
DR . STANLEY J . HELENIAK
I am honored to present Dr . Stanley J . Heleniak with the 2022 PDA Recognition Award .
Each year , the Annual Awards Committee selects a PDA member dentist who has contributed original research , or whose significant achievements and high standards have been of such character as to have materially aided and advanced the science and art of dentistry .
Dr . Heleniak is a board-certified Dentist Anesthesiologist and has a private practice in Lansdale , specializing in treatment of dental patients with sedation and general anesthesia . He has had a great impact on the profession with his distinguished career as an educator at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and Temple University spanning the years from 2013 to 2021 .
From 2013 to 2016 , Dr . Heleniak was Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Periodontics and Pediatric Dentistry at Penn . His academic appointments at Temple began in 2016 and included , Director of the Temple Dental Sedation Center ; Assistant Professor in Anesthesiology at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine and Assistant Professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology , Medicine , and Surgery at the Kornberg School of Dentistry .
While teaching at Penn and Temple , Dr . Heleniak trained dental students and residents on moderate sedation and how to handle medical emergencies . At the Sedation Center , he provided sedation and general anesthesia for dental faculty treating patients and instructed residents learning to provide sedation . His teaching responsibilities also included courses in anesthesia and sedation for licensed professionals renewing anesthesia permits .
As an educator , Dr . Heleniak has made numerous contributions to support the next generation of dental professionals . His work as a Dentist Anesthesiologist allows many patients , who could not be treated in a regular dental operatory , to receive treatment for dental disease .
PDA is proud to recognize Dr . Heleniak ’ s contributions to the dental profession that will greatly impact the next generation of dental leaders .
Congratulations , Dr . Heleniak !
Dr . Heleniak ’ s remarks :
It ’ s been a long road with anesthesia in dentistry for me , with many personal and professional battles fought for recognition and acceptance , locally and nationally . They continue until this day and will into the immediate future . There have been many disappointments and there have been victories . This has been ongoing long before I entered the practice 30 + years ago . The road has been trying , but very rewarding . Despite all of this in the past , there is a bright future for Dental Anesthesiology on the horizon , especially due to this discipline ’ s acceptance as an ADA specialty . Our foes from the past are quickly becoming our supporters , establishing a collegial and working relationship of mutual understanding and benefit . This “ working together ” relationship is what is needed within our profession and mostly for the patient ’ s we serve . Our biggest challenges ahead may be how we are able to thwart pressures and negative influences to our longstanding practices coming from other healthcare colleagues and state legislation . We must be vigilant on all fronts and proactive , when necessary , from a grassroots and lobbying perspective . The modern practice of anesthesiology has always been part of the practice of dentistry , starting with Drs . Wells and Morton in the mid-1800s .
I , and my colleagues across the country , serve those special patients who have dental needs and are many times forgotten by our profession . Fortunately , this attitude has been changing rapidly , as we have realized the many needs which have been going unmet . These groups of people are comprised of children , mentally and physically challenged , those with extreme dental anxiety , problems with local anesthesia , severe gaggers , and just those having many complex dental and oral surgical procedures that were not the norm in offices in the past . The specialty of Dental Anesthesiology has opened up access to care to so many dental patients , something we are proud of . We maintain the ability to provide these dental patient services in a very safe and comfortable office environment . Dentistry can be proud of its very safe track record over the years . Dentists working with other dental practitioners , especially dentist anesthesiologists providing sedation services , have a distinct advantage as opposed to utilizing the services of physician anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists .
24 JULY / AUGUST 2022 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL