Physician Profile

David M. Shafer, D.M.D.

Dr. Shafer is associate professor and chair of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine. He joined the staff of John Dempsey Hospital in 1990 and has served on numerous Health Center and School of Dental Medicine committees, including the Medical Board as associate chief of staff and vice president of Medical Staff of John Dempsey Hospital. Dr. Shafer is a member of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon and is currently serving as secretary/treasurer of the Connecticut Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. He serves in national and international organizations related to dental implant therapy, research and education. Dr. Shafer is a fellow of the International Team for Oral Implantology and serves on its Development Committee. Recently, he was invited to participate at the Academy of Osteointegration’s Workshop on the State of the Science on Implant Dentistry where he served as the secretary of a working group section.

Appointment

• Chair, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine
• Associate Professor, Department of Craniofacial Sciences / Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine
• Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, UConn Health Center
• Head, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center
• Residency Program Director, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
• Clinical Chief, Department of Dentistry, John Dempsey Hospital
• Associate Chief of Staff, John Dempsey Hospital
• Vice President, Medical Staff, John Dempsey Hospital

Specialty

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Subspecialty

• Dental implant surgery
• Reconstruction of the jaws with hard and soft tissue grafting
• Surgical correction of skeletal facial deformities
• Surgical treatment of pathology of the jaws

Certifications
Diplomate American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Education
B.A., University of Pennsylvania
D.M.D., Harvard School of Dental Medicine

State Licensure
Connecticut

Residency
Long Island Jewish Medical Center

Awards

• Kaiser Permanente Award for Clinical Teaching, University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine
• Omicron Kappa Upsilon (Phi Chi Chapter) National Dental Honor Society UConn Health Center

Selected Publications
Bennett J., Shafer D.M., Efaw D., Goupil M. Incremental Bolus Versus a Continuous Infusion of Propofol for Deep Sedation/General Anesthesia During Dentoalveolar Surgery. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 56:1049-1053, 1998.

Shafer D.M., Frank M.E., Gent J.F., Fischer M.E. Gustatory function after third molar extraction. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Path. 87: 419-28, 1999.

Litt M.D., Kalinowski L., Shafer D. A dental fears typology of oral surgery patients: Matching patients to anxiety interventions. Health Psychology. 18: 614-24, 1999.

Shafer D.M. Palpitations – Cardiac Arrhythmias. In Contemporary management of medical emergencies n the dental office. Eds. Bennett and Rosenberg. W.B. Saunders (in publication) anticipated publication 2001.

Litt, M.D., Shafer, D., Napolitano, C. Momentary Mood and Coping Processes in TMD Pain. Health Psychology, 23, 354-362, 2004.

View more publications, see Pubmed listing.

Research Interests

Clinical Research

• Relationship between osteoporosis and the success of dental implants and bone grafting procedures for the jaws.

Basic Science Research

• Development of dental implants and related systems for guided bone growth.