Dr. Frank DiPlacido Jr., past AAOMS president, dies

Fort Myers, Fla.鈥擠r. Frank DiPlacido Jr., the 2000-01 president of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, died March 14.聽

Colleagues of Dr. DiPlacido, 73, remember him as a clinician who was passionate about education- and accreditation-related matters.聽

“Dr. DiPlacido had a genuine interest in advancing academic dentistry through enhancing education, research and accreditation,” said Dr. Thomas W. Braun, dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine.

Dr. Braun was a member of the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation when Dr. DiPlacido, as an AAOMS officer, attended meetings of CODA’s Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Education Review Committee.

“He was fair and kind to friends and critics alike, and he did what he believed was right, even when that might be the more difficult path to follow,” said Dr. Braun, adding that many in AAOMS will remember Dr. DiPlacido at the podium of the AAOMS annual meeting on Sept. 11, 2001, where he delivered a moving and extemporaneous tribute to the nation’s terrorist attack victims.

His contributions in the field of accreditation extended beyond dentistry, too. Dr. DiPlacido was an active surveyor who inspected ambulatory health care facilities for the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, an institutional accrediting organization, from 1993 until his death. From 2005-06, he served as AAAHC president.

Dr. DiPlacido earned his dental degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 1962, served in the U.S. Army from 1962-65 and completed a residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Fort Myers to join his friend Dr. Jerry Laboda in the practice of oral surgery. After nearly 40 years of private practice, he officially retired in 2007.

In recent years, Dr. DiPlacido and his wife of 38 years, Noreen, dedicated themselves to patient care beyond the United States, making many trips to Honduras and founding a project called “New Faces for Honduras,” in conjunction with CURE International, the organization that supports disabled children throughout the developing world through advocacy, partnerships and medical care.

In addition to Noreen, Dr. DiPlacido is survived by three children and four grandchildren, three sisters and one brother.

Services were held March 18-19 in Fort Myers. Memorials may be made to the Frank DiPlacido Charitable Fund, c/o the Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord, 8121 Cypress Lake Dr., Fort Myers, Fla. 33919.