Reviving the connection from the mouth to the body

As published in North Carolina Health News By Anne Blythe

ECU oral medicine specialist Iquebal Hasan works to build bridges between dentists and physicians to punctuate the importance of oral health for solving thorny medical problems.

Iquebal Hasan was nervous when he first informed his father that he wanted to become a dentist, not a doctor.

Medicine had coursed through the family’s veins, with 16 doctors in his extended family tree. His dad, an internist, had been a celebrated physician to governors and even an Iranian prime minister.

Worried he might disappoint his father, his hero, Hasan gingerly posed a question: What did he think about him pursuing a degree in dental surgery.

Dr. Anzar Hasan Ibrahimi quickly eased any qualms his son had about departing from the family’s well-trod path into medicine, telling the apprehensive teen he thought it was “an excellent idea.” ...

Read full article