AAID names 2026 implant dentistry award winners for Nashville conference

The American Academy of Implant Dentistry will honor six leaders at its 75th Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, Sept. 30-Oct. 3, 2026. The awards highlight clinical innovation, research, teaching, service and international leadership across implant dentistry.

Why it matters: - AAID’s highest honors spotlight the clinicians, educators and researchers shaping implant dentistry worldwide. - The awards recognize work that affects training, patient care, research and access to treatment. - The honors will be presented during the AAID’s 75th Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, Sept. 30-Oct. 3.

What happened: - The American Academy of Implant Dentistry announced its 2026 award recipients. - The academy will present six major honors at the annual conference. - The winners are Bernee Dunson, DDS, FAAID, DABOI/ID; John Minichetti, DMD, FAAID, DABOI/ID; Robert J. Miller, DDS, FAAID, DABOI/ID; S. Shane Samy, DMD, FAAID, DABOI/ID; Michael Wehrle, DDS, AFAAID; and Paresh Kale, MDS, FAAID, DABOI/ID.

The details: - Bernee Dunson will receive the inaugural O. Hilt Tatum Implant Dentistry Lifetime Achievement Award. - Dunson earned his DDS from the University of Southern California and completed an oral implantology residency at Loma Linda University under Dr. Tatum. - Dunson founded and directs the Global Dental Implant Institute. - Dunson runs the Mid-Atlantic MaxiCourse® and trains dentists globally in surgical techniques. - Dunson is a past president of AAID and a Diplomate of the ABOI/ID. - Dunson previously received the Terry Reynolds Trailblazer Award and the Gershkoff-Goldberg Award. - Dunson currently serves as CEO of two Atlanta-area practices. - John Minichetti will receive the 2026 Aaron Gershkoff/Norman Goldberg Memorial Award, described as the academy’s most prestigious honor. - Minichetti completed his GPR program at Mount Sinai Medical Center and has practiced and taught implant dentistry for more than 35 years. - Minichetti is a board-certified Diplomate of the ABOI/AAID and a past president of both AAID and the ABOI. - Minichetti is chief of the Department of Dentistry and program director of the GPR Program at Englewood Hospital. - Minichetti also directs the Center for Implants and Aesthetics at Englewood Dental and several AAID MaxiCourses. - Minichetti has authored numerous scientific publications and lectured worldwide. - Robert J. Miller will receive the 2026 Isiah Lew Memorial Research Award. - Miller graduated with honors from New York University College of Dentistry and became a board-certified Diplomate of the ABOI/ID. - Miller served as chairman of the Department of Oral Implantology at the Atlantic Coast Dental Research Clinic. - Miller was director of the Center for Advanced Aesthetic and Implant Dentistry in Delray Beach, Florida, and co-director of the Pacific Institute for Advanced Dental Education. - Miller’s work in biomaterials, lasers and implant therapy helped expand AAID MaxiCourse® education globally. - S. Shane Samy will receive the 2026 Terry Reynolds Trailblazer Award. - Samy earned his DMD from the OHSU School of Dentistry in 1994. - Samy is a Diplomate of the ABOI/ID, an Honored Fellow of AAID and a Master of the Academy of General Dentistry. - Samy served as AAID president in 2023. - Samy was named Oregon AGD Dentist of the Year in 2014 and has led both the Oregon AGD and the Lane County Dental Society. - Michael Wehrle will receive the 2026 Paul Johnson Service Award. - Wehrle graduated from Baylor College of Dentistry in 1989 and completed more than 1,000 hours of continuing education to become an Associate Fellow of AAID and a Diplomate of the ABOI. - Wehrle founded the Wehrle Implant Immersion Course in 2014. - The course trains dentists in implantology and funds mission work that places free implants for underserved populations in Puebla, Mexico. - Wehrle also helped found the BAM Center, which supports water ministries, orphanages and micro-lending initiatives. - Wehrle co-founded the Northeast Tarrant County Dental Clinic, which serves underprivileged children. - Paresh Kale will receive the 2026 International Dentist of the Year Award. - Kale earned a Master of Dental Surgery in Prosthetic Dentistry in 1991 from the Government Dental College & Hospital in Bombay, graduating at the top of his class. - Kale is a Diplomate of the ABOI/ID, a Fellow of AAID and consultant implantologist and head of the Department of Implant Dentistry at Dr. D. Y. Patil Dental College in Pune. - Kale has delivered more than 200 lectures internationally and directs advanced educational programs accredited by AAID. - Kale served as honorary general secretary for the Indian Society of Oral Implantologists and led nationwide study clubs and accreditation programs. - AAID says background on the awards and past winners is available at award information. - AAID was founded in 1951 and says it is the first professional organization in the world dedicated to implant dentistry. - AAID says its membership includes general dentists, dental implantologists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, periodontists, prosthodontists and others interested in implant dentistry. - AAID says it represents almost 4,000 dentists worldwide.

Between the lines: - The award slate spans lifetime achievement, research, service, trailblazing leadership and international impact, showing AAID is using the conference to reinforce the full professional pipeline around implant dentistry. - Several honorees are past AAID presidents or long-time educators, which suggests the academy is rewarding both technical achievement and sustained institutional leadership. - The emphasis on MaxiCourses, global teaching and mission work points to AAID’s wider push to expand training and access beyond major U.S. centers.

What's next: - AAID will present the awards at its 75th Annual Conference in Nashville from Sept. 30-Oct. 3, 2026. - More details on the awards and past winners are available through AAID’s awards page. - The academy is also directing readers to its website and social channels for additional information.