J. Bruce Bavitz, DMD, is professor and Chair of the Department of Surgical Specialties at the UNMC College of Dentistry and has been practicing oral and maxillofacial surgery in Lincoln since 1988. He is a 1984 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, completed his oral/maxillofacial surgery residency in Pittsburgh in 1988 and became board-certified by the American Board of Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery in 1990.

Dr. Bavitz is past president of both the Lincoln District Dental Society and the Nebraska Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, a fellow in the American College of Dentists and currently is editor of Practical Reviews in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He has given over 135 lectures to practicing dentists throughout the country on advanced anesthesia, oral surgery, bone grafting and implants, has published nearly 25 papers, obtained a United States Patent on a dental implant aligning device and has provided patient care at St Elizabeth Hospital/CHI and the VA Medical Center in Lincoln for over 30 years.

While at Nebraska, he has been fortunate to help train approximately 1,700 general dentists and 200 specialists. His research interests include evidenced based dentistry, alveolar bone reconstruction, tooth autotransplantation and procedural sedation.