Leonard Linkow


Leonard I. Linkow was an American dentist and pioneer in the field of oral implantology. In 1969, he was nominated for a Nobel Prize in medicine, making him the only dentist to be nominated for the prize. Linkow held 36 patents in dental science.

Early life and education

Linkow was born in Brooklyn, New York on February 25, 1926. He played baseball in high school and was signed to contract by the New York Giants to play for their minor league affiliate in Springfield, Ohio.
He worked as a radio operator in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
Turning down a career in professional baseball, he attended New York University's College of Dentistry, graduating in 1952.

Career

Linkow placed his first dental implant in 1952. In his New York City dental practice, he treated over 100,000 patients.
His innovations in oral implantology include the blade implant, the self-tapping ventplant root form implant, , and the internal hex design for root form implants.
Linkow served as the president of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry in 1974 and president of the American Board of Oral Implantology in 1993. He co-founded the American Society of Dental Esthetics along with Irwin Smigel.
In addition to lecturing internationally, Linkow also authored 18 books and about 200 journal articles.
Linkow was clinical professor at New York University, Temple University in Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh, and Lille University in France.

Death

Linkow died on January 26, 2017 at the age of 90.

Awards and honors

Three institutes are named after Linkow: the Linkow International Institute of Oral Implantology in Bari, Italy; the Linkow International Institute of Oral Implantology in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Linkow Implant Institute-Caribbean in Kingston, Jamaica.