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Dan Caplan
Dan Caplan, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Department Head, Department of Preventive & Community Dentistry
Expertise: 
General dentistry
Education: 
BA, University of Virginia, 1982
DDS, University of Iowa, 1988
GPR Certificate, VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, 1989
PhD, University of North Carolina, 1995
To Make An Appointment: 
319-335-8232
Brief Professional Resume: 

Dr. Caplan joined the College of Dentistry in 2007. Before coming to Iowa, he was a faculty member in the Department of Dental Ecology at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry from 1995-2007.

Teaching Activities: 

Practice of Dentistry in the Community; Oral Epidemiology; Oral Diagnosis Clinic; research mentorship for students in the graduate program in dental public health.

Clinical Activities: 

Dr. Caplan participates in the intramural dental practice.

Research Activities: 

Dr. Caplan studies outcomes related to endodontic treatment; decision-making in endodontics; relationships between oral and systemic diseases; and evaluation of diagnostic tests.

Publications: 

1: Chukwu SO, Caplan DJ , McQuistan MR, Horowitz AM, Squier CA, Qian. Knowledge of risk factors for oral cancer among adult Iowans. Iowa Dent J 2015;101(10):11. Epub at www.iowadental.org.

2: Caplan DJ. Glass-fiber-reinforced posts may be more likely to fail in anterior teeth than in posterior teeth over a 10-year period. J Evid Base Dent Pract 2013;13(1):33-4.

3: Ghazal TS, Caplan DJ, Cowen HJ, Oliveira D. Factors related to receipt of dental care in Eastern Iowa nursing facilities. Spec Care Dentist. 2015 Feb 25. doi: 10.1111/scd.12107. PubMed PMID: 25715976.

4: Caplan DJ. Chronic apical periodontitis is more common in subjects with coronary artery disease. J Evid Based Dent Pract. 2014 Sep;14(3):149-50. doi: 10.1016/j.jebdp.2014.07.003. Epub 2014 Jul 19. PubMed PMID: 25234220.

5: Hamamoto DT, Farrar SK, Caplan DJ, Lanphier TF, Panza JC, Ritter AV. Use of shared faculty in U.S. and Canadian dental schools. J Dent Educ. 2013 Mar;77(3):264-75. PubMed PMID: 23486891.

6: Vela KC, Walton RE, Trope M, Windschitl P, Caplan DJ. Patient preferences regarding 1-visit versus 2-visit root canal therapy. J Endod. 2012 Oct;38(10):1322-5. doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2012.06.038. Epub 2012 Aug 15. PubMed PMID: 22980170.

7: Wiener RC, Wu B, Crout RJ, Plassman BL, McNeil DW, Wiener MA, Kao E, Caplan DJ. Hygiene self-care of older adults in West Virginia: effects of gender. J Dent Hyg. 2012 Summer;86(3):231-8. Epub 2012 Aug 27. PubMed PMID: 22947846; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3607540.

8: Lee JY, Caplan DJ, Gizlice Z, Ammerman A, Agans R, Curran AE. US pediatric dentists' counseling practices in addressing childhood obesity. Pediatr Dent. 2012 May-Jun;34(3):245-50. PubMed PMID: 22795160.

9: Zhong Y, Garcia R, Kaye EK, Cai J, Kaufman JS, Trope M, Wilcosky T, Caplan DJ. Association of endodontic involvement with tooth loss in the Veterans Affairs Dental Longitudinal Study. J Endod. 2010 Dec;36(12):1943-9. doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2010.08.051. PubMed PMID: 21092810; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3018843.

10: Curran AE, Caplan DJ, Lee JY, Paynter L, Gizlice Z, Champagne C, Ammerman AS, Agans R. Dentists' attitudes about their role in addressing obesity in patients: a national survey. J Am Dent Assoc. 2010 Nov;141(11):1307-16. PubMed PMID: 21037188.

11: Wells PL, Caplan DJ, Strauss RP, Bell D, George M. An oral health survey of the Lumbee tribe in southeastern North Carolina. J Dent Hyg. 2010 Summer;84(3):137-44. Epub 2010 Jul 5. PubMed PMID: 20579426.

12: Chattopadhyay A, Slade GD, Caplan DJ. Professional charges not reimbursed to dentists in the U.S.: evidence from Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 1996. Community Dent Health. 2009 Dec;26(4):227-33. PubMed PMID: 20088221.

13: Marcos-Arenal JL, Rivera EM, Caplan DJ, Trope M. Evaluating the paper point technique for locating the apical foramen after canal preparation. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2009 Nov;108(5):e101-5. doi: 10.1016/j.tripleo.2009.06.011. Epub 2009 Sep 12. PubMed PMID: 19748298.

14: Weisleder R, Yamauchi S, Caplan DJ, Trope M, Teixeira FB. The validity of pulp testing: a clinical study. J Am Dent Assoc. 2009 Aug;140(8):1013-7. PubMed PMID: 19654254.

15: Caplan DJ, Pankow JS, Cai J, Offenbacher S, Beck JD. The relationship between self-reported history of endodontic therapy and coronary heart disease in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. J Am Dent Assoc. 2009 Aug;140(8):1004-12. PubMed PMID: 19654253; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2735042.

16: Duggan D, Arnold RR, Teixeira FB, Caplan DJ, Tawil P. Periapical inflammation and bacterial penetration after coronal inoculation of dog roots filled with RealSeal 1 or Thermafil. J Endod. 2009 Jun;35(6):852-7. doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2009.03.050. PubMed PMID: 19482185.

17: Tawil PZ, Trope M, Curran AE, Caplan DJ, Kirakozova A, Duggan DJ, Teixeira FB. Periapical microsurgery: an in vivo evaluation of endodontic root-end filling materials. J Endod. 2009 Mar;35(3):357-62. doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2008.12.001. PubMed PMID: 19249595.

18: Zhong Y, Chasen J, Yamanaka R, Garcia R, Kaye EK, Kaufman JS, Cai J, Wilcosky T, Trope M, Caplan DJ. Extension and density of root fillings and postoperative apical radiolucencies in the Veterans Affairs Dental Longitudinal Study. J Endod. 2008 Jul;34(7):798-803. doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2008.03.022. Epub 2008 May 16. PubMed PMID: 18570982; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2587075.

19: Mejia GC, Kaufman JS, Corbie-Smith G, Rozier RG, Caplan DJ, Suchindran CM. A conceptual framework for Hispanic oral health care. J Public Health Dent. 2008 Winter;68(1):1-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-7325.2007.00073.x. PubMed PMID: 18248341.

20: Dickens S, Beane RA, Caplan DJ, Vann W Jr. Comparison of treatment result and compliance between private practice Medicaid and non-Medicaid orthodontic patients--a brief communication. J Public Health Dent. 2008 Summer;68(3):167-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-7325.2007.00059.x. PubMed PMID: 18179467.

21: Conner DA, Caplan DJ, Teixeira FB, Trope M. Clinical outcome of teeth treated endodontically with a nonstandardized protocol and root filled with resilon. J Endod. 2007 Nov;33(11):1290-2. PubMed PMID: 17963948.

22: Thibodeau B, Teixeira F, Yamauchi M, Caplan DJ, Trope M. Pulp revascularization of immature dog teeth with apical periodontitis. J Endod. 2007 Jun;33(6):680-9. Epub 2007 Apr 24. PubMed PMID: 17509406.

PubMed Publications: 

Click here to perform an automatic PubMed search of Dr. Caplan's publications.

National or International Professional Appointments and Activities: 

Dr. Caplan is a member of the American Association for Dental Research, the American Dental Education Association, the American Dental Association, and the American Association of Public Health Dentistry.