Dr. Arden Christen reviews medical content for Healthwise, a
nonprofit organization with a mission to help people make better health
decisions. Dr. Christen is Professor and Director of Preventive and Community
Dentistry in the Department of Oral Biology at Indiana University School of
Dentistry in Indianapolis. He is coauthor of a textbook, Primary Preventive Dentistry, 4th Edition, published in 1995.
Dr. Christen is also an expert on smoking cessation and co-director of the
Indiana University Nicotine Dependence Program.
Dr. Christen retired as a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force in 1980.
Since then, he has been involved in many tobacco-related research projects,
focusing on nicotine withdrawal therapy in dental practice and the effects of
using smoked and smokeless tobacco. He is coauthor of the 1990 Surgeon
General's Report, "The Health Benefits of Smoking Cessation."
In addition to dentistry, Dr. Christen's interests include lifestyle
modification, stress reduction, chemical dependency, motivation and the
clinical effects of tobacco on oral and perioral tissues.
Healthwise Knowledgebase Topics Reviewed
Basic Dental Care
Cleft
Lip
Cleft Palate
Gum Disease
Tooth
Decay
Wisdom Tooth Problems
Education
DDS: University of Minnesota,
1956
MS in Dentistry: Indiana University, 1965
MA in
Psychology: Ball State University, Muncie, 1973
Academic Appointments
Clinical Assistant/Associate Professor,
General Practice, University of Texas, Dental Branch, Houston, 1967 -
1970
Clinical Assistant Professor, Dept. of Community Dentistry,
University of Texas Dental School, San Antonio, 1976 - 1980
Indiana University School of Dentistry:
Associate Professor of Preventive
Dentistry, 1980 - 1985
Professor of Preventive Dentistry, 1985 -
present
Chairman, Dept. of Preventive Dentistry, 1981 - 1993
Director, Indiana University Nicotine
Dependence Program, 1992 - present
Hospital Affiliations
Chairman, Dept. of General Dentistry, Wilford Hall Medical Ctr.,
San Antonio, 1969 - 1970
Professional Affiliations
American Dental Association and National Cancer Institute,
consultant on smoking cessation, tobacco education and control
Selected Publications
Cohen SJ, Christen AG, Katz BP, et al.
(1987). Counseling medical and dental patients about cigarette smoking: The
impact of nicotine gum and chart reminders.American Journal of Public Health 77: 313 - 316.
Transdermal Nicotine Study
Group (Christen AG, Beiswanger B, Mau M, Walker C) (1991). Transdermal nicotine
for smoking cessation: Six-month results from two multicenter controlled
clinical trials. JAMA, 266(22): 3133 - 3138.
Selected Textbooks
Christen AG, Klein JA (1997). Tobacco and Your Oral Health. Quintessence
Publishing.
Harris NO, Christen AG (1995).Primary Preventive Dentistry, 4th ed. Norwalk, CT: Appleton & Lange.
