Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer/Oral Oncology Program

Joseph A. D’Ambrosio, D.D.S., M.S.

Dr. D’Ambrosio is associate professor and chair of the Section of Oral Medicine at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine. He has been a full-time member of the dental school faculty since 1989, as well as a member of the staff of the John Dempsey Hospital. Dr. D’Ambrosio serves on numerous Health Center and School of Dental Medicine committees, including the AIDS Task Force. He currently serves on the Connecticut State Dental Association’s Environmental Safety and Infection Control Committee. Dr. D’Ambrosio is an active member of the American Academy of Oral Medicine, and has been an invited speaker at numerous local, state and national meetings.

Appointments

• Associate Professor and Chair, Section of Oral Medicine, University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine
• Hospital Staff, Department of Dentistry, John Dempsey Hospital

Specialty

• Oral Medicine

Subspecialty

• Oncology
• Chemosensory Disorders

Certification
Diplomate, American Board of Oral Medicine

Education
B.A., Columbia University, 1976
D.D.S., SUNY at Buffalo, 1980
M.S., SUNY at Buffalo, 1986

Residency
General Practice Residency in Dentistry, Erie County Medical Center, Buffalo, NY

Affiliation

• Department of Dentistry, John Dempsey Hospital

Honors and Awards

• Fellow, American College of Dentists
• Fellow, Pierre Fauchard Academy
• Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society (Phi Chi Chapter, University of Connecticut)
• Past President, Organization of Teachers of Oral Diagnosis

Selected Publications
D'Ambrosio J, Adragna M. Guidelines for the use of local anesthetics in the dental treatment of patients who are susceptible to malignant hyperthermia. Special Care in Dentistry 8: 61-63, 1988.

D'Ambrosio J. Student hospital dentistry experiences: the realities of the effort. NY State Dental Journal 54: 41-43, 1988.

D'Ambrosio J, Langlais R, Young R. Jaw and skull changes in neurofibromatosis. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol 66: 391-396, 1988.

Peterson DE, D’Ambrosio JA. Diagnosis and management of acute and chronic oral complications of nonsurgical cancer therapies. In D’Ambrosio J, Fotos P (eds): Topics in Oral Diagnosis I — The Dental Clinics of North America. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 1992; 36: 945-966.

D’Ambrosio JA, Raborn GW. Diagnostic considerations for the medically complex patient. In D’Ambrosio J, Fotos P (eds): Topics in Oral Diagnosis I — The Dental Clinics of North America. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 1992; 36: 841-855.

Myers WE, Hettinger TP, D’Ambrosio JA, Wendt SL, Pearson CB, Barry MA, Frank ME. Visualizing taste papillae in vivo with scanning electron microscopy of a high resolution cast. Chemical Senses 20:1-8, 1995.

Spruance SL, Rowe NH, Raborn GW, Thibodeau EA, D’Ambrosio JA, Bernstein DI. Peroral famciclovir in the treatment of experimental ultraviolet radiation-induced herpes simplex labialis: A double-blind, dose-ranging, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. J Infect Dis 179(2):303-310, 1999.

Lalla RV, D’Ambrosio JA. Dental management considerations for the patient with diabetes mellitus. JADA 132 (10):1425-32, 2001.

D’Ambrosio JA. Tobacco use in older adults: oral health consequences and cessation guidelines. Healthcare and Aging Newsletter, American Society on Aging, Spring 2007.

View more publications, see Pubmed listing.

Research Interests

Clinical Research

• Utilization of patient instructors to promote health care provider communication skills