St. Louis Dental Center welcomes Dr. Richard J. Vargo

A.T. Still University-Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-MOSDOH) is pleased to announce Richard J. Vargo, DMD, FAAOMP, FAAOM, has been appointed specialty care unit director for oral and maxillofacial pathology at the St. Louis Dental Center, located at 1500 Park Avenue. The announcement was made by Dwight McLeod, DDS, MS, dean, ATSU-MOSDOH, who is responsible for the development and management of the educational curriculum at the St. Louis Dental Center.

Coming to St. Louis from Pittsburgh, Dr. Vargo completed his oral and maxillofacial pathology residency at the prestigious University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and was previously licensed in Pennsylvania prior to becoming a licensed dental specialist in Missouri. He attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and has a bachelor of arts degree with distinction in biology from the University of Virginia. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors and a member of multiple professional organizations.

“Dr. Vargo brings a wealth of academic teaching and research experiences, including writing for peer-reviewed publications and serving as a peer reviewer,” said Dean McLeod. “His volunteer interests – from the Virginia Special Olympics Mission of Mercy Dental Health Foundation to a Honduras Dental Mission trip – align well with our community-based approach to learning and practice. We are delighted to have him with us full time.”

“It is certainly a pleasure to be here at ATSU-MOSDOH. Working in the new patient intake clinic, I help the students identify everything from variants of normal to common oral pathologies to rarer entities. Every patient who comes through the intake clinic receives a thorough head and neck examination and oral cancer screening. Should I deem a biopsy appropriate, I schedule it in the clinic with the student,” said Dr. Vargo. “Moreover, as a fellow in the American Academy of Oral Medicine, I also manage oral diseases such as candidiasis and lichen planus for ATSU-MOSDOH patients.”

The St. Louis Dental Center offers high quality, comprehensive, and affordable oral healthcare services for patients of all ages in a new, state-of-the-art 79,000-square-foot clinical education facility with 93 dental chairs. Dental care is provided for the St. Louis community by Affinia Healthcare dentists and staff and ATSU-MOSDOH faculty and dental students. To learn more about St. Louis Dental Center services and schedule an appointment, call 314.833.2700. Additional information is available at stldentalcenter.org or facebook.com/stldentalcenter.