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Christopher A. Barwacz, DDS, FAGD, FACD, FICD

Associate Professor & DEO of Family Dentistry

Current Positions

  • Associate Professor of Family Dentistry

Education

  • BS in Biology, University of Iowa
  • DDS in Dentistry, University of Iowa
  • Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) in Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD), Texas A&M, Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, Texas

Licenses & Certifications

  • Academy of General Dentistry, Iowa
  • Dental License, Iowa

Selected Awards & Honors

  • Pierre Fauchard Award, Pierre Fauchard Academy, Rockville, Maryland
  • Fellowship Award (FACD), American College of Dentists
  • James H. and Hermine E. McLeran Faculty Award, The University of Iowa College of Dentistry, Iowa City, Iowa
  • Student Research Group Mentor of the Year, University of Iowa College of Dentistry
  • Fellowship Award (FICD), International College of Dentists
  • Fellowship Award (FAGD), Academy of General Dentistry
  • Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) Member, Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU), Iowa City, Iowa

Professional Memberships

  • American College of Dentists (ACD)
  • American Dental Education Association (ADEA)
  • International College of Dentists
  • Academy of Osseointegration
  • American Association for Dental Research
  • Academy of General Dentistry
  • Iowa Dental Association
  • American Dental Association
  • Pierre Fauchard Academy

Selected Publications

  • Barwacz, C.A. (2024). A commentary on: A Novel Coded Healing Abutment for a Simplified Digital Workflow: A Retrospective Clinical Study on 103 Patients with a One Year Follow-Up. ADA PracticeUpdate website. Accessed December 11, 2024. (https://www.practiceupdate.com/content/clinical-outcomes-of-a-coded-healing-abutment-system-for-a-simplified-digital-workflow/172710/65/23/1).
  • Barwacz, C.A., Swenson, M., Couso-Queiruga, E., Comnick, C. Xie, J., Avila-Ortiz, G. (2025). Effect of CAD/CAM Abutment Morphology on the Outcomes of Implant Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Clinical Oral Implants Research. 2025 Mar;36(3):374-385. doi: 10.1111/clr.14389. Epub 2024 Dec 6. PMID: 39641983; PMCID: PMC11891029.
  • Sherigar SR, Feine JS, Cooper LF, Stanford CM, Barwacz CA, McGuire M, Abi Nader S, de Souza RF. (2023) Can patients detect peri‑implant mucosal inflammation? Results from a multicentre randomized trial. J Dent. Aug;135:104592. DOI: 10.1016/j.jdent.2023.104592. PMID: 37330036.
  • Barwacz, C. A., Avila-Ortiz, G. & Klokkevold, P. R. (2023). Chapter 85: From Implant Placement to Provisional Restoration. In Klokkevold, P. R. (Eds.) Newman & Carranza's Clinical Periodontology and Implantology, 14th Ed.
  • Couso-Queiruga, E., Garaicoa-Pazmino, C., Barwacz, C. A., Galindo-Moreno, P. & Avila-Ortiz, G. (2023). Influence of Healing Time on the Outcomes of Alveolar Ridge Preservation Using a Collagenated Bovine Bone Xenograft: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of Clinical Periodontology 50 (2) 132-146. DOI: 10.1111/jcpe.13744. PMID: 36345818.
  • Bowers, R. D., Young, L. B., Comnick, C. L., Kasundra, H. P. & Barwacz, C. A. (2022). Perceived Didactic Curricular Effectiveness of In-Person vs. Virtual Formats amongst Fourth-Year Dental Students. Dentistry Journal 10 (4) 60. DOI: 10.3390/dj10040060.
  • Barwacz, C. A., Shah, K. C., Bittner, N., Parker, W., Neumeier, T. T., Thalji, G. N. & De Kok, I. J. (2021). A Retrospective, Multicenter, Cross-Sectional Case Series Study Evaluating Outcomes of CAD/CAM Abutments on Implants from Four Manufacturers: 4-Year Mean Follow-up. The International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Implants 36 (5) 966-976. DOI: doi: 10.11607/jomi.8840. PMID: 34698723.
  • Barwacz, C. A., Summerwill, M. & Avila-Ortiz, G. (2021). Immediate Single Tooth Replacement Therapy Leveraging Digital Workflows. International Journal of Oral Implantology 14 (3) 321-333. PMID: 34415131.
  • Barwacz, C. A. (2021). Digital Dental Technology: A Means to an End, or an End Itself? Perhaps it May Be Both. (Vols. 52). (7), pp. 22. ADA News.
  • Antonious, M., Couso-Queiruga, E., Barwacz, C., Gonzalez-Martin, O. & Avila-Ortiz, G. (2021). Evaluation of a Minimally Invasive Alveolar Ridge Reconstruction Approach in Post-Extraction Dehiscence Defects: A Case Series Study. International Journal of Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry 41 (3) 335-345. DOI: 10.11607/prd.4785. PMID: 34076630.

Selected Grants & Contracts

  • An open, prospective, multicenter clinical investigation to evaluate clinical outcome of PrimeTaper EV implant in extraction sockets and healed ridges- A 5 year clinical investigation; Dentsply Sirona; Barwacz, Christopher A (Principal Investigator)
  • Ultrasonographic Tissue Perfusion and Angiogenic Healing Around Immediately Placed Implants With or Without Soft Tissue Augmentation; Geistlich Pharma AG; Barwacz, Christopher A (Co-Investigator), Garaicoa, Carlos (Co-Investigator), Wang, I-Ching (Principal Investigator)
  • A Retrospective Multicenter Study Evaluating ATLANTIS Abutments on Implants from Four Manufacturers; Dentsply Implants; Barwacz, Christopher A (Principal Investigator)
  • An open, prospective, randomized, multicenter study comparing Osseospeed Plus with Osseospeed TX in partially edentulous maxillae and mandibles. A 5-year follow up.; Dentsply Implants (PDPA); Clark Stanford, DDS, PhD (Principal Investigator), Barwacz, Christopher A (Principal Investigator)
  • Characterization of the Role of Peri-Implant Cytokine and Bone-Metabolism Mediators in Contemporary Implant Abutment Materials and Genetic Syndromes; NIH; Barwacz, Christopher A (Principal Investigator)
  • Prospective, Comparative Assessment of Single-Tooth Replacement In Different Implant Abutment-Interface Settings; Dentsply Implants, AB; Barwacz, Christopher A (Principal Investigator)
  • Clinical, radiographic and histomorphotmetric analysis of healing dynamics in human extraction sockets grafted with Bio-Oss Collagen®: A prospective 3-year post-loading study.; Geistlich Pharma AG; Romero-Bustillos, Miguel (Co-Investigator), Allareddy, Trishul (Co-Investigator), Swenson, Madeline (Co-Investigator), Barwacz, Christopher (Co-Investigator), Avila-Ortiz, Gustavo (Principal Investigator)
  • Clinical, Radiographic, and Histomorphometric Analysis of Astra Tech Implant EV Placed and Immediately Provisionalized Into Preserved Alveolar Ridges: A Prospective 3-Year Outcomes Study; Dentsply Sirona Implants, NA; Xie, Xian Jin (Statistician), Avila-Ortiz, Gustavo (Co-Investigator), Barwacz, Christopher A (Principal Investigator)
  • Peri-Implant Mucosa Dynamics Around Divergent and Concave Atlantis Abutment Transition Profiles; Dentsply Implants, AB; Barwacz, Christopher A (Principal Investigator)
  • Comparison of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines and Bone Metabolism Mediators Around Laser-Lok and Machined Transmucosal Abutments: A Pilot, Randomized Clinical Trial; Biohorizons IPH, Inc.; Barwacz, Christopher A (Principal Investigator)