Meet The Doctors
Oral Surgery Dr. Kenji W. Higuchi, D.D.S., M.S. F.A.C.D., F.I.C.D
Dr. Kenji W. Higuchi is a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in the private practice of oral and maxillofacial surgery with Drs. Higuchi and Skinner PS emphasizing reconstructive oral and maxillofacial surgery and since 1984 has been the director of The Spokane Center for Tissue Integrated Reconstruction.
Dr. Higuchi completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, his D.D.S. from Marquette University School of Dentistry and served 4 years on active duty in the U.S. Army including an internship at Letterman General Hospital at the Presido in San Francisco. He obtained his residency with a M.S. in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at University Hospitals at the University of Iowa and has held past full-time and adjunct academic appointments at that institution. Dr. Higuchi has been a visiting professor at eight American and 14 international university centers.
Since 1982, he has closely collaborated with Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark, the “Father of Osseointegration” in research, the development of implant procedures, clinical studies, and advanced surgical courses in institutions throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and South America.
During the years 1986-2000, Dr. Higuchi participated in nine separate multi-center prospective clinical trials involving partial edentulism, single tooth replacement, wide diameter implant study, guided tissue regeneration, orthodontic anchorage, craniofacial prosthesis reconstruction, the zygoma fixture, the Brånemark Novum treatment of the edentulous mandible, and recombinant bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP-2) sinus floor augmentation trials and multiple animal studies on implant loading in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with Professor John Brunski. He has authored or co-authored 42 publications including chapters in eleven textbooks while editing “Rehabilitation of Complex Cleft Palate and Craniomaxillofacial Defects”, eds Brånemark, Higuchi, Oliveira and, “Orthodontic Applications of Osseointegrated Implants”, ed Higuchi.
Dr. Higuchi has lectured at over 130 national and international conferences in 29 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and South America and is a consultant for the Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research and The International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Implants. He is a fellow of the American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists and the International Academy of Oral Facial Rehabilitation. For six years he served as an examiner on the Advisory Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and acted as chairman for Surgery IV (major oral and maxillofacial Surgery) for two years. He is a past Regional Advisor for the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and past chairman of The Implant Section of The Parameters of Care for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and has served as a consultant to the Council on Accreditation for the American Dental Association. He maintains active medical staff privileges at Valley Hospital and Medical Center, Sacred Heart Medical Center and Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane, Washington.
In 2008, Dr. Higuchi and Professor John Brunski founded OsseoConception LLC which provides consultation in research design, innovation and development in the field of osseointegration. Dr. Higuchi and his wife, Mary, have four adult children, five grandchildren and are long-term Spokane residents. An avid sports fan, Dr. Higuchi enjoys running, snow skiing, fly-fishing and travel.