Dr. Leslie P. Laing

Lecture Synopsis

1) Tricks and tips in the fabrication of removable dentures will be presented with the objectives of making comfortable, well-fitting, aesthetic, and appropriately functioning removable prosthetics.

2) Sjogren’s Disease (SjD) is an overlooked, frequently mis-diagnosed auto-immune disease that deserves more than a multiple-choice question as to what causes dry mouth. In addition to “busting” several myths about SjD, ways to make the mouth less dry, less prone to dental decay, and to distinguish various auto-immune diseases intra-orally will be presented.

Biography

My undergraduate background includes Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Waterloo, and Life Sciences and Education at the University of Toronto. After teaching high-school level Biology and Mathematics in Ottawa for four years, I spent a year at the Université de Lausanne in Switzerland which was the impetus for seeking further graduate training. I then completed an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology at Queen’s University in Kingston, where I was introduced to auto-immune diseases, and where my interest particularly in Sjögren’s Disease, or Sjögren’s Syndrome as it was called at the time, was sparked. Upon graduation, I returned to the University of Toronto to complete a post-doctoral fellowship and become an Immunologist at a research institution, Allelix Biopharmaceuticals. I taught Biology at the University of Toronto Schools before returning to the University of Toronto for my Dentistry and Prosthodontic specialty training. For over ten years I was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Prosthodontics at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto and am currently a Clinical Associate in Dentistry. I continue to work part-time in private practices in Toronto, Mississauga, and Brockville devoted to implant and Prosthodontic dentistry, where I have also established Sjögren’s Disease/Dry Mouth Resource Centres. I continue to conduct research projects on various aspects of Sjögren’s Disease and other causes of dry mouth. Since January 2020, I have been the sole Prosthodontist and Dry Mouth Specialist at Toronto Public Health Dental and Oral Care Clinics providing over 550 removable dentures to low-income seniors. I was recently awarded the Queen’s Toronto Alumni Branch Tricolour Champion (2020) and the Queen’s University Alumni Association Humanitarian Award (2022). I am honoured to be the current President of the Sjögren’s Society of Canada, co-chair of its Medical Advisory Board, and member of its Board of Directors.