Ann Arbor, MI — July 3, 2012 — Dr. Gerald Charbeneau, who chaired the School of Dentistry’s Department of Operative Dentistry from 1969 to 1986, died July 2.  He was 86 years old.

Dr. Charbeneau earned his dental degree from the U-M School of Dentistry in 1948 and received a master’s degree in pediatric dentistry in 1949.  That year he also went into part-time general practice and taught part time at the School of Dentistry.  He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War from 1952 to 1954, teaching at the School of Aviation Medicine in Montgomery, Alabama.  When he returned to Ann Arbor, he gave up his part-time practice and joined the School of Dentistry as a full-time faculty member. 

During his nearly four decade teaching career at the School of Dentistry, Dr. Charbeneau developed standards and criteria for evaluating dental materials and procedures, particularly in regard to pit and fissure sealants, dental amalgam, and a variety of other restorative materials.  He was senior author and edited a widely used textbook, Principles and Practice of Operative Dentistry, and also was a contributor to the first six editions of Restorative Dental Materials.

In 1989, Dr. Charbeneau was awarded the Hollenbeck Memorial Prize by the Academy of Operative Dentistry for his substantial contributions to the advancement of restorative dentistry.

In addition to serving on numerous School and U-M committees, he was vice chair of the ADA’s Council on Dental Materials, Instruments, and Equipment (1977-1980) and served as vice chair of the American National Standards Institute Committee (1982-1987).

A memorial service is scheduled Wednesday, July 18, at 2 p.m. at the Westside United Methodist Church, 900 S. Seventh St., in Ann Arbor.