Masahiro Kuwata

Education

Mr. Kuwata, our esteemed founder, was born and educated 
in Japan, where he began his journey and followed a strict protocol to receive his dental technician certification. This protocol dictates that  technicians must first graduate high school, pass an entrance exam, complete two years of formal schooling in dental technology, and then pass a grueling 
exam in order to be licensed by the Japanese government 
as a dental technician.


After completing his graduate education at Aishi College 
in 1962, he was sent to the USA on a scholarship with the 
goal of acquiring skills and knowledge that would benefit the Japanese dental society. He worked with Gerry and Sigmund Katz at Ceramicast in New Jersey where he researched 
and developed ways to improve the bond, strength, and appearance of porcelain-fused-to-metal restorations. In 
the years that followed, he was mentored by some of the greatest names in dentistry, including Ronald Goldstein, 
Clyde Shuyler, George Staussberg, R. Sheldon Stein, Peter K. Thomas, and Peter Dawson.

Influence on the Dental Industry

When his scholarship ended, Mr. Kuwata returned to Japan. 
In 1972, he founded the acclaimed Kuwata College, a school for 
Post Graduate Dental Technology, where licensed dental technicians could further hone their skills and knowledge. He highly valued bringing esteemed dentists and dental technicians to the school 
for skill building sessions and special lectures for students. In 1976, 
he returned to the USA and opened Kuwata Pan Dent in Livingston, NJ. Between 1977 and 1988, he authored two influential books that have been translated into several languages and are still referenced by many dental schools today, Theory and Practice for Ceramo Metal Restoration, and Color Atlas of Ceramo-Metal Technology, volumes 1 & 2.

A Prosthodontic Living Legend

A visionary, Mr. Kuwata  is considered a prosthodontic living legend in the dental industry. He continues to publish articles and books, as well as lectures internationally. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to modern dentistry and in April 2009, the Academy of Prosthodontics named Masahiro Kuwata an Honorary Fellow. In their entire 91-year history, the Academy has bestowed this honor to only one other non-dentist, Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark, the father of Osseointegration.

A Prosthodontic Living Legend

Notable Awards

Master Dental Technologist, 
Japan Academy of Esthetic Dentistry

Kenneth D. Rudd Award, American Prosthodontic Society

Fellow, American Society 
for Dental Esthetics

Visiting Professor at Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine

Outstanding Contribution to the Art 
& Science of Cosmetic Dentistry, AACD

Honorary Member, International College of Dentists

Visiting Professor at 
Tianjin Medical University

Fellow, American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry

Honorary Member, European Academy of Esthetic Dentistry