David J. Thein, DDS, MSD, MBA, is the program director for the practice management curriculum which spans all four years of dental school. His professional credentials include GPR training in Minneapolis after graduating dental school from UMKC and then continuing with his periodontal specialty certificate and masters’ degree from Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas. He holds a masters’ degree in business with an emphasis on healthcare management from the University of Wisconsin. Prior to coming to the dental school full-time in 2013, Dr. Thein was an adjunct faculty member and owned private practices in periodontics in Overland Park and Kansas City over 30 years.

With his passion for teaching and mentoring students in the business aspects of dentistry, he also advises students and recent grads in career development and employment contract issues. In the private sector, Dr. Thein was an early adopter of minimally-invasive laser procedures to treat periodontal disease (LANAP) and continues this practice today in the Dental Faculty Practice. His practice mission is to help patients achieve the level of health that is important to them in a caring, informative, and professional manner.

Outside of the dental school, Dr. Thein enjoys traveling, boating, fishing, kayaking, and vacationing in Florida. He is married with 3 grown children and spends as much time as possible with them and their young families living in the Kansas City area.