PAUL KEYES

KEYES PAUL HATHAWAY KEYES D.D.S., M.S. An award-winning and internationally-renowned dental researcher passed away peacefully in his sleep at Knollwood Military Retirement Residence on February 7, 2017, three months shy of his 100th birthday. Dr. Keyes was born May 3, 1917 in New York City and was the cherished son of Francis Hathaway Keyes and Lawrence Keyes and the beloved husband of the late Doris Jean Keyes who died November 1, 2015 at the age of 101. Dr. Keyes graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 1941 as the academically top-ranked student in his class. He completed a M.S. in anatomy in 1947 from University of Rochester, and a research fellowship in orthodontics in 1948 from Harvard School of Dental Medicine, where he was on the faculty until 1954. Paul Keyes then had a distinguished 27-year research career at the National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, MD, where he made landmark discoveries about dental caries (tooth decay) and periodontal (gum) disease. Dr. Keyes demonstrated that serious tooth decay is caused by a contagious streptococcal infection that becomes active when sugar remains in the mouth too long. His groundbreaking research on dental caries is described as initiating a "revolution" in dental research, and in 1977 he was co-recipient of the inaugural Caries Research Award from the International Association for Dental Research for his lifetime dental caries research accomplishments. In periodontal disease research, Paul Keyes was the first to demonstrate in 1946 the essential role of bacterial dental plaque in the onset of periodontal tissue breakdown, and was among the first in 1975 to employ anti-infective agents and microbiological testing in non-surgical periodontal therapy. The wide use today of baking soda in toothpastes and home oral hygiene regimens is largely attributable to Dr. Keyes. During the late 1970s-1990s, Paul Keyes was arguably the most well-known and controversial dentist in the dental profession and among the lay public as a result of his advocacy of conservative, non-surgical, anti-infective periodontal therapy (known as the Keyes technique), a program of self-care that included baking soda and peroxide as a dentifrice. Interviews of Dr. Keyes appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines: The Washington Post, The New York Times, Modern Maturity, People, Reader's Digest, Saturday Evening Post, Newsweek, and Forbes. His work was the subject of Walter Cronkite's Universe program at the time of his retirement from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Keyes authored over 128 dental research articles/book chapters, including one published in early 2016 when he was 98 years old. Dr. Keyes loved caring for his wife Doris, tinkering in his study, listening to his vast classical CD collection, visits from his family, and very rare beef. He will be remembered fondly as a man with a quiet appreciative smile who grilled the best chicken ever, who took forever to snap the family Christmas photo, and who tolerated teenagers with grace. Dr. Keyes is survived by his son, John Macdonald and wife, Martha. He is also survived by his stepdaughters, Jill Howell (Maxwell), Joan Torrence, and Julia Brebner (Jimmy); grandchildren, Kristen Graham (George), Andy Bauer, Greg Bauer (Valerie), Kathleen Callaghan, Daniel Callaghan (Alex), Kim Torrence, Meredith Brebner and Kevin Brebner and eight great-grandchildren, Gillian and Geordie Graham, Marc, Alicia, Lucia and Sandra Bauer, Sophie and Olivia Callaghan. A memorial service will be held in the spring at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations may be made to the church, 9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.A memorial service will be held in the spring at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations may be made to the church, 9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.