Dr. Ken Dillehay Named Trustee for American Association of Orthodontists
ST. LOUIS—J. Kendall Dillehay, DDS, MSD, an orthodontist in Wichita, Kan., has been elected to represent the Southwestern Society of Orthodontists (SWSO) on the Board of Trustees of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO).
The AAO is the world’s oldest and largest dental specialty organization. The SWSO is one of eight constituent organizations that make up the AAO, and serves member orthodontists practicing in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana west of the Mississippi River.
The announcement of Dr. Dillehay’s election as the new SWSO trustee was made recently during the AAO’s 112th Annual Session in Honolulu. Dr. Dillehay will become president of the AAO in 2021.
“It is a privilege to be called upon to serve the specialty of orthodontics and the millions of patients who benefit from AAO-member orthodontists’ care,” said Dr. Dillehay. “Our priority is ensuring that the care patients receive is of the highest quality.”
Dr. Dillehay has been an orthodontist since 1982. He completed his undergraduate work at the University of Mississippi. He earned his dental degree, a DDS, at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center (UTHSC), where he also completed his orthodontic residency program, earning an MSD.
Dr. Dillehay is a member of many local, state, regional and national orthodontic and dental organizations. They include the AAO, the SWSO, the Kansas Association of Orthodontists (KAO), the American Dental Association (ADA), the Kansas Dental Association (KDA), and the Wichita District Dental Society (WDDS). He has served in many leadership roles in organized dentistry: as a delegate to the AAO House of Delegates; as a member of the AAO Council on Governmental Affairs; and on a variety of AAO committees. He is a past president of the SWSO, the KAO, the KDA and the WDDS. He is a past first vice president of the ADA, and former ADA Board member.
Dr. Dillehay is the orthodontic specialty examiner for the Kansas Dental Board. He shares his expertise as a member of the Wichita Cleft Palate Team. He is a founding member of the Wichita Sleep Apnea Team, and co-founder of the Mid-America Dental Study Group.
A Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO), Dr. Dillehay is also a member of the College of Diplomates of the ABO, and a Fellow of the American College of Dentists.
Dr. Dillehay is president of the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry Alumni Association, and a member of the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry’s Dean’s Advisory Board. He served as chair of the UTHSC’s Mid-South Dental Conference.
Community service is a priority for Dr. Dillehay. He is a member of the East Wichita Rotary Club and the Kansas Mission of Mercy. Other local organizations and events he supports include the Wichita River Festival, the Wichita Leukemia Society, the Heart and Sole Race, the Sexual Abuse Crisis Center, the Race for the Cure, Wichita schools, Mentor Day and Ducks Unlimited.
Dr. Dillehay has received many awards throughout his career. The American Student Dental Association chose Dr. Dillehay as its Advocate of the Year in 2004. The Kansas Medical Society bestowed its Jiggs Nelson Humanitarian award on Dr. Dillehay in 2008. That same year, he received the KDA’s Harry M. Klenda award. He has been recognized as Dentist of the Year by the KDA and the WDDS. In 2009, Dr. Dillehay received the Service Above Self Award from the East Wichita Rotary Club, and earned a fellowship from the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain.
In addition to his busy private orthodontic practice and activities in professional and civic organizations, Dr. Dillehay lectures frequently at orthodontic residency programs, and to healthcare professionals such as dentists, dental hygienists and school nurses.
Dr. Dillehay and his wife, Rebecca, reside in Wichita. They are the parents of two grown sons: “JK” is an orthodontic resident at the UTHSC; Taylor is a law student at Oklahoma City School of Law.
When Dr. Dillehay is not working or attending a meeting, he enjoys spending time with friends at Table Rock Lake and attending “Ole Miss” football games.
About the American Association of Orthodontists
The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) is comprised of 17,000 members in the United States, Canada and abroad. Founded in 1900, it is the world’s oldest and largest dental specialty organization.
The AAO supports research and education leading to quality patient care. It promotes increased public awareness of the need for and benefits of orthodontic treatment.
Orthodontists are uniquely qualified to correct misaligned teeth and jaws. Following graduation from dental school, orthodontists go on for an additional two-to-three academic years of specialized education in orthodontics at an accredited orthodontic residency program. Only orthodontists are eligible for AAO membership.
The AAO maintains two websites: www.MyLifeMySmile.org and www.AAOinfo.org.
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