I am most appreciative of the article "Ex-Dentist Cited For Pain Research," which you wrote about me in a recent People column (The Scientist, Dec. 11, 1989, page 22). However, citing me as an "ex-dentist" is incorrect and has caused considerable embarrassment. I have conducted research at the National Institute of Dental Research for more than 25 years and am very proud of my association with dentistry. My dental training has provided the clinical expertise for much of my research on acute and chronic pain. Furthermore, it was my educational background in dentistry that led directly to my interests in basic mechanisms of somatic sensation and pain.

RONALD DUBNER
National Institute of Dental Research
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Md.

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