Richard J. Vargo, DMD, MBA, DABOMP, FAAOM is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology at A.T. Still University – Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU- MOSDOH) and at the St. Louis Dental Center in St. Louis, MO. For his clinical and didactic teaching at ATSU-MOSDOH, he has received the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Class of 2020, the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Class of 2022, and the Outstanding Specialty Care Unit Director Award from the Class of 2022. He is an oral pathologist with the SSM Health SLUCare Physician Group, where he has a clinical practice in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and a surgical oral pathology practice in the Department of Pathology; an adjunct assistant professor at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine; and on the expert panel of the Missouri Telehealth Network’s Oral Health ECHO.

Dr. Vargo received his undergraduate degree with distinction from the University of Virginia, graduating early in 2010. He earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine in 2015, where he received numerous awards and honors, including the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dr. William S. Kramer Award of Excellence. Subsequently, he completed a residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and earned diplomate status with the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology in 2018. He is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and the American Academy of Oral Medicine. Dr. Vargo completed his MBA with a Healthcare Administration Specialization at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Business in 2022.

Dr. Vargo’s research interests include oral ulcers, dental abnormalities, oral manifestations of HIV and syphilis, and oral effects of cannabis use. He has authored and co-authored numerous publications in peer- reviewed journals and has presented his work both nationally and internationally. He also serves as a peer reviewer for several national and international journals.

In his spare time, he enjoys running; riding his exercise bike; eating baked goods; reviewing restaurants; posting educational oral pathology cases on his Instagram; and cheering on the Virginia Cavaliers, Pitt Panthers, and St. Louis Cardinals.

Guided by Dr. Vargo, participants will journey through the "St. Louis" oral pathology landscape to encounter several exotic oral pathologies. Participants will experience how these cases were diagnosed and managed.

At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Discuss several rare oral pathologies ranging from oral mucosal diseases to dental abnormalities.
• Discuss differences between lichen planus and lichenoid mucositis.
• Discuss the importance of considering alternative diagnoses when first-line therapy is ineffective.
• Discuss nonsurgical approaches to diagnosis and management.

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