An interview with Eiji Tanaka

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics for the opportunity to conduct this interview with professor Eiji Tanaka, a brilliant scientist and dear friend of mine. Eiji Sensei, as he is affectionately known in Japan, is a simple and very charismatic man. I consider him a fatigueless scientist and a talented supporter who encourages others to develop their skills. I never forget his favorite quote: “No pain, no gain”. We were once watching a show about the therapeutic use of ultrasound to recover David Beckham’s bone lesion during the World Cup 2006, when Eiji said: “Why nobody uses ultrasound to recover dental tissues?” From that point onwards, he became the pioneer of studies on the topic in Orthodontics, particularly with regards to root resorption. Professor Tanaka holds a DDS and PhD degree in Orthodontics from Osaka University. He is a former associate professor from Hiroshima University and has been the head of the Department of Orthodontics and Facial Orthopedics at The University of Tokushima since 2008. He is also a member of the Journal of Biomechanics and Journal of Dental Research editorial board, and associate editor of the Annals of Biomedical Engineering. Moreover, professor Tanaka has more than 180 articles published in renowned international periodicals. His studies mainly focus on the following: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) biomechanics, therapeutic application of low-intensity ultrasound in Tissue Engineering and development of genetic approaches towards treatment of atrophic and degenerative TMJ muscle disease. » DDS, Osaka University, Japan.