Dr. Arthur W.S. Wood, C.M., D.D.S.,F.R.C.D. (C), was probably the most honoured dentist in Canada. He was a Member of the Order of Canada (C.M.), appointed on April 19, 1991, and his investiture was held on October 30, 1991. He was presented the title by the Governor General, The Hon. Ray Hnatyshyn.
The award was in recognition of his contribution to sports medicine, and in particular, the mouth guard. The Governor General’s office noted “ He is one of Canada’s foremost paediatric dentists who has dedicated himself to the prevention of sports injuries through developing, producing and testing protective devices for young athletes involved in contact sports. Thousands of children, parents and coaches have been indebted to him for his work in producing an effective mouth-guard and the child’s head-form, “Allan Average” used for testing sports protective headgear.”
He was also the Historian Emeritus of the Academy for Sports Dentistry, which was founded in 1983 in San Antonio, Texas. He was given the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation. In 1971, Dr. Wood was inducted into the Mississauga Hockey League Hall of Fame and, in 1984 was inducted into the Mississauga Sports Hall of Fame. His interests and community involvement went beyond that of sports. Dr. Wood was a founding member of the award winning Mississauga Traffic Safety Council and was given a lifetime membership to this committee by the City of Mississauga Council. The City established the Dr. Arthur Wood Safety Award to be awarded to an outstanding member of the community involved in traffic safety. On June 1, 2005, retired Peel Police Staff Sgt. Dave Yakichuk became its first recipient. One month later, on July 11, 2005, Dr. Wood passed away peacefully at his residence.
Dr. Wood was the first Canadian to take graduate training in paediatric dentistry and he held a life membership in the Toronto Academy of Dentistry. He was awarded the Canadian Dental Association Distinguished Service Award for contributions to the prevention of traumatic facial injuries in sports and the Volunteer Service Award from the Province of Ontario.
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