Cerritos, Calif. – October 31, 2026 -- Millennium Dental Technologies and the Institute for Advanced Laser Dentistry (IALD) announced the death of Professor Raymond A. Yukna, DMD, MS (1942-2026). His 2007 human histology study gave the LANAP protocol, a minimally invasive laser treatment for moderate to severe periodontal disease, some of its earliest and most influential scientific validation.
Yukna's 2007 study documented new connective tissue attachment in humans
Yukna's research began with an International Association for Dental Research (IADR) abstract in 2003. He submitted his landmark study to the International Journal of Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry in 2006, and it was published in 2007. The work demonstrated cementum-mediated new connective tissue attachment in humans and gave the periodontal community evidence of the protocol's regenerative potential.
Laser periodontal therapy faced skepticism within the specialty at the time. According to the companies, the study opened the door to broader acceptance of LANAP in periodontics. It also laid the foundation for additional human histological studies, expanded university research and more than two decades of continued investigation.
Yukna trained about 350 clinicians hands-on and lectured at roughly 130 BootCamps
As an IALD Certified Instructor, Yukna served as hands-on clinical instructor for approximately 350 LANAP-trained clinicians. He lectured at roughly 130 Laser BootCamps, which helped educate well over 1,000 clinicians during his years with the IALD and Millennium Dental Technologies.
Sessions took place in Denver during his tenure at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, throughout New York and later at the company's Cerritos facility.
Yukna held dual board certification and professorships at two universities
Yukna was a Diplomate of both the American Board of Periodontology and the American Board of Oral Medicine. He was Professor of Advanced Periodontal Therapies at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine and Professor Emeritus at Louisiana State University.
He discussed the emerging science of laser-assisted periodontal regeneration with Millennium co-founders Robert H. Gregg II, DDS, and Delwin K. McCarthy, DDS. The companies said many periodontists first adopted LANAP because they trusted his scientific integrity.