“Most of my week as a Periodontist is dedicated to serving the community of Stafford and surrounding areas, as well as our military population. For the past few years, I joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a Periodontist in the Dental Clinic, hoping to combine my interests and provide quality periodontal care, while helping advance our understanding of periodontal disease pathogenesis.

Briefly, I received my Dental degree from Sweden and my Periodontology Certificate from Boston University. I am a diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology since 2014 in Periodontology and Implant Dentistry. My Doctorate in Oral Microbiology was focused on novel microorganisms in childhood caries and early periodontitis. To master clinical trial principals, I completed my MS in Epidemiology from Harvard School of Public Health and a Certificate in Oral Epidemiology from Harvard School of Dental Medicine, while supported by a National Institute of Health (NIH) grant. As an Assistant Professor at Boston University (2011-2016), I trained over 600 pre and post graduate dental students. I have been clinically active as a Periodontist in diverse environments for over 13 years including academia, community health and private practice.

Below you will find more detailed information about my dental journey. I am really looking forward to helping my patients in their journey to periodontal and oral health, which is so closely related to quality of life and other health outcomes.”

Dr. Eleni Kanasi, DDS, MS, PhD, CAGS, FICD is a caring and highly specialized Board Certified Periodontist with an extensive background in Implant Dentistry and Periodontology. A second generation dentist, Dr. Kanasi followed in her parent’s footsteps with pride and passion. Apart from Stafford Oral Surgery and Specialists, Dr. Kanasi is a part-time Periodontist at the Dental Clinic of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

She received her dental degree (DDS) from Sweden in 2003. Her education continued in Boston, where with the support of the National Institutes of Health (T32) she received a Master’s of Science (MS) degree in Epidemiology from Harvard School of Public Health in 2006 and a Certificate in Oral Epidemiology from Harvard School of Dental Medicine in 2007.

In 2008, Dr. Kanasi completed her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Oral Microbiology, a collaborative program between the Forsyth Institute in Boston and Umea University in Sweden. Her thesis focused on the bacterial identification of initial periodontal disease and rampant childhood caries. In 2011, Dr. Kanasi graduated from Boston University with her Periodontology Specialty (CAGS) and received her Periodontology Board Certification in 2014.

Dr. Eleni Kanasi was an Assistant Professor at Boston University Departments of Periodontology and General Dentistry from 2011 to 2016. From 2013 to 2016, Dr. Kanasi was selected among multiple faculty members to be a Group Practice Leader, responsible for comprehensive treatment planning of all the patients entering the group practice at Boston University. She was also selected by the Dean to serve as a member of the Admission’s Committee and elected a University wide faculty council representative of the Dental School for four consecutive years. Dr. Kanasi also took part in faculty development initiatives and leadership trainings.

During that time she served as the active Periodontist at Boston University (2011-2016), Whittier Street Dental Health Center in Boston, Massachusetts (2013-2016) and practiced Periodontology and Implant Dentistry at the Faculty Practice of Boston University until 2016. Serving two different populations (the underserved and the one with access to care) gave a different perspective in her life and has led Dr. Kanasi to give back to the community and children through Early Head Start programs, Preschool dental education and as the Team Smiles organizer to benefit underprivileged children and their families.

She has authored and co-authored multiple publications and book chapters. Dr. Kanasi has also received multiple awards including in 2014 the prestigious 10 Under 10 award by the Massachusetts Dental Society that honors the top ten dentist who graduated in the past 10 years and made significant contributions to the profession and the community and organized dentistry.

Dr. Kanasi is a member of the American Dental Association, the American Board of Periodontology, the American Academy of Periodontology and was honorarily inducted to the International College of Dentistry (FICD) in 2013 where she maintains her membership. She has been practicing in Northern Virginia since 2016 and is proud to currently serve the Stafford area patient population. In her free time Dr. Kanasi enjoys travelling and spending time with her two daughters and her husband.

• Education:

• • Sweden – DDS (2003)
  • Harvard School of Public Health – Master’s of Science (MS) degree in Epidemiology (2006)
  • Harvard School of Dental Medicine – Certificate in Oral Epidemiology (2007)
  • Forsyth Institute (Boston)/Umea University (Sweden) – Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Oral Microbiology (2008)
  • Boston University – Periodontology Specialty (2011)

• Certifications:

• • Periodontology Board Certification
  • CPR certification
  • Nitrous oxide sedation

• Interests:

• • Travelling
  • Spending time with family
  • Helping the community through volunteering and National Institutes of Health involvement