Dr. Ioannis Georgakopoulos

Dr. Georgakopoulos is an oral surgeon and implantologist who serves as the president of WAGRO International (Word Academy of Growth Factors and Stem Cells in dentistry) and a Regent to the Global Summits Institute. Born close to the sea in the beautiful city of Athens, Greece. He has lived outside of Greece and in Africa and Asia throughout his life and attributes much of his personality to the influence of such vast cultures. 

From a very young age, Dr. Georgakopoulos had an attraction to danger leading him to participate in various sports. At the age of 17, he parachuted for the first time and years later was involved in acrobatic skydiving groups. This, Dr. Georgakopoulos says, ultimately contributed to him choosing dentistry as his profession of 34 years. 

After graduating from high school, Dr. Georgakopoulos completed military school in Greece. He served as an officer in the Special Forces for several years. It was during this time that a botched parachute operation ended with Dr. Georgakopoulos hitting the ground hard on his lower jaw. “My contact with the great doctor who operated on me without leaving any marks on my face affected me, and that was the reason why I decided to become a dentist,” says Georgakopoulos. “You see, life often plays strange games with our decisions.” 

Graduating from the Dental School at the University of Athens, Dr. Georgakopoulos later studied at the Medical School of Patras University in Rio, Greece where he also received his Ph.D. He would go on to complete postgraduate programs at various other universities in Austria, Italy, Greece, and the USA. One such postgraduate program was an executive MBA from the Athens University of Economics and Business. 

Dr. Georgakopoulos has specialized over the years in growth factors and stem cells. He received his Master’s degree in oral surgery and implantology at the University of Bari “Aldo Moro” in Italy after studying Oral Biology. As both an oral surgeon and implantologist, he is constantly working in his field and enriching his knowledge of the applications and methods of molecular biology in Oral Surgery and Dental Implantology. 

When asked where he sees the dental industry going in the next 5 years, Dr. Georgakopoulos responded with, “The technological developments in science and consequently in our lives in recent years are rapid and of course they could not fail to influence dentistry. As a result, every year we see developments in new technologies. At the same time, the demands of patients have changed, they are much higher. For example, nobody wants dentures anymore – they prefer stable teeth, which are only achieved through implants.” He further projects that what we consider classical dentistry will no longer exist in developing countries in a few years. With digital technology, non-traumatic surgery, and molecular biology now being used by many dentists in their daily practices, even the most skeptical dentists are slowly changing and trying to harmonize. 

“If dentists want to be competitive, they must follow the trends of the times and the developments in science. To do so, they not only have to keep their eyes open but also be open-minded and think outside the box.” 

In 2019, Dr. Georgakopoulos attended the G20 Summit at Lake Forest, California. It was here he met with Dr. Kianor Shah, founder of the Global Summits Institute, and forged a relationship that would lead to a regency position with the Summit. Speaking to Dr. Shah’s doctor-to-doctor movement, Georgakopoulos says, “The doctor-to-doctor movement is a brilliant idea, which in my opinion will positively influence all dentists involved. It offers new possibilities in the relationship between dentists, dental education, and dental companies. Although it is still in its infancy, I believe it will be a great success.” 

In his closing statement to Top Doctor Magazine, Dr. Georgakopoulos explained that his goals for the future are to continue growing in his knowledge, and when he can no longer do that, teach others. His wish is that WAGRO will become more widespread and travel to more countries, offering university degrees combined with live clinical education. Recently offered a position as Dean of a newly founded European Dental School, Dr. Georgakopoulos encourages readers of this article to “always dare to achieve goals that we dream of, no matter how far they seem to be. Have trust and love for oneself, but also for everything around us.”