| | Dean's Message
Over the last five years, the college has made remarkable progress in our research discovery mission. Over that time, we have nearly doubled our external funding. Throughout the history of our college, our research has consistently made a difference in the dental profession and in the lives of patients, and that continues today. With a healthy mix of established researchers and rising stars, as well as an excellent balance between basic science, translational and clinical, and population-based research, we are on the cutting-edge of dental and oral health research. Our excellent faculty have made the most of their opportunities and are making great strides, and our research staff—especially the Iowa Institute staff—have consistently gone above and beyond to support our faculty and our college. Because of these on-going efforts, we are looking forward to even greater successes. Cheers! ~Clark Stanford | | | Updates for January 27, 2022–February 2, 2022 | | | | The National Institutes of Health awarded Shaoping Zhang, assistant professor of periodontics, and his team a 5-year, $1.95 million R01 grant to assess and understand the role of type I interferon (IFN-I) in periodontal disease. This major research project is part of Iowa Dentistry’s efforts to advance research and discovery—producing novel translational research that can treat those who suffer from periodontitis. | | | The University of Iowa College of Dentistry is pleased to announce the 2023 Seed Grant Awards. This is the third year of the seed grant program, and these grants fund innovative projects from early-career investigators or established investigators who are developing a new line of research. | | | | During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the concern that COVID-19 could spread through aerosol transmission led to the closure of dental offices in Iowa and around the country. The College of Dentistry remained open for emergency care during this period, limiting treatment to non-aerosol procedures. As clinics returned to comprehensive care, the college remained concerned about the safety of returning to patient care with open operatory designs. To help address this concern, the college reached out for help to an aerosol expert at the College of Public Health, Renee Anthony, and the University’s Occupational Safety Specialist, Justin Newnum. Anthony and Newnum, along with Nicholas D’Antonio and dentistry's own Mike Kanellis and Brian Howe conducted a study on the risk of the college's aerosol-generating procedures. The study found that the risks, given the college's preventive efforts, were minimal. Recently their published paper on the topic earned the David L. Swift Award for Best Aerosol Paper in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. | | | The Iowa Section of the AADOCR Annual Meeting On February 14, researchers will showcase their projects at the 2023 Iowa Section of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research. Students, faculty, and guests will present their research during the day, and a banquet will follow in the evening. Please join us for an exciting day for our research! | | | | The Iowa Dental Foundation (IDF) is currently accepting scholarship applications. All dental (D3s), dental hygiene, dental assistant, and dental lab technician students are encouraged to apply. Dental students may receive up to $5,000 and all other dental professional students up to $750. The total number of scholarships awarded and amounts vary each year. For more information or to see past awardees, visit the IDF webpage.
Completed applications must be submitted by March 31. | | | Cocoa, Coffee, and Conversations TODAY UI Unity Week is a campus-wide effort celebrating our welcoming and inclusive culture over the past year while looking ahead at the year to come.
The College of Dentistry’s International Affairs and Planning Committee, the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and the Staff Development Committee invite everyone to attend “Cocoa, Coffee, and Conversations” on Friday, January 27 from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm in W220B. Stop by for a cup of hot chocolate or coffee and a dessert. Feel free to bring your lunch and stay for a while! Catch up with old friends or meet someone new.
This event is for all students, residents, staff, and faculty. | | | | Cristina Vidal, assistant professor of operative dentistry, speaks about the research opportunities in her department. | | | Don Engebretson's review: "Mr. Farley and his classmate were very knowledgeable and professional. All departments I dealt with courteous and treated me with respect. Highly recommended." | | | | Dias FA, Vidal CMP, Comnick CL, Xie XJ, Berger SB. Effect of silver nanoparticles associated with fluoride on the progression of root dentin caries in vitro. PLoS One. 2023 Jan 20;18(1):e0277275. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277275. PMID: 36662694; PMCID: PMC9858332.
Root dentin caries is becoming increasingly prevalent, especially among older adults. Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is an extremely effective, safe, and non-invasive treatment that protects dentin from caries. The major drawback of SDF is that it darkens the surface of a tooth. One proposed alternative to SDF is to use silver nanoparticles as part of a fluoride varnish. This study evaluated whether this alternative is effective at preventing root caries progression. Although both treatments potentially prevent dentin degradation during caries lesion progression in vitro; the team found that SDF was more effective at inhibiting further tissue demineralization.
| | | Hawkeye Trailblazers: The first research institute symposium In 1977, the college's research institute held a symposium for the first time. It was the first of many such symposiums intended to support dental, oral, and craniofacial researchers at Iowa. | | Events
January 31, Seminars in Dental Research: Afsar Naqvi, "Viruses in Periodontal Disease Pathogenesis," hosted by Juhi Uttamani, W220A/B, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
February 10, Live Distance Course: Dealing with Interesting Pediatric Patients, Kecia Leary and Heidi Steinkamp, 8:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
February 24, Dental Alumni Reception in conjunction with the Chicago Mid-Winter Meeting, Blackstone Hotel, Chicago, IL, 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
March 10, Live Distance Course: Digital Smile Planning: Veneer preps, computer design, and material’s indication, Thiago Porter, 8:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
April 14, Live Distance Course: Thinking Game for Maxillary Full Arch Implant Restorations, Aaron Cho, 8:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
May 5, Dental Alumni Reception in conjunction with IDA Annual Meeting, Cedar Rapids, IA, 4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
September 15-16, Dentistry Alumni Reunion Weekend
Notes and Resources
Lend a helping hand. Due to family caregiving needs, Alanna Keating has exhausted her sick leave and vacation. If you would like to help Alanna by contributing vacation time, please go to the following website: CAT Leave, and click on “Catastrophic Leave Donation Form.”
M-R: 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; F: 7:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
The banner Hawkeye Smile image shows Herky with Amanda Shoemaker, the director of alumni relations and continuing education. | | | |
