| | Dean's Message
Welcome to our new D1 students! We are so glad that you are here. Although it is an accomplishment just to make it this far, you have so much to look forward to over your next four years at Iowa. You'll forge new and long-lasting friendships, grow as a person and a dentist, serve your first patients later this academic year, and at the end of four years, you will be independent, competent dentists ready to make a difference in our profession. I know that last part is a little intimidating—I know it was for me. We hope that your first week gave you a true Hawkeye welcome! Thank you to our admissions and student affairs offices for organizing this week's orientation. Cheers! ~Clark Stanford | | | Updates for August 18, 2023–August 24, 2023 | | | | The College of Dentistry’s new department chair in Preventive and Community Dentistry Leo Marchini grew up in Brazil with a father as a dentist, so it would make sense that Marchini would end up in the profession himself, even though he didn’t want to at first. | | | Iowa has long been a leader in caries research, fluoride, and dental fluorosis. A new bibliometric analysis published in the journal Caries Research highlighted the contributions of members of the Iowa Fluoride Study research team in this body of research. Among the 100 most cited papers identified in the study (as of November 2021), the University of Iowa had more publications than any other institution (12), and four members of the Iowa Fluoride Study research team were among the top 10 authors for those most cited papers, including Steve Levy (#1), John Warren (tied for #2), the late Jim Wefel (tied for #4), and Mary Kiritsy (tied for #4). | | | | 2023 All-College Conference On Monday, Iowa Dentistry hosted our annual All-College Conference. Several faculty and staff members provided relevant updates on cyber security, clinic protocols, and the overall direction of the college. Department chairs and faculty introduced new faculty and staff, and faculty received teaching awards. And UI President Barbara Wilson joined us to talk about the overall state of the university and to answer questions. The semester is off and running! | | | On August 16, Iowa Dentistry held a grant celebration in honor of Huojun Cao and Eric Van Otterloo's new grant for their project investigating the genetic underpinnings of tooth development. The long-term goal of their work is to better understand tooth development so that new regenerative treatments for teeth can be developed. As a tradition, Dean Stanford presented the group teddy bears to the PIs and their support staff. | | | | Azeez Butali, Nigerian native and Gilbert Lily endowed professor of oral pathology, radiology, and medicine, and professor at the Iowa Institute for Oral Health in the UI College of Dentistry, delivered a keynote address during the 2023 International Student Graduation Celebration. Here are five tips he gave to graduates to help them succeed in the future. | | | Debbie Mazzocco honored for 10 years of service with Iowa Dentistry Clinic administration celebrated Debbie Mazzocco's ten years of service and her retirement from Iowa Dentistry. For the last decade, Debbie Mazzocco has been a dedicated manager and stabilizing force for the Faculty General Practice and clinic administration more generally. Whether its hiring, supervising, training, and organizing schedules for dental assistants and dental hygienists, Debbie has been a consistently dedicated servant leader. We wish you the best in your retirement! | | | | Iowa Dentistry welcomes Sophie Woodley Sophie Woodley is a new Support Services Specialist in the Oral Surgery clinic. She recently graduated from the University of Iowa with Bachelor’s degree in Health Studies, and previously worked at a chiropractic clinic in Coralville. Sophie says that she enjoys doing anything outdoors, listening to music, and trying new places to eat. Sophie said, "I’m super excited to get to work and be apart of the team!" | | | Are you a dentist who extracts teeth? If yes, the University of Iowa College of Dentistry needs you! The college is looking for extracted teeth for student courses and projects. If you are a dentist who extracts teeth, please consider saving the extracted teeth and sending them to the College of Dentistry. Dental students use the teeth to learn pre-clinical procedures. For more information, please contact Hunter Floyd at 319.335.7151 or hunter-floyd@uiowa.edu. | | | | Stevie Griffin's review: "Dr. Handoo was exceptional! She listened to all my concerns and didn't rush through the appointment. Everyone I encountered went out of their to be friendly and courteous!" | | | Marshall TA, Laurence B, Qian F, Robinson-Warner G, Handoo N, Anderson C. Food insecurity is associated with lower diet quality among dental students. J Dent Educ. 2023 Aug 3. doi: 10.1002/jdd.13344. PMID: 37537836.
The research team from the University of Iowa and Howard University investigated the relationship between food insecurity and quality of diet among dental students at both institutions. Food insecurity is when a person lacks access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle usually due food being unavailable or unaffordable. Food insecurity is associated with poverty, and it tends to result in lower quality diets, adverse health outcomes, and academic difficulties for students. The research team found that students with food insecurity (46.0%) were slightly older and more likely to be Black or other, first generation professional/graduate students, and receive financial aid than peers with food security (p < 0.050). They also found that food insecurity was associated with lower intakes of fruits and vegetables (p ≤ 0.005), higher intakes of added sugars (p < 0.001), and lower diet quality (p = 0.003). In linear regression analyses that controlled for other variables, food insecurity (p = 0.012), school site (p = 0.027), and gender (p = 0.039) were predictive of lower diet quality. The researchers concluded that addressing food insecurity among dental students is necessary to ensure equitable opportunities for a healthy workforce in the future. | | Events
August 25, Prospective DDS Student Interview Day
August 30, Prospective DDS Student Interview Day
September 12, Research Seminar: Chad Novince, Medical University of South Carolina, "“Commensal Microbiota, a Dynamic Regulator of Skeletal Metabolism," hosted by Heidi Steinkamp, Galagan B, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
September 15-16, Dentistry Alumni Reunion Weekend
September 8, Prospective DDS Student Interview Day
September 22, Prospective DDS Student Interview Day
October 5, Prospective DDS Student Interview Day
October 6, Dental Alumni Reception in Orlando, Florida (in conjunction with the ADA Annual Meeting)
October 13-14, IMOM, Waterloo Convention Center, Sullivan Brothers Plaza, 200 W Fourth Street, Waterloo, IA.
October 20, Prospective DDS Student Interview Day
November 3, Prospective DDS Student Interview Day
November 9, Prospective DDS Student Interview Day
November 15, Virtual Prospective DDS Student Interview Day
Notes and Resources
Hours: 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 Shaoping Zhang, an assistant professor in periodontics, with Herky. | | | |
