College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics

Dean's Message

It's always a treat to see our hallways bustling with activity as all our faculty, staff, residents, and dental students have started their academic years now. Savor this moment—when the present is rich with possibilities, welcome our new people, and let's continue to make the College of Dentistry the best dental school in the country. Cheers! ~Clark Stanford

Clark Stanford with D1 students

Updates for August 26, 2022–September 1, 2022

NIH awards grant to Iowa dental faculty

The National Institutes of Health awarded Steven Levy and his research team a $325K grant to identify factors that are associated with improved oral health-related quality of life through early adulthood among those who participated in the Iowa Fluoride Study. This is the first study that will make predictions about oral-health related quality of life based on longitudinal data.

Damiano on IPR's River to River

Pete Damiano, director of the Public Policy Center and professor of preventive and community dentistry, discussed the newly passed Inflation Reduction Act on Iowa Public Radio's River to River. Damiano is a leading expert on health care and oral health care access. In the episode, host Ben Kieffer spoke with Iowans who will be affected by the law, and with health care experts, including Damiano (he was the second guest speaker), about the key changes that will result from the new law.

Madiloggovit-Lower receives IADR research group award

At the International Association for Dental Research Annual Meeting in June, the IADR Geriatric Oral Research Group awarded Jirakate Madiloggovit-Lower the post-doctoral award for excellence in geriatric oral health research for her project, "Dental Treatment Decision-Making Capacity in People with Various Cognitive Levels." Madiloggovit-Lower is a post-doctoral researcher mentored by Xi Chen, associate professor of preventive and community dentistry.

Oladayo named seminfinalist for trainee award in human genetics research

The American Society of Human Genetics named Abimbola Oladayo, a graduate student in Oral Science, as one of 60 semifinalists for the Charles J. Epstein Trainee Awards for Excellence in Human Genetics Research. This award is a merit-based award that honors excellence in research conducted by predoctoral or postdoctoral trainees. Oladayo competed with over 700 other applicants to receive the honor. Oladayo is presenting her research project, “The perspective of community gatekeepers on genomic risk information in the context of orofacial cleft in an African population,” at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics later this year. Oladayo is mentored by Azeez Butali, professor in the Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research and the Department of Oral Pathology, Radiology, and Medicine.

Sign up today to participate in IMOM

The Iowa Mission of Mercy will be in Des Moines this year on November 4-5. Typically, the College of Dentistry provides a huge amount of support to the event on the Saturday, which will be Nov. 5. This year’s Mission of Mercy will be held on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in the Varied Industries Building (3000 E. Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50317). The clinics take place from 6:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. with all dental care provided for free to those who come and are willing to wait. Services provided to the patients include cleanings, restorations, minor oral surgery, endodontic and periodontal care as well as removable prosthodontics (e.g., “flippers”).

This event is a major public health event for our state, and it is a great opportunity for our students to grow and learn as clinicians while connecting with dentists from all over the State of Iowa. Faculty participation is vital so that students are properly supervised, and it is also important to have dental assistants, hygienists, sterilization staff, dental lab techs, and other support staff.

Please join the College of Dentistry as we seek to help other Iowans. You won't regret this rewarding experience!

Anyone interested in volunteering will need to register on the Iowa Dental Association’s IMOM site.

Dental Pearls interview with Daniel Hoffman

Second-year dental students interview Darren Hoffman

In the Spring semester of the first year of dental school, Iowa dental students have the privilege of learning gross anatomy from Darren Hoffman, associate professor of anatomy and cell biology. This course has an extensive focus on head, neck, and neuroanatomy specifically as it relates to dental practice. Hoffman has taught the course for 16 years, and Jackie Yeh and Mariah Oyen sat down with him for an interview for their podcast, Dental Pearls. Check it out!

The College of Dentistry welcomes Juhi Uttamani

Juhi Uttamani, assistant professor of periodontics, joined the University of Iowa College of Dentistry Department of Periodontics in 2022 after completing her Bachelors of Dental Surgery from Mumbai, India and PhD in Oral Sciences with an advanced postgraduate certificate in periodontology from University Of Illinois at Chicago. She was also a postdoctoral research fellow at UIC. She has also been actively engaged in clinical and translational research with a research interest on identification and characterization of biomolecules and inflammatory markers that modulate periodontal disease and its resolution.

The College of Dentistry welcomes Candace Meyer

Candace Meyer has joined the business office as a service support specialist. She was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and moved to West Branch in 6th grade. She has two boys, ages 22 and 26, and some "very spoiled animals." Prior to joining the business office, she worked for five years at another hospital in registration, patient financial services, and radiology. She said, "I am excited to be here at the College of Dentistry and to learn many new things. I care about patients and want them to have a good experience."

Collaborative and innovative research

Fashina A, Busch T, Young M, Adamson O, Awotoye W, Alade A, Adeleke C, Hassan M, Oladayo AM, Gowans LJJ, Eshete M, Naicker T, Olotu J, Adeyemo WL, Butali A. Investigating the relationship between cancer and orofacial clefts using GWAS significant loci for cancers: A case-control and case-triad study. Front Oral Health. 2022 Aug 5;3:915361. doi: 10.3389/froh.2022.915361. PMID: 35990505; PMCID: PMC9388935.

Several population-based case-control studies have reported concurrent presentation of cancer and congenital malformations, including associations between oral clefting and cancers. Although some results conflict, some studies have reported an increased risk of cancer among 1st-degree relatives of cleft cases and vice versa, and also an excess risk of cancers of the breast, lung, and brain among those with oral clefts. This study aimed to determine if the genetic polymorphisms found in some cancers (and considered to be the genetic basis of and potential markers of cancer) are also associated with orofacial cleft in an African cohort. Five of these genetic polymorphisms were found to be significantly associated with some type of cleft lip and/or palate using at least one of three analytical tools. The researchers discussed what those associations suggest. This research was a first step for further investigations into the complex genetic relationship between factors associated with cleft lip and/or palate and various types of cancer.

Kudos to you!

Amanda Summer's review: "Everything went very well. Excellent communication, Excellent service, Excellent people very friendly, worked very well with me and my son."

Events

August 26, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students

September 8, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students

September 9, CE Course: Olin Family Visiting Lectureship, Peter Nordland, Utilization of Periodontal Plastic Surgery to Assist in the Esthetic Outcome.

September 10, Pregame Professional Program, Iowa v. Iowa State.

September 13, David Johnsen, “Connecting critical thinking outcomes with the scientific method," hosted by Eric Van Otterloo, Galagan B, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.

September 15, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students

September 16, Fall Meeting for the Dental Student Research Group, Galagan A, 12:00 p.m.

September 16, Alumni Reunion Weekend Reunion and CE-Classes Ending in 2s and 7s (details forthcoming)

September 17, Pregame Professional Program, Iowa v. Nevada (University Family Weekend)

September 17, Alumni Weekend Tailgate, Iowa v. Nevada

September 23, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students

September 30, CE Course: Elevating Patient-Centered Restorative Care: Integrating Technology and Biology to Optimize Outcomes

October 1, Pregame Professional Program (Michigan)

October 1, Alumni Tailgate, Iowa v Michigan

October 3, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students

October 11, Sriram Ravindran, “Engineering and Delivery of MSC Exosomes for Bone Repair," hosted by Clark Stanford, Galagan B, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.

October 14, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students

October 18, Bruno Lima, “Investigating Streptococcus gordonii surface protein regulation and biofilm formation," hosted by Sukirth Ganesan, Galagan B, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.

October 21, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students

October 28, CE Course: Pediatric Dentistry Legends in the Fall

October 29, Pregame Professional Program (Northwestern/University Homecoming)

October 29, Alumni Tailgate, Iowa v. Northwestern (University Homecoming)

November 4-5, Iowa Mission of Mercy, Des Moines

November 11, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students

November 11, CE Course: A Full Day Endodontic Experience

November 12, Pregame Professional Program (Wisconsin)

November 16, Virtual Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students

Notes and Resources

Lend a helping hand. Due to medical issues, Stacey Jones has exhausted her sick leave and vacation. If you would like to help Stacey by contributing vacation time, please go to the following website: CAT Leave, and click on “Catastrophic Leave Donation Form.”

Filling Station Menu

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 Melika Farshad, an associate in clinic administration and patient care, with Herky. You can learn more about one of her projects WeMigrate on the College of Dentistry website.