| | Dean's Message
The 70th Anniversary of the University of Iowa College of Dentistry’s Iowa Section of the AADOCR will be held next Tuesday, February 14, 2023. Discovery science is crucial to better health and longevity of dentistry as a scientific profession. Iowa is a leader in dental, oral, and craniofacial research, producing groundbreaking discoveries fundamentally changing dentistry and related subfields. The research presented on Tuesday demonstrates the rich diversity of research discovery and impact on the college, the university and our profession. The research presented is wonderful, be it a student presenting for the first time, a graduate student, post-doc or an established scholar. I want to thank our presenters and the planning committee for their extensive contributions to these efforts. I hope to see you there on Tuesday! ~Clark Stanford | | | Updates for February 10, 2022–February 16, 2022 | | | | The Office of the Vice President for Research awarded Anvita Maharishi, assistant professor of Family Dentistry, a 2023 Early Career Scholars grant for her project, “Strength and Translucency of Lithium Disilicate Glass-Based Ceramic CAD/CAM Blocks.” These competitive $30,000 awards are intended to help tenure-track assistant professors develop competitive proposals that can secure awards with external funding. As part of the award, the OVPR supplies grant consultation and support, and substantive written critiques to help recipients improve their projects. In the study, Maharishi will investigate the effect of various fabrication methods, product formulations, and processing techniques used to manufacture high-strength silica-based ceramics frequently used in dental restorations such as crowns and bridges. Several companies produce the ceramics with similar formulas and altered processing techniques that differ from the original patented gold standard silica-based ceramic. The properties of these products are not well-documented and could lead to a wide variety of clinical outcomes, depending on the manufacturer. Maharishi aims to provide initial guidelines for use of these ceramics in direct patient care. This is one of two awards this year, and the second year in a row that Iowa Dentistry has received an award. | | | High school student outreach event On Friday, January 27, 2023, the Office of Student Affairs in collaboration with Carrie McKnight, clinical associate professor of oral pathology, radiology, and medicine, and the Carver College of Medicine STEM recruitment staff hosted Kirkwood Community College Workplace Learning Connection. A group of 20 high school students from area counties spent the afternoon with the College of Dentistry, touring the Dental Science Building, hearing a career presentation from Rachael Kowbel, director of admissions, and participating in a pulp testing activity led by McKnight and Sherry Timmons, associate dean of students. This event is one of numerous outreach events that Iowa Dentistry participates in each year. | | | | Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020, some U.S. communities have seen shortages of sodium fluoride, a mineral many municipalities add to the water supply to help prevent cavities. In the article, Steve Levy, professor of preventive and community dentistry, was quoted as an expert from a prior American Dental Association press release on the topic saying that research demonstrates that tooth decay increases in communities that cease water fluoridation. | | | The February meeting of the Pre-Dental Club hosted 110 University of Iowa pre-dental students for a rotational session of impressions, pouring casts, and AADSAS application preparatory presentations. D4 student and Pre-Dental Club advisor, Hannah Mumm, facilitated the impressions and cast activity in the Bench Lab in collaboration with the following DDS students, Morgan Scholtes (D4), Alex Hsieh (D4), Megan Rott (D4), Luke Farley (D4), Chaz Konrath (D4), Sydney Sanchez (D3), Ethan Segerstrom (D2), Gabrielle Mumm (D1), Maya Olson (D1), and Jessica Day (D1). It was a smashing success with pre-dental members lingering for three hours to learn and grow in their dental school aspirations! Thank you to Hannah Mumm, the DDS student volunteers, and the Office of Student Affairs for their support. Learn more about the pre-dental club at Iowa. | | | | The editor for Dentistry Journal selected the article listed below as an "Editor's Choice Article." Since it was published last year, it has been viewed over 1858 times.
Howe BJ, Pendleton C, Withanage MHH, Childs CA, Zeng E, van Wijk A, Hermus R, Padilla C, Hecht JT, Poletta FA, Orioli IM, Buxó-Martínez CJ, Deleyiannis F, Vieira AR, Butali A, Valencia-Ramirez C, Restrepo Muñeton C, Wehby GL, Weinberg SM, Marazita ML, Moreno Uribe LM, Xie XJ. Tooth Agenesis Patterns in Orofacial Clefting Using Tooth Agenesis Code: A Meta-Analysis. Dent J (Basel). 2022 Jul 5;10(7):128. doi: 10.3390/dj10070128. PMID: 35877402; PMCID: PMC9323030. | | | Carver College of Medicine and CCOM’s Writing and Humanities Program will be hosting our third annual art show this spring! All health and science professionals, students, and trainees are invited to submit their art; all mediums are accepted (painting, graphic design, illustration, photography, 3D art, writing, and more). Opening night is March 24, 2023, and art will be displayed until May 5. Submissions will be accepted until March 10. At the artists’ discretion we plan to offer pieces for sale, and proceeds from the event will go towards helping local community non-profits through an online auction and a partial amount to the Humanities program to support this event for the future. We're excited to see your pieces! Please fill out the form to display your art! Send your questions to Daniel Sands. | | | | 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. | | | 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! | | | | Morio, K.A.; Sternowski, R.H.; Brogden, K.A. Induction of Endogenous Antimicrobial Peptides to Prevent or Treat Oral Infection and Inflammation. Antibiotics 2023, 12, 361. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12020361
Antibiotics are often used to treat oral infections. Unfortunately, excessive antibiotic use can adversely alter oral microbiomes and promote the development of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms, which can be difficult to treat. An alternate approach could be to induce the local transcription and expression of endogenous oral antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). From a literature review, the authors found that AMPs could be induced as prophylactic or preventative measures to bolster innate resistance for improved health or preventing infection. Such a barrier would have all the advantages of an alert innate immune system on standby in individuals prone to oral infections including stomatitis and denture stomatitis or about to undergo a surgical procedure. Alternately, AMPs could be induced to treat an emerging or established oral infection. Expressed AMPs would also be available to control acute inflammation and pain antinociception. The presence of AMPs would have the added advantage of inducing additional innate and adaptive immune responses and then facilitating or expediting local wound healing, tissue regeneration, and regrowth. The authors concluded that inducing the expression of AMPs through micronutrients, nutrients, and macronutrients would be most applicable to improving general health within the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract, but inducing AMP expression using irradiation methodologies would also be applicable in some cases. | | | A Year to Remember: 1948 William "Bill" H. Olin, Sr. ('48 MS and ORTHO) began his academic career at Iowa in 1948 as an assistant professor. That same year, he also founded the Division of Cranofacial Anomalies, which was a collaborative group of doctors, dentists, surgeons, and speech and language pathologists working together to revolutionize the treatment of craniofacial anomalies such as cleft lip and palate. Incidentally, the first annual meeting for the Iowa Section of the (then) American Association for Dental Research was also held in 1948. Iowa continues these legacies with excellence in research, our 75th Annual Meeting of the Iowa Section of the AADOCR nexst Tuesday, and our on-going expertise in craniofacial development and anomalies research. | | Events
February 10, Live Distance Course: Dealing with Interesting Pediatric Patients, Kecia Leary and Heidi Steinkamp, 8:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
February 21, Seminars in Dental Research: Joseph Cavanaught, "Reassessing Health Sciences Research: Moving Beyond p-Values and Statistical Significance," hosted by Steve Levy, W220A/B, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 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.
February 28, Black History Month Speaker: David McBride, Galagan B, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
March 9, All College Potluck hosted by the International Affairs and Planning Committee, W220A/B, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
March 10, Live Distance Course: Digital Smile Planning: Veneer preps, computer design, and material’s indication, Thiago Porto, 8:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
March 21, Documentary and Discussion with the producer of "Through my Eyes, Galagan A, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 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 Melika Farshad, an associate in clinic administration and patient care, with Herky. | | | |
