Spring 2024
Research and Scholarship
Welcome to the latest issue of Insight, a newsletter celebrating the accomplishments of our community of scholars. We aim to spotlight insights from people at the Dugoni School working in all areas of scholarship, including clinical or biomedical research, the scholarship of teaching and learning, improvement of the health care system, and professional partnerships that advance the field.
AADOCR Chapter Meeting
The Dugoni School will host the next meeting of the local chapter of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR). The meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 24 from 5:00 to 9:00 pm, and will include poster presentations and speakers from the Dugoni School, Stanford and UCSF.
Research and Scholarship
Excellence Day, May 8
Another exciting event is coming up with a chance to see what Dugoni students, residents, and faculty have been working on! The keynote speaker will present at 1:00 pm (lunch will be provided). Posters and other presentations will start at 2:00 pm. Join us or become a judge to review presentations for awards in clinical research, basic research, clinical cases, and community health. Explore the gallery of past OKU Sutro Excellence Day work at excellenceday.pacific.edu — passcode to view the posted projects: dugoni155
Please email the event team at excellenceday@pacific.edu to sign up as a judge.
DDS Student Has Strong Showing in AADOCR Competition
We are happy to announce that Robert Zhou (Dugoni DDS class of 2024), mentored by Dr. Jonas Bianchi from the Department of Orthodontics, has secured second place in the 65th AADOCR Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and its Application (SCADA) in the clinical research/public health category with his project “Comprehensive Assessment of Deep Overbite Correction Using Clear Aligners.” This project — also the thesis of resident Dr. Valerie Hernandez with significant collaboration from Mahban Zarei (Dugoni IDS 2024) — was recognized among 51 international participants. The research aimed to evaluate the treatment effects of Invisalign® on deep overbite patients with varying skeletal phenotypes, contributing valuable insights to the field of orthodontics and clear aligner therapy.
Research and Scholarship
Research in the Spotlight
A comprehensive patient-specific prediction model for temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis progression
Schematic representation for the steps of the TMJ OA prognosis prediction model’s development. (A) Clinical, imaging, and biological data were collected from the study subjects, at baseline, and utilized to create the OA Prognosis Prediction model. (B) Clinical and imaging data were collected, at follow-up visits, to label the training dataset with the changes of the participants’ health status following 2 to 3 y of conservative management.
What is it?
Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ OA) is a common condition causing jaw pain and difficulty moving the jaw.
What problem does it aim to solve?
The study aimed to improve prediction of how TMJ OA progresses and how patients respond to treatment.
How does it work?
Researchers followed 106 patients, with 74 of them getting checked after 2 to 3 years of non-surgical treatment. This study identified a comprehensive set of clinical, quantitative imaging, and biological biomarkers for precise prediction of TMJ OA disease progression. Researchers developed an open-source tool based on a robust method called Ensemble via Hierarchical Predictions through Nested cross-validation (EHPN), which surpassed the performance of the 48 models tested. The EHPN model achieved an F1 score of 0.82, indicating strong performance and reliability with new, unseen data, and minimizing false positives and negatives.
What are the real-world implications?
Research and Scholarship
The use of the EHPN model may revolutionize the standards of care, providing clinicians with an accurate tool for anticipating the future status of TMJ OA patients, thereby enhancing their decision-making process.
What are the next steps?
Further refinement of the model.
Source
“A comprehensive patient-specific prediction model for temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis progression”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 2024 Vol. 121 No. 8 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2306132121
Authors
Najla Al Turkestani
Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Tengfei Li
Department of Psychiatry, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Jonas Bianchi
Department of Orthodontics, University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, San Francisco, CA 94103
Marcela Gurgel
Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Juan Prieto
Department of Psychiatry, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Hina Shah
Department of Psychiatry, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Erika Benavides
Department of Periodontics & Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Fabiana Soki
Department of Periodontics & Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Yuji Mishina
Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Margherita Fontana
Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Arvind Rao
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Hongtu Zhu
Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Lucia Cevidanes
Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Research and Scholarship
“Association between Periodontal Disease and Cognitive Impairment in Adults” and “Periodontitis and Alzheimer’s Disease: Is There a Connection?”
What is it?
Two review articles examining the connection between gum disease and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
What problem does it aim to solve?
The global population is rapidly aging, with projections indicating that by 2030, the elderly population (≥65 years) will reach 1 billion, comprising 12% of the total global population, and by 2050, it will represent 16.7%. This demographic shift poses significant challenges, particularly concerning age-related diseases like dementia. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, is strongly associated with aging, with projections suggesting that by 2050, 1 in 85 individuals will be diagnosed with it. Notably, chronic periodontitis, primarily detected in older adults, affects over 50% of this population, highlighting the importance of understanding the link between periodontal inflammation and systemic complications.
How does it work?
In the first review article, a comprehensive literature search was conducted to investigate the link between periodontitis and cognitive impairment. The review focused on studies examining the association between periodontal disease and dementia or neuroinflammation in adults. All quantitative studies were considered for inclusion, regardless of geographical location or assessment methods, while exclusion criteria comprised non-human studies, individuals under 18, and those with pre-existing neurological disorders.
A separate review examined the biology, evidence from human studies, evidence from animal studies, and therapeutic interventions to summarize the current understanding of the link between periodontitis and Alzheimer’s disease.
What are the real-world implications?
“Our mouth is the gateway to our body. This oral–systemic connection means that oral pathogens could lead to systemic diseases such as heart attacks, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease. The finding of our systematic review came out confirming this connection … Taken as a whole, oral health should not be separated from the rest of body health; oral health must be prioritized in order to make serious steps toward better mental health.”
Looking at the bacteria in people’s mouths or the antibodies their immune system makes to fight these bacteria might help us predict who is at risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease when they’re older.
What are the next steps?
More research to pinpoint the biological mechanism by which periodontitis can trigger the processes leading to dementia and neurodegenerative diseases.
Right now, we don’t have strong proof that treating gum disease can affect how Alzheimer’s disease develops. In the meantime, it’s a good idea to focus on preventing gum disease in people who are at risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease (a worthy goal anyway). We also need to conduct more research to identify signs or biomarkers in the mouth that could tell us who is at risk for Alzheimer’s disease later in life.
Research and Scholarship
Sources
“Association between Periodontal Disease and Cognitive Impairment in Adults”, Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 4707; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064707
“Periodontitis and Alzheimer’s Disease: Is There a Connection?”, Oral 2024, 4, 61–73. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6373/4/1/6
Authors by Najwane Said-Sadier
College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi 59911, United Arab Emirates
Batoul Sayegh
Neuroscience Research Center (NRC), Lebanese University, Beirut 1533, Lebanon
Raymond Farah
Neuroscience Research Center (NRC), Lebanese University, Beirut 1533, Lebanon
Linda Abou
Neuroscience Research Center (NRC), Lebanese University, Beirut 1533, Lebanon
INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut 1103, Lebanon
Rania Dweik
College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi 59911, United Arab Emirates
Norina Tang
Arthur Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
Department of Periodontics, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA
David M. Ojcius
Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
William Lundergan
Department of Periodontics, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
Kavitha Parthasarathy Department of Periodontics, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
Navid Knight
Department of Periodontics, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
Research and Scholarship
Recent Publications
Congratulations to Dugoni School faculty, staff, student and resident researchers involved in the following research publications in the last few months as sourced by Scopus, the abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature. Visit the abstract links to learn more about the publications.
Hosseini H.R., Ngan P., Tai S.K., Andrews L.J., II, Xiang J.
A comparison of skeletal and dental changes in patients with a Class II relationship treated with clear aligner mandibular advancement and Herbst appliance followed by comprehensive orthodontic treatment (2023), (2024) American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, 165 (2), pp. 205 - 219 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2023.08.015 | View ›
Cuenin K., Chen J., Tai S.K., Lee D., Gerges G., Oh H. Caries detection and characterization in pediatric patients using iTero 5D near-infrared technology (2024) American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, 165 (1), pp. 54 - 63
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2023.06.026 | View ›
Moon J.-H., Lee J.-M., Park J.-A., Suh H., Lee S.-J. Reliability statistics every orthodontist should know (2024) Seminars in Orthodontics, 30 (1), pp. 45 - 49
DOI: 10.1053/j.sodo.2023.12.004 | View ›
Wang S., Chen Y., Liu Y., Yang L., Wang Y., Fu X., Hu J., Pugh E., Wang S. Aging effects on dual-route speech processing networks during speech perception in noise (2024) Human Brain Mapping, 45 (1), art. no. e26577
DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26577 | View ›
Manton J.W., Nix N.L., Mashkoor F., Lam D.K.
A novel approach for designing hands-on training programs using Quick Reference code-linked videos (2024) Journal of Dental Education
DOI: 10.1002/jdd.13448 | View ›
Al Turkestani N., Li T., Bianchi J., Gurgel M., Prieto J., Shah H., Benavides E., Soki F., Mishina Y., Fontana M., Rao A., Zhu H., Cevidanes L.
A comprehensive patient-specific prediction model for temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis progression (2024) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 121 (8), pp. e2306132121
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306132121 | View ›
Cortez J., Romero I., Ngo J., Azam M.S.T., Niu C., Almeida-Da-Silva C.L.C., Cabido L.F., Ojcius D.M., Chin W.-C., Wang G., Li C.
Multiple energy X-ray imaging of metal oxide particles inside gingival tissues (2024) Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology, 32 (1), pp. 87 - 103
DOI: 10.3233/XST-230175 | View ›
Saghiri M.A., Vakhnovetsky J., Amanabi M., Karamifar K., Farhadi M., Amini S.B., Conte M. Exploring the impact of type II diabetes mellitus on voice quality (2024) European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
DOI: 10.1007/s00405-024-08485-4 | View ›
Research and Scholarship
Choi Y.J., Suh H., Park J.J., Park J.H.
Anterior open bite correction via molar intrusion: Diagnosis, advantages, and complications (2024) Journal of the World Federation of Orthodontists, 13 (1), pp. 2 - 9
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejwf.2023.12.006 | View ›
Anna B., Craig D., Gordon L., Eric S.
Current Trends in Regenerative Endodontics: A Web-based Survey (2024) Journal of Endodontics, 50 (2), pp. 181 - 188
DOI: 10.1016/j.joen.2023.11.013 | View ›
Verdugo J., Laughter L., Chambers D.W.
Shared decision-making in scaling and root planing (2024) European Journal of Dental Education, 28 (1), pp. 184 - 190
DOI: 10.1111/eje.12935 | View ›
