Spring 2022 Penn Dental Medicine Journal

PDMJ PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022

ADVANCED EDUCATION IN GENERAL DENTISTRY SCHOOL LAUNCHES AEGD PROGRAM FOCUSED ON VULNERABLE POPULATIONS

FROM THE DEAN

Moving Forward I WANT TO EXTEND MY CONGRATULATIONS to the members of the Class of 2022 as they move forward to the next stage of their dental careers. In the summer of 2018, the Class of 2022 and I joined Penn Dental Medicine and none of us could imagine the challenges the Class of 2022 has faced in completing their 3rd and 4th years during the pandemic. Their adaptability and resilience have been phenomenal. I am confident that the qualities they have demonstrated, here at Penn Dental Medicine, will continue to support their ongoing success. It is wonderful that we are able to gather in person this year to celebrate their achievements.

Along with the Class of 2022, the School continued to move forward on a variety of fronts this academic year. Within our academic programs, we are building upon our graduate and advanced degree offerings with two new programs — an Advanced Education in General Dentistry program (see story, p. 12) that will have a focus on treating vulnerable populations and a Master of Advanced Dental Studies (see story, p. 15). Both programs will welcome their inaugural classes in July.

We welcomed Dr. Alonso Carrasco-Labra to our faculty adding a new dimension to our Center for Integrative Global Oral Health — an expert in the area of evidence-informed oral health policy (see story, p. 20). Among his current projects is a joint effort with the American Dental Association, Penn, and the University of Pittsburgh (sponsored by the Food & Drug Administration) that will produce a clinical practice guideline for the management of acute dental pain to be released later this spring. In this issue, we also highlight the scholarly activity and research of our faculty across disciplines in 2021 (see p. 24).

In addition, we are pleased to spotlight alumni applying their Master of Public Health dual degrees in varied settings (see story, p. 32), and we are eager to celebrate our 2022 Alumni Awards recipients (see p. 29) as we gather in person for Alumni Weekend 2022, May 13–14. While one never knows what trajectory the pandemic could still take, for now, it is exciting to be returning to some in-person events, and we hope you will gather with us soon. However, remember that a diverse selection of lectures/continuing education programs continue to be offered virtually, and I encourage you to join us for those as well.

Stay well and stay connected.

Mark S. Wolff, DDS, PhD Morton Amsterdam Dean

INSIDE 12 2 11 16 23 24

Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) New AEGD Program Launches with Focus on Vulnerable Patients

On Campus School News in Brief Student Perspective Views on the Educational Experience Academic Update Department/Faculty News & Scholarship Faculty Perspective Views on Dental Topics & Trends Research Spotlight Translating Science to Practice

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Global Systems for Oral Health Policy Dr. Alonso Carrasco-Labra is a leader in developing new policy and clinical guidelines

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A Passion for Public Health Dentistry Master of Public Health dual-degree program expands graduates’ perspectives

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Alumni Highlights Profiles, Gatherings & Engagement

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL: Vol. 18, No. 2 University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine www.dental.upenn.edu

Class Notes News from Fellow Alumni

Dean: Mark S. Wolff, DDS, PhD Vice Dean of Institutional Advancement: Elizabeth Ketterlinus Associate Dean for Leadership Giving: Maren Gaughan Director, Publications: Beth Adams Contributing Writers: Beth Adams, Juliana Delany, Debbie Goldberg, Katherine Unger Baillie Photography: Mark Garvin, Kevin Monko Office of Institutional Advancement: 215-898-8951

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Calendar Upcoming Events & Programs

In Memoriam Remembering Members of the Penn Dental Medicine Community

Penn Dental Medicine Journal is published twice a year by the Office of Communications for the alumni and friends of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. ©2022 by the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Penn Dental Medicine. We would like to get your feedback — address all correspondence to: Beth Adams, Director of Publications, Robert Schattner Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, 240 South 40th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104–6030, adamsnb@upenn.edu.

ON THE COVER: Care being provided within the School’s Care Center for Persons with Disabilities, which will be a primary clinical site for the new Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program that will welcome its first class in July 2022.

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ONCAMPUS

SCHOOL NEWS IN BRIEF

“Nationalities Service Center does tremendous work for the immigrant and refugee population, and we are honored to partner with them in serving their clients.

So when we learned of this special need, we were eager to help.”

— DR. OLIVIA SHERIDAN

Pop-Up Care for Afghani Refugees

Responding to an immediate need for dental care in the refugee community, Penn Dental Medicine students and faculty created a pop-up care center in January for more than 60 Afghani refugees awaiting permanent placement in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

Many arrived in the U.S. in August and their resettlement is being managed by the Philadelphia-based Nationalities Service Center (NSC), an immigrant and refugee services organization. NSC has been partnering with Penn Dental Medicine since 2019 when the School established its Dental Care Center for Vulnerable Populations, referring clients requiring dental care to the School (see related story, p. 3).

“NSC does tremendous work for the immigrant and refugee population, and we are honored to partner with them in serving their clients. So when we learned of this special need, we were eager to help,” says Dr. Olivia Sheridan, who directs the School’s Dental Care Center for Vulnerable Populations. “We pulled

the pop-up care center together in just four days.” She worked with Dr. Leonard Jensen, Dental Director of the School’s Community Dental Care Centers, and hygienist Karoline Genung, to recruit student volunteers and organize supplies and equipment.

The care center was set up on a Saturday within the residential hotel where the refugee families were living. Sixteen third- and fourthyear DMD students, along with Drs. Sheridan and Jensen and Ms. Genung, provided care to more than 60 patients, with future appointments made for another 35 patients and 100 hygiene kits dispensed. The major concern of the majority of the families was dental pain and disease.

Along with dental exams, fluoride varnish was applied in the oral cavity of everyone seen and over 50 units of silver diamine fluoride were placed and several atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) restorations completed. In addition to dental care, extensive hygiene and nutritional advice was provided.

“We did not stop until we ran out of supplies,” recalls Dr. Sheridan. “Dean Mark Wolff and the entire School administration are deeply committed to supporting these efforts and our student and faculty volunteers continue to step up and provide this much-needed care.”

As a result of the tremendous need for comprehensive care that was noted during this day, the School has established a new clinical care day at the School specifically to serve Afghani refugees being referred by NSC. Directed by Dr. Sheridan, 40 third-year dental students now volunteer to provide comprehensive care one full day every week. Between January and March 2022, over 150 patient visits were completed.

ABOVE: The Penn Dental Medicine students, faculty, and staff who created the pop-up care center.

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Penn Dental Medicine's Service to Vulnerable Populations Honored

Penn Dental Medicine’s Morton Amsterdam Dean, Dr. Mark S. Wolff, was recognized by Philadelphia-based Nationalities Service Center (NSC) for the School’s service to refugees and other vulnerable populations as one of the honorees at NSC’s annual benefit, Global Tastes: The Centennial Edition. The event and award presentation was held March 24 at the University City Science Center.

In 2019, Penn Dental Medicine started its Dental Care Center for Vulnerable Populations to provide dental care to refugees and survivors of psychological and physical violence in partnership with NSC, a refugee services organization, which refers its clients there for dental care. Dean Wolff had helped to establish a similar center while at New York University College of Dentistry prior to coming to Penn Dental Medicine and wanted to extend Penn Dental Medicine’s community outreach to this population.

“The Dental Care Center for Vulnerable Populations epitomizes one of our goals as a school: To find the most vulnerable people in Philadelphia and to bring oral healthcare and dignity to them through their smile,” says Dean Wolff. “And for our students, working with these patients is an incredible learning experience demonstrating their care and empathy and gives them personal satisfaction that is incredible as well.”

With support from Dean Wolff and under the direction of Dr. Olivia Sheridan,

Professor of Clinical Restorative Dentistry, the Dental Care Center for Vulnerable Populations has grown and evolved since the launch. Two days a week, fourth-year honors students now see patients in the Center, including individuals referred from NSC as well as internal referrals from the School’s patient population who self-identify as intimate partner violence survivors and sex-trafficked adolescents from the Adolescent Protective Collaborative at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In addition, as a result of the large, recent influx of Afghani refugees to the Philadelphia area, an additional clinical care day was established starting in January of this year, specifically to serve these newly resettled Afghani refugees, also referred by NSC. A cohort of 40 third-year students are now providing care to this population a full day every week. In both areas, students

volunteer their time in addition to their other responsibilities and provide a full range of restorative and preventive care, working with the School’s specialty programs for additional specialized procedures that may be needed. All care is provided free of charge.

“Dean Wolff has shown incredible leadership in creating this unique and amazing resource for vulnerable newcomers in our region,” says Margaret O’Sullivan, Executive Director of NSC. “The clinic provides more than dental care, it offers a return of dignity and healing for our clients.”

NSC, which marks its 100th anniversary this year, serves approximately 5,000 immigrants and refugees annually, providing health access, refugee resettlement, ESL classes, employment readiness, free and low-cost legal counsel, and holistic treatment for trauma.

“The Dental Care Center for Vulnerable Populations epitomizes one of our goals as a school: To find the most vulnerable people in Philadelphia and to bring oral healthcare and dignity to them through their smile.”

— DR. MARK S. WOLFF

TOP: Leslie Kruhly, a NSC Trustee, presented the award to Dean Mark Wolff.

ABOVE: Penn Dental Medicine faculty and students who are involved in the School’s Dental Care Center for Vulnerable Populations with Dean Mark Wolff and his wife. (Photos: Jana Bannan Photography)

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ONCAMPUS “The teledentistry program will help our patients and their families navigate access to appropriate oral care. The difficulty for many is obtaining care advice and pre-visit consultation.”

— DR. MIRIAM ROBBINS

Expanding Services, Resources to Support Care of Persons with Disabilities Penn Dental Medicine is continuing to build upon its services to persons with disabilities through the development of two new resources — a teledentistry assessment portal and a series of education videos, being made possible in great part through recent gifts from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health and the Eagles Autism Foundation, respectively.

“We are tremendously grateful to the CareQuest Institute and the Eagles Autism Foundation for their support,” says Dr. Miriam Robbins, Director of Penn Dental Medicine’s Care Center for Persons with Disabilities. “The service we are able to provide to our patients will truly be enhanced through these new resources.”

The teledentistry assessment portal, piloted this fall through a $67,600 grant from CareQuest, is helping to maximize access to the School’s Personalized Care Suite within its Care Center for Persons with Disabilities. The Care Suite, which became fully operational in early 2021, is specially designed and staffed to treat individuals with wide-ranging disabilities.

“The teledentistry program will help our patients and their families navigate access to

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appropriate oral care,” says Dr. Robbins. “The difficulty for many is obtaining care advice and pre-visit consultation. We see utilizing teledentistry to provide counseling on oral health maintenance, ameliorate non-urgent dental problems, and triage true emergencies.”

The primary application of the teledentistry program since its launch is as a pre-visit platform to facilitate gathering essential medical and behavioral information ahead of a patient’s first in-person visit so that first appointment can focus on beginning the evaluation of necessary services. The goal is to establish a baseline of teledentistry services over the next three years with metrics captured to evaluate patient satisfaction and value.

Another part of this patient/caregiver support are plans to develop educational tools

that can be easily accessed by patients, their families, and caregivers and other healthcare professionals through the Penn Dental Medicine web site. A new series of orientation videos supported by a $20,000 grant from the Eagles Autism Foundation will be a key resource in this area.

Targeted to both the patient and caregiver, they will provide an introduction to the Care Suite facility and what is involved in a visit to the dentist, helping patients prepare for their visit. The educational videos will be utilized in conjunction with teledentistry visits before and after in-person appointments and will be available to the general public as well.

Persons with Disabilities Presentation Series Penn Dental Medicine has established this free online continuing education series to help practicing clinicians strengthen their skills in treating persons with disabilities. < View Schedule

School Recognized for Serving Children

Dental School Leaders Gather at Penn Dental Medicine Penn Dental Medicine brought together deans and other senior leadership from dental schools across the country for two days of discussion on two key topics within dental education – digital innovation and teaching dentistry for persons with disabilities. The programs were held March 18 and 23, respectively, on the day before and day after the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Annual Session, held in Philadelphia, March 19–22.

“With ADEA in Philadelphia this year, it presented an opportunity to gather with other dental school leadership to share ideas and best practices on these topics of interest to everyone,” says Penn Dental Medicine’s Morton Amsterdam Dean, Dr. Mark Wolff, who hosted the programs.

The first program discussed such issues as determining the scope of digital innovation, managing the challenges of implementation, and the use of dental innovation in the curriculum and research. Attendees also were able to tour the School’s Digital

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) is recognizing Penn Dental Medicine’s Care Center for Persons with Disabilities with its 2022 Manuel M. Album Award. This award is presented annually to an individual or organization that has made the greatest contribution to the oral health of children with special needs.

This award honors AAPD member Manuel M. Album, who devoted an entire career in pediatric dentistry toward improving the oral health of children with special needs.

Becoming fully operational in 2021, the School’s Care Center for Persons with Disabilities provides comprehensive restorative and preventive dental care to children and adults with wide-ranging disabilities.

“We are honored to receive this recognition,” says Dr. Miriam Robbins, Director of the Care Center for Persons with Disabilities. “We hope the students we are teaching to care for individuals with special needs will be inspired to follow Dr. Album’s example and continue to serve this population throughout their careers.”

The award will be presented May 29 as part of the AAPD 2022 in San Diego.

Design and Milling Center and the Center for Virtual Treatment Planning. Penn Dental Medicine has been a leader in digital innovation with the completion of these two centers in 2020 a culmination of the School’s digital innovation initiative aimed at integrating digital technologies at every stage of education and patient care.

The second day focused on how schools are addressing the Commission on Dental Accreditation’s standard implemented in 2020 requiring graduates to “be competent in assessing and managing the treatment of patients with special needs.” Topics of discussion included defining competency, creating a curriculum, and opportunities for collaboration. Attendees also toured the School’s Personalized Care Suite within the Care Center for Persons with Disabilities and learned how the School is providing educational experience to students in the Center.

“There are challenges all schools face related to digital innovation and student competency in ensuring we are staying at the forefront of dental education and meeting the needs of our students and patients,” says Dean Wolff. “Coming together to discuss how we can share ideas and explore solutions is tremendously beneficial.”

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ONCAMPUS “The overarching goal for me is to make dentistry more inclusive.”

STUDENT PROFILE: JEREMY BUDD (D ’22, GD’22)

— JEREMY BUDD (D ’22, GD’22)

Providing Dental Care Through a Public Health Lens As part of his Bridging the Gaps Community Health Internship following his first year at Penn Dental Medicine, Jeremy Budd (D ’22, GD’22) conducted medical histories, did drug screening, and distributed oral health supplies at Prevention Point, a North Philadelphia medical clinic working with individuals with opioid abuse disorder.

During his time there, a young woman at the clinic learned he was a dental student and asked for help getting her smile back. “She had rampant caries, multiple fractured teeth and retained root tips,” Budd says. “I knew her oral health could have turned out differently had she had access to dental care from a young age.”

While at Prevention Point, Budd provided oral health information, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss to patients. “People said they hadn’t been to the dentist in so long, and some said they didn’t have running water to brush their teeth,” Budd recalls. “I was trying to bring dentistry to where it hadn’t been before.”

That experience deepened his resolve to help broaden access to dental care for vulnerable communities, and reinforced his decision to pursue a DMD/Master of Public Health dual-degree offered in partnership with Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, which requires 125 hours of public health fieldwork (see related story, p. 32).

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“Penn does a really good job of getting dental students out in the community,” Budd says. For the Community Oral Health Honors program in his second year, he worked with a team of dental students to do weekly oral screenings of children living at three shelters in West Philadelphia, while also counseling parents on their children’s dental care and nutritional needs.

As a recipient of the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Budd has been able to advance his experience working with young, often vulnerable patients. “My work with LEND has given me an increased ability to communicate with my patients with Down Syndrome and their caregivers, helping them make informed decisions about their dental and medical care.”

In recognition of his accomplishments, Budd was awarded a 2022 American Dental Education Association/GlaxoSmithKline

Consumer Healthcare Preventive Dentistry Scholarship. The $2,500 scholarship recognizes students who have demonstrated academic excellence in preventive dentistry.

Recipients were recognized at the ADEA annual meeting in March.

Budd has long had an interest in working with vulnerable communities. After graduating from Columbia University with a B.A. in history and American studies, Budd spent two years as an AmeriCorps National Teaching Fellow in Boston, working with students with autism.

While the work was rewarding, he realized he wanted to continue helping others through a more clinically focused career. After completing the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program at Bryn Mawr College, he started at Penn Dental Medicine in 2018. During his first year, he applied for the dual-degree DMD/MPH program.

“I think the Master of Public Health has been a really great lens to synthesize what I’m learning in dental school,” Budd says. “Public health trains you to see the bigger picture and gives you the tools to address it: what steps are needed to resolve an issue, what would be the best interventions for a community, what do people need to get care--a bus pass, longer clinic hours? All the pieces matter for health.”

After graduating this spring, Budd will return to New York to start a two-year pediatric residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia. In the short term, he wants to focus on developing excellent clinical skills and working with special needs patients, but is open to the possibility of an academic career.

“The overarching goal for me is to make dentistry more inclusive,” says Budd. “My goal is to not only provide high quality dental care, but to reach those who are not seeking dental care as much as other communities. With proper accommodations, dental care can be accessible for everyone.”

CDE Update: In Person, Hybrid & Online Upcoming in June are two CDE programs that offer the option to gather in person, including the inaugural symposium by the Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry (CiPD) and the Penn Center for TMJ Disease 3rd Biannual Symposium on TMJ Total Joint Replacement; both will also be viewable virtually. In addition, a full schedule of live virtual and online programming continues through the School’s Continuing Education Portal, including the Persons with Disabilities Presentation Series, the Integrative Global Oral Health Lecture Series, and the clinical departments lecture series, including a new series launching this month on virtual treatment planning.

CASE OF THE QUARTER: VIRTUAL TREATMENT PLANNING, DETAILS MATTER May 19, Sep. 29, Dec. 1, 2022 Virtual This new series will explore the capabilities of virtual treatment planning and demonstrate its ability to be used to produce predictable clinical outcomes. Digital concepts and experiences will be presented on a quarterly basis.

DENTISTS, SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS TRANSFORMING ORAL HEALTH June 2, 2022 Hybrid (In person, Penn Dental Medicine & Virtual) The Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry (CiPD)’s inaugural symposium will bring together researchers across disciplines to share how they are applying dentistry and engineering to advance oral health treatments.

Checkout the full CDE schedule at www.dental.upenn.edu/cde.

TMJ TOTAL JOINT REPLACEMENT: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE June 4, 2022 Hybrid (In person, Jordan Medical Education Center & Virtual) Spotlighting the innovation and improvements in TMJ joint replacement surgery, program topics will include a review of the history of alloplastic reconstruction with a focus on lessons learned for future direction. Alternative biological reconstructive options will be re-visited and experts will discuss joint reconstruction from their respective fields with a focus on translation to the TMJ.

CONTINUING EDUCATION PORTAL Set up an account in the portal to register for the School’s live virtual lecture series; view archived lectures, accessible at any time; and attend hybrid programs that culminate in on-campus programming. Most CDE lectures through the portal are free of charge. Create an account at www.dental.upenn.edu/cde_online.

By the Numbers

2021: A Year in Review

65,289

HOURS OF CARE BY STUDENTS & FACULTY IN THE COMMUNITY

41,259

PATIENTS SERVED WITHIN THE SCHOOL’S CARE CENTERS & PENN DENTAL FAMILY PRACTICE

$20.91M AWARDED FOR RESEARCH (FY21)

326

VIRTUAL & ON-DEMAND CDE PROGRAMS

23,555 VIRTUAL & ON-DEMAND PROGRAM ATTENDEES/REGISTRANTS

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ONCAMPUS Omega Dental Society in her third year and has represented the School at the American Student Dental Association and the American Dental Education Association Student Diversity Leadership Program. A Community Oral Health Honors candidate, she has been active in a variety of ways with the School’s community dental partner, Puentes de Salud, which provides healthcare to Philadelphia’s rapidly growing Latinx immigrant population, including dental care in the School’s care center embedded in Puentes de Salud. Portillo’s goal is a career in general dentistry, and she has already been recruited to join a clinic in a health profession shortage area after graduation.

2022 Delta Dental Community Scholars Four Penn Dental Medicine students have been named 2022 Delta Dental Community Scholars, each receiving a sizeable scholarship in recognition of their community service, academic achievement, and future plans to work with vulnerable populations after graduation. Since its inception in 2019, the Scholars program has dispersed $287,000 in support of 15 talented Penn Dental Medicine students who have expressed a commitment to helping expand access to oral healthcare for hard-to-reach populations. This year’s recipients include Shan Yu (D’22), Diya Sabrina Chandra (D’22), Viviana Portillo (D’22), and Alisa Lee (D’22).

SHAN YU (D’22)

DIYA SABRINA CHANDRA (D’22)

Yu plans to pursue community-based dentistry and was active in community outreach throughout her dental school experience.

Among her activities, she volunteered at the United Community Clinic, a free, student-led assessment clinic in West Philadelphia, and was part of the School’s First Five Honors program, which focuses on dental care to children 5 years of age or under and educates parents on the importance of dental care from an early age. She is one of 10 members of the Class of 2022 in the Clinical Honors program, working on sophisticated cases involving implants and other advanced procedures, and is also a member of the Community Oral Health Honors program.

As a third-year student, Yu was Vice President of the School’s Implant Society, President of the Chinese Dental Student Association, and Treasurer of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry program at Penn Dental Medicine. Yu recently matched to a postgraduate GPR program.

Chandra was among a small cohort of students selected to participate in the School’s Dental Care Center for Vulnerable Populations, which provides dental care to individuals who have undergone various types of trauma, including domestic violence, violent conflict, and refugee status. She is also a Community Oral Health Honors student and has created nutritional resources to help patients with chronic health conditions make informed food choices. From her essay to this program, Chandra voiced a passion about helping children and families make decisions regarding food choices, physical activity, and healthy lifestyle behaviors that can empower them to take control of their health. Chandra is headed to a postgraduate residency in pediatric dentistry.

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ALISA LEE (D’22) Lee will graduate this May with honors in Community Oral Health and Research. She is involved in the First Five program focused on the oral health of children 5 years of age and under. In this program, she initiated and recruited dental students to conduct a retrospective research project studying the relationship between the age at first dental visit, caries risk and prevalence, and preventive treatments provided in the clinic. Originally a member of the Class of 2021, Lee was selected to participate in the highly competitive Medical Research Scholars Program at the NIH, where she spent academic year 2019-20 studying the oral health of medically underserved patients with rare syndromes. She served as a board member of the student chapter of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry, and recently worked on a project to study the relationship between caries prevalence and BMI in patients with disabilities. Lee will be entering a pediatric dentistry residency at Boston Children's Hospital at Harvard University.

Lee was also recognized for her achievements and interest in preventive dentistry as a 2022 ADEA/GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Preventive Dentistry Scholar. Along with classmate Jeremy Budd (D’22, see related story, p. 6), they were among 12 DMD students from U.S. and Canadian dental schools recognized for their academic excellence in preventive dentistry with this scholarship.

VIVIANA PORTILLO (D’22) Portillo has excelled as a student leader at Penn Dental Medicine. She served as the chapter President of the Hispanic Student Dental Association and Vice President of Alpha

ABOVE (L to R): 2022 Delta Dental Community Scholars Alisa Lee (D’22), Viviana Portillo (D’22), and Diya Sabrina Chandra (D’22). Not pictured Shan Yu (D’22).

Alumni Join Dean’s Council Penn Dental Medicine welcomes two new members to the Dean’s Council — both of whom bring strong ties as alumni to this advisory role. Joining the Council are Dr. Richard Levitt (C’68, D’72, GD’77) and Dr. Chris Joy (D’80).

The Dean’s Council acts as an external advisory group to the Dean on matters relevant to advancing the mission of Penn Dental Medicine.

LEFT: Dr. Richard Levitt (C’68, D’72, GD’77) RIGHT: Dr. Chris Joy (D’80)

Dr. Richard Levitt has been an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Penn Dental Medicine Department of Periodontics since 2004, teaching in the postgraduate periodontal clinic and lecturing to DMD students. Raised in Cheltenham, Pa., he earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences, and went on to graduate from Penn Dental Medicine in 1972 with his DMD. After a general practice residency at Albert Einstein Medical Center, he returned to Penn to teach restorative dentistry. In 1977, he completed specialty training at Penn Dental Medicine in periodontics.

His special interest is in the study of occlusion, about which he has lectured both locally and nationally. He is retired from his Southern New Jersey periodontal and implant practice. Also active in his community, he has served as chairman of the Northfield Planning Board since 1979.

Dr. Chris Joy graduated from Penn Dental Medicine in 1980 and did a oneyear GPR at San Francisco Veteran’s Administration Hospital before heading into private practice. Ever an advocate of lifelong learning, Dr. Joy continually strives to improve his knowledge and skills by pursuing

postgraduate continuing education in all aspects of aesthetic and restorative dentistry, averaging 150 hours a year.

Dr. Joy volunteers at CDA Cares, which provides dental services at no charge to an average of 1,950 people at each event. CDA Cares serves as a safety net for many people needing relief from the pain and infection of untreated dental disease. “It is a very worthwhile and fulfilling cause,” says Dr. Joy. Dr. Joy lectures to orthodontic residents at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry and to dental assisting students at Foothill College. He also serves on the Foothill College Advisory Board, and is a past President of the MidPeninsula Dental Society.

In his spare time, Dr. Joy enjoys playing recreational and competitive tennis, squash, skiing, hiking, and photography. He and his wife, Anita Joy (D’81), have two adult children — also Penn alumni — Adrienne Joy (D’16) and Nicholas Joy (C’08).

The 26-members on the Dean’s Council have made Penn Dental Medicine a priority in their charitable giving, serve as ambassadors for the School, and help to engage alumni as well as current and prospective students.

M. Elizabeth Magill to be Next Penn President In January, the University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees, announced that M. Elizabeth Magill, who currently serves as Executive Vice President and Provost of the University of Virginia, was nominated by the Executive Committee to serve as the ninth President of the University. The full Board of Trustees voted on Magill’s nomination at its March meeting.

Magill will assume the Penn Presidency on July 1, 2022, succeeding Dr. Amy Gutmann, who announced last year that she would conclude her tenure as Penn’s President after serving in that role since 2004.

Magill earned her B.A. in History from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. After law school, Magill clerked for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and then for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who Magill credits as having had a profound impact on shaping her career. She became EVP and Provost at UVA in 2019, the first woman to serve in that role. Prior to her tenure at UVA, Magill served for seven years as the Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean of the Stanford Law School.

Before joining Stanford, she was on the faculty at the University of Virginia School of Law for 15 years, serving as vice dean, the Joseph Weintraub–Bank of America Distinguished Professor of Law, and Elizabeth D. and Richard A. Merrill Professor.

Magill is a distinguished scholar and teacher of administrative and constitutional law. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the American Law Institute, she has been a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, held a fellowship in the Law and Public Affairs Program at Princeton University, and was the Thomas Jefferson visiting professor at Downing College, Cambridge University.

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ONCAMPUS Faculty Share Expertise in Oral Health in America Report This past December, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released its Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges report, exploring the nation's oral health over the last 20 years and presenting a road map on how to improve oral health in America going forward.

This wide-ranging report is a follow-up to the seminal 2000 Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General that was considered a public health milestone, definitive in its assertion that oral health was inextricably linked to overall health.

Drawing primarily on information from public research and evidence-based practices, this recent report is the culmination of two years of research and writing by NIH’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) and a multi-disciplinary team of more than 400 experts — Penn Dental Medicine faculty members among them.

“This is an important report,” says Dr. Sollecito. “It provides a comprehensive assessment of oral health in the U.S. today, unequivocally shows that oral health is vital to overall health, and outlines action steps to be addressed as we move forward.” Dr. Sollecito, who was assigned to the group that explored “Emerging Technologies and Promising Science to Transform Oral Health,” contributed to the section on the integration of medical and dental records.

Among some of the other faculty members’ contributions, Dr. Fiorellini served as the lead writer for the “Oral Health Integration, Workforce, and Practice” section of the report, Dr. Hajishengallis discussed the role of inflammation in oral disease, and Dr. Teles addressed the role of the microbiome.

“Despite major advances in microbiome research, several gaps in knowledge remain.

“This is an important report. It provides a comprehensive assessment of oral health in the U.S. today, unequivocally shows that oral health is vital to overall health, and outlines action steps to be addressed as we move forward.”

— DR. THOMAS SOLLECITO

Contributing authors from the current Penn Dental Medicine faculty include Dr. Thomas Sollecito, Professor and Chair of Oral Medicine; Dr. Joe Fiorellini, Professor of Periodontics; Dr. George Hajishengallis, Professor, Department of Basic & Translational Sciences; Dr. Flavia Teles, Associate Professor, Department of Basic & Translational Sciences; Dr. Anh Le, Professor and Chair of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery; and Dr. Michael Glick, Professor of Clinical Restorative Dentistry.

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For instance, there is a need to better understand the rise and transmission of bacterial antibiotic resistance and the development of new antimicrobial approaches,” notes Dr. Teles. “Yet, the increasing development of large datasets, comprising microbial and clinical information along with individual metadata and robust bioinformatics approaches, have a great potential to “put big data to work” and make personalized dentistry realize its potential.”

Download the report at www.nidcr.nih.gov/oralhealthinamerica.

Expanding Access for Veterans

Penn Dental Medicine is expanding its reach to Veterans in need of a dental care home through a new partnership with the VETSmile program, developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Center for Care and Payment Innovation (CCPI). VETSmile collaborates with community dental care partners to advance continuous and comprehensive oral healthcare services for VA-enrolled Veterans who are ineligible to receive VA dental care services.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with VETSmile to expand care for Veterans,” says Dr. Bruce Brandolin, Assistant Dean of Intramural and Extramural Partnerships.

“Through CCPI’s outreach, we hope more area Veterans will find a dental care home with us.”

Veterans enrolled in the VA healthcare system as well as Veterans not eligible to receive dental services through the VA are eligible for care at the School.

The program rollout launched at Penn Dental Medicine in February and the School anticipates approximately 100 referrals a month through the VETSmile program. Protocols have been put in place to streamline the appointment process for individuals referred through the program, including special phone lines specific to the program (215-746-4665 or 215-898-4064). Referred Veterans will receive an initial 20-30% discount followed by a sliding scale fee schedule.

Penn Dental Medicine is the fourth dental care provider to partner with the VETSmile program, with the CCPI working to expand its partnership with institutions nationwide.

STUDENTPERSPECTIVE VIEWS ON THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

”I am grateful for the privilege of pursuing higher education as a first-generation college graduate.

Engaging with DScD mentorship at Penn has taught me how to overcome the necessary barriers to contribute at the forefront of this profession.

This is the key differentiator that is unique for students participating in the Penn DScD program. ” – DENNIS SOURVANOS (GD'21, GR'22)

Excelling at Translational Research and Clinical Innovation Contributed by Dennis Sourvanos, GD’21, GR’22 Students in the Penn Dental Medicine Advanced Graduate Dental Education Programs have equitable access to a transformational academic experience. Resources are inclusively bolstered through mentorship, professional development, and research execution. The dialogue between students and attending faculty is keenly focused on the future of our profession.

I am currently a T-90/R-90 Fellow with the inaugural cohort of the NIDCR Postdoctoral Training Program in the Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry (CiPD), through the schools of Dental Medicine and Engineering. I am also a TL-1 Fellow with the Perelman School of Medicine, Institute for Translational Medicine, and Therapeutics (ITMAT) – a candidate for the Certificate of Translational Research in Regulatory Sciences.

Technology and innovation have been at the forefront of my education as a Doctor of Science in Dentistry (DScD) student and graduate periodontics resident at Penn Dental Medicine. I have had the freedom to cultivate a multidisciplinary pathway as a training periodontal clinician scientist. My long-term career

focus will be in translational research, where I can take scientific concepts from the preclinical setting and translate those ideas into dental practice.

Graduate students at Penn Dental Medicine have access to a world-class research enterprise and can engage with centers across the entire University ecosystem. Because every school at Penn operates under the same brand, I’ve been able to develop relationships and recruit mentors that are supporting my diverse research interests. I work daily with key opinion leaders in dentistry, medicine, engineering, medical physics, radiation biology, and translational research.

My T-90 Fellowship and DScD research is guided by Periodontics Program Director Dr. Joseph P. Fiorellini, and co-mentor Dr. Timothy C. Zhu, a medical physicist from the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine. Our primary research focus is with the innovation of Low-Level Laser Therapeutics (LLLT) to upregulate specific growth factors and promote tissue regeneration.

This mentorship team is a modern-day intellectual frontier where we explore and innovate technologies for dentistry and medicine. Both mentors have provided a platform where we exchange ideas and share unparalleled resources. By actively building on expertise from Dr. Zhu’s lab, we are working to better understand the irradiation parameters of specific laser systems. This has allowed the development of a preclinical modeling system that will eventually guide prescription dosing of LLLT. My goal is to translate these findings for clinical care within the oral-craniofacial complex. We are also extending our experience with hand-held imaging technologies from dental implant surgery. This will guide a novel preclinical modeling platform that will capture geospatial imaging of non-dental anatomical features.

Overall, I have found this to be a truly transformational experience. I am grateful for the sense of inclusion, diversity, and cultural competence of this research group. As a student here at Penn and in this DScD cohort, you realize that we are developing a future of what will become a profoundly active community network of clinicians and scientists.

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022 11

ADVANCED EDUCATION IN GENERAL DENTISTRY (AEGD) NEW AEGD PROGRAM WITH FOCUS ON VULNERABLE POPULATIONS TO WELCOME INAUGURAL CLASS IN JULY

“There is a tremendous satisfaction when you find individuals whose access to care is compromised or unavailable, and you can welcome them. I am looking forward to having our AEGD residents gain that experience.”

— DR. MARC HENSCHEL OPPOSITE, TOP: Dr. Marc Henschel, AEGD Program Director and Associate Professor of Clinical Community Oral Health, joined Penn Dental Medicine in January 2021 to plan and lead the new AEGD Program.

IN THE UNITED STATES, one in four adults have some type of disability, affecting mobility, cognition, hearing, and/or sight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, those with disabilities are more likely to be obese, smoke, and have heart disease and diabetes, further complicating their healthcare.

To help address the oral health needs of this vulnerable population with clinicians skilled in treating them, Penn Dental Medicine has launched a new Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program with a distinctive clinical focus on medically complex, vulnerable, and other underserved populations. The inaugural class of residents will begin the program in July.

“There is definitely a need for more dentists to be comfortable caring for an ever-growing population with disabilities,” says Dr. Mark Wolff, Penn Dental Medicine’s Morton Amsterdam Dean. “We have made this a priority at the School with the

opening of our Care Center for Persons with Disabilities and the clinical training of our DMD students, and now, this new AEGD program builds upon these efforts.”

Residents in the one-year, stipend-based program will build their knowledge and skills in the delivery of comprehensive, patient-centered general dentistry, while also gaining extensive clinical experience working with the disabled and other vulnerable populations. This new AEGD residency adds to the School’s growing portfolio of graduate programs and advanced degrees with a Master of Advanced Dental Studies also welcoming its first class in July (see, p.15)

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022 13

ADVANCEDEDUCATION LEADING BY EXAMPLE Development of this new program has been in the works over the past two years. In 2020, a $2.1 million grant award (over five years) from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration provided foundational support to help establish the AEGD program, and in January 2021, Dr. Marc Henschel, the AEGD Program Director and Associate Professor of Clinical Community Oral Health, was recruited to plan and lead it. Dr. Henschel has brought extensive experience in both clinical education and clinical care of individuals with special needs to this new role.

“Along with a passion for working with students as an educator and devoted mentor, Dr. Henschel is committed to serving patients as a compassionate clinician,” says Dean Wolff.

Prior to joining Penn Dental Medicine, Dr. Henschel directed the Special Patient Care Clinic at New York University College of Dentistry, where as a member of the school’s full-time faculty since 2015, he also served as Course Director for Clinical Management of Patients with Special Needs and the Clinical Management of Patients with Special Needs Honors Program. He holds a DDS from State University of New York at Buffalo (1986) and completed a General Practice Residency at Buffalo Veterans Administration Center (1987). Since 1989, he had also maintained a private practice in general dentistry in Forest Hills, N.Y., where he welcomed patients with disabilities.

Since arriving at Penn Dental Medicine, Dr. Henschel has been seeing patients in the School’s Care Center for Persons with Disabilities, providing clinical instruction to the DMD students who rotate through the Care Center, and eagerly sharing the personal and professional rewards of caring for vulnerable populations.

“There is a tremendous satisfaction when you find individuals whose access to care is compromised or unavailable, and you can welcome them — that is phenomenal,” says Dr. Henschel. “I am looking forward to having our AEGD residents gain that experience.”

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“Residents in this program will leave with a well-rounded approach to general dentistry and advanced skills to treat patients with or without disabilities.”

— DR. MARC HENSCHEL

DIVERSE CLINICAL EXPERIENCES The diversity of clinical settings in which the AEGD residents will provide care and the varied patient populations they will treat provide a value-added learning experience for residents honing their general dentistry skills. Of the AEGD programs nationwide, only a small handful have a focus on caring for underserved populations, and Dr. Henschel believes the depth and nature of the clinical sites through which the School’s AEGD residents will rotate make it unique among them.

A key clinical care home for the AEGD residents will be the School’s Personalized Care Suite of the Care Center for Persons with Disabilities. The state-of-the-art Care Center within the School’s Robert Schattner Center became fully operational in early 2021, serving individuals with wide-ranging disabilities as well as medically complex

patients. Residents will provide care in the Center alongside the School’s 4th-year DMD students, who spend a significant portion of their clinical time there as well their final year.

In addition, residents will provide clinical care in the School’s community-based care centers within Sayre Health Center, a federally qualified health center in West Philadelphia; at Puentes de Salud, serving the Latino immigrant community in South Philadelphia; at LIFE, serving the elderly in West Philadelphia; and at a two new sites expected to be operational later this year — one as part of a community health center and another at Woods Rehabilitative Services, a Langhorne-based residential community for individuals with disabilities. The AEGD residents may also rotate through the School’s Dental Care Center for Vulnerable Populations that serves refugees and survivors of psychological and physical violence.

“The wide range of patients our residents will see will offer a tremendous learning experience,” says Dr. Henschel.

While caring for these diverse populations, residents will diagnose, treatment plan, and provide all aspects of comprehensive care within the scope of general dentistry, including operative dentistry, restoration of the edentulous space, periodontal and endodontic therapies, oral surgery, treatment of dental emergencies, and pain and anxiety control through use of behavioral or pharmacological techniques.

In addition to specialized clinical training, the AEGD curriculum includes four core courses -- the resident clinical experience, the resident lecture series, the resident seminar series, and the Cohen Conference Oral Medicine Seminar Series. Residents also will engage in community outreach programs.

COMMUNICATION, COLLABORATION, PATIENCE Another core component of the residency is promoting communications with a wide range of healthcare providers, from nurses and social workers to oncologists and surgeons, to coordinate and facilitate the best possible care for vulnerable patients.

“We need to know the complexities that people with certain disabilities have, such as difficulty swallowing or communicating,” Dr. Henschel says. “And some patients may have sensory issues, requiring low lights or noiseless surroundings to feel comfortable enough for treatment.”

In treating patients with special needs, patience can be as important as clinical skills. When seeing patients in the Care Center for Persons with Disabilities, Dr. Henschel says, “We may need to spend time desensitizing patients to the surroundings.

On the first visit, we may just sit and talk to patients and their parents or guardians, and have them be comfortable enough to sit in a dental chair.”

Since most patients are familiar with a manual toothbrush, Dr. Henschel says a next step might be to use a toothbrush to prompt the patient to open his or her mouth to start an exam, and then try to move on to mouth

props to help keep the mouth open. “We use things they are comfortable with and start to eliminate apprehension,” Dr. Henschel explains. “It can be a slower process at times, and it might take longer to get the necessary medical, dental, and social histories or require alternate forms of communicating, such as an iPad or spelling board.”

It is also important to note that some disabilities may not be immediately apparent, but nonetheless present challenges to be dealt with. For instance, one of Dr. Henschel’s patients had suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome following a brutal attack in which his neck was slashed, ultimately requiring 72 stitches.

“It was difficult for him to sit in the dental chair, and often just a slight touch to his neck brought on a panic attack,” Dr. Henschel says.

“We had to slowly work our way through that.

It all begins with getting to know your patient.”

WELCOMING RESIDENTS Working over the past year to plan the AEGD program and see it through the accreditation process, Dr. Henschel is eager to welcome the first class of residents in July.

The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) gave the program formal initial accreditation this winter for a class of four residents. Applications for the class starting this summer closed May 1 and beginning with next year’s application cycle, the program will be part of the National Matching Services Inc. postdoctoral dental matching program.

“We are excited by the opportunity this program offers recent dental graduates. I am a firm believer in adding a year after dental school to hone and add skills and learn more complex techniques,” says Dr. Henschel.

“Residents in this program will leave with a well-rounded approach to general dentistry and advanced skills to treat patients with or without disabilities.” n

NEW MASTER OF ADVANCED DENTAL STUDIES Along with the addition of the new AEGD program, Penn Dental Medicine is adding to its advanced degree options as well with a new Master of Advanced Dental Studies (MADS). The first class will also start in July 2022.

The new hybrid master’s program is designed for clinicians who wish to enhance their knowledge and skills as dental practitioners or improve their qualifications when applying to U.S. residency programs. The program also serves international dentists with U.S. specialty degrees whose home country requires a Master’s degree for recognition of the specialty or U.S. graduates of specialty programs who wish to refresh their knowledge in their field through a structured program.

Students will take courses through an interactive online platform and attend a six-week on-campus clinical rotation. Students will be able to select from seven specialty programs: Endodontics, Orthodontics, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, and Prosthodontics. This hybrid model is designed to make the program accessible to practicing dental professionals.

The curriculum includes a broad range of courses. Students will be assigned a mentor in their specialty to help empower their professional development.

OPPOSITE: The School’s Care Center for Persons with Disabilities, located on the 2nd Floor of the Robert Schattner Center, will be a key clinical care site for residents in the AEGD program.

Learn more at www.dental.upenn.edu/MADS

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022 15

ACADEMICUPDATE

DEPARTMENT/FACULTY NEWS & SCHOLARSHIP

BASIC & TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCES NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS

Dr. George Hajishengallis was named on the Highly Cited Researchers™ 2021 list from Clarivate — the second year in a row for this recognition. The annual list identifies researchers who demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

A selection of recently published work by department faculty (indicated in bold).

Aguirre A, Alawi F, Tapia JL. Chapter 5, Pigmented Lesions of the Oral Mucosa.

In: Glick, M.S. (Co-author Dept. of Preventive & Restorative Sciences), Greenberg, P.B., Lockhart, P.B., and Challacombe, S.J., editors. Burket’s Oral Medicine 13th ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell; 2021. p.139.

Al-Abri SS, Al-Wahaibi A, Al-Kindi H, Kurup PJ, Al-Maqbali A, Al-Mayahi Z, Al-Tobi MH, Al-Katheri SH, Albusaidi S, Al-Sukaiti MH, Al Balushi AYM, Abdelgadir IO, Al-Shehi N, Morkos E, Al-Maani A, Al-Rawahi B, Alyaquobi F, Alqayoudhi A, Al-Harthy K, Al-Khalili S, Al-Rashdi A, Al-Shukri I, Al Ghafri TS, Al-Hashmi F, Al Jassasi SM, Alshaqsi N, Mitra N, Al Aamry HS, Shah P, Al Marbouai HH, Al Araimi AH, Kair IM, Al Manji AM, Almallak AS, Al Alawi FK, Vaidya V, Muqeetullah M, Alrashdi H, Al Jamoudi SSN, Alshaqsi A, Al Sharji A, Al Shukeiri H, Al-Abri B, Al-Rawahi S, Al-Lamki SH, Al-Manji A, Al-Jardani A. Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the general population of Oman: results from four successive nationwide seroepidemiological surveys. Int J Infect Dis. 2021 Nov;112:269-277. doi: 10.1016/ j.ijid.2021.09.062.

16 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

Awasthi S, Knox JJ, Desmond A, Alameh MG, Gaudette BT, Lubinski JM, Naughton A, Hook LM, Egan KP, Tam YK, Pardi N, Allman D, Luning Prak ET, Cancro MP, Weissman D, Cohen GH, Friedman HM. Trivalent nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccine yields durable memory B cell protection against genital herpes in preclinical models. J Clin Invest. 2021 Dec 1;131(23):e152310. doi: 10.1172/ JCI152310.

Boesze-Battaglia K, Miller S, Bharti K. AMPK modulation ameliorates dominant disease phenotypes of CTRP5 variant in retinal degeneration. Commun Biol.

2021 Dec 9;4(1):1360. doi: 10.1038/ s42003-021-02872-x.

Duran-Pinedo A, Solbiati J, Teles F, Teles R, Zang Y, Frias-Lopez J. Long-term dynamics of the human oral microbiome during clinical disease progression. BMC Biol. 2021 Nov 6;19(1):240. doi: 10.1186/ s12915-021-01169-z.

Translational Research staff. Phase IIa clinical trial of complement C3 inhibitor AMY-101 in adults with periodontal inflammation. J Clin Invest. 2021 Dec;131(23) Available from: https://go.exlibris.link/xvHkjQnc

Hajishengallis G, Hasturk H, Lambris JD; Contributing authors. C3-targeted therapy in periodontal disease: moving closer to the clinic. Trends Immunol. 2021 Oct;42(10):856-864. doi: 10.1016/j. it.2021.08.001.

Li X, Yang S, Chinipardaz Z, Koyama E, Yang S. SAG therapy restores bone growth and reduces enchondroma incidence in a model of skeletal chondrodysplasias caused by Ihh deficiency. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev. 2021 Oct 1;23:461475. doi: 10.1016/j.omtm.2021.09.015.

Hasturk H, Hajishengallis G, Lambris JD, Mastellos DC, Yancopoulou D, Forsyth Institute Center for Clinical and

Campagno KE, Lu W, Jassim AH, Albalawi F, Cenaj A, Tso HY, Clark SP, Sripinun P, Gómez NM, Mitchell CH. Rapid morphologic changes to microglial cells and upregulation of mixed microglial activation state markers induced by P2X7 receptor stimulation and increased intraocular pressure. J Neuroinflammation.

2021 Sep 20;18(1):217. doi: 10.1186/ s12974-021-02251-7.

Chavakis T, Wielockx B, isheHajishengallis G. Inflammatory Modulation of Hematopoiesis: Linking Trained Immunity and Clonal Hematopoiesis with Chronic Disorders. Annu Rev Physiol. 2022 Feb 10;84:183-207. doi: 10.1146/ annurev-physiol-052521-013627..

Chen W, Ding Y, Liu D, Lu Z, Wang Y, Yuan Y. Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus vFLIP promotes MEndT to generate hybrid M/E state for tumorigenesis. PLoS Pathog. 2021 Dec 22;17(12):e1009600. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009600.

Chinipardaz Z, Liu M, Graves DT (co-author Dept. of Periodontics) Yang S. Role of Primary Cilia in Bone and Cartilage. J Dent Res. 2021 Nov 8:220345211046606. doi: 10.1177/00220345211046606.

A GUM TO REDUCE SARS-COV-2 TRANSMISSION In experiments using saliva samples from COVID-19 patients, gum containing the ACE2 protein neutralized the virus, according to research led by Dr. Henry Daniell. The gum laced with plant-grown ACE2 protein serves as a “trap” for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, reducing viral load in saliva and potentially tamping down transmission. See the following article: Daniell H, Nair SK, Esmaeili N, Wakade G, Shahid N, Ganesan PK, Islam MR, Shepley-McTaggart A, Feng S, Gary EN, Ali AR, Nuth M, Cruz SN, Graham-Wooten J, Streatfield SJ, Montoya-Lopez R, Kaznica P, Mawson M, Green BJ, Ricciardi R, Milone M, Harty RN, Wang P, Weiner DB, Margulies KB, Collman RG. Debulking SARSCoV-2 in saliva using angiotensin converting enzyme 2 in chewing gum to decrease oral virus transmission and infection. Mol Ther. 2021 Nov 11:S1525-0016(21)00579-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2021.11.008..

Occhialini A, Pfotenhauer AC, Li L, Harbison SA, Lail AJ, Burris JN, Piasecki C, Piatek AA, Daniell H, Stewart CN Jr, Lenaghan SC. Mini-synplastomes for plastid genetic engineering. Plant Biotechnol J. 2022 Feb;20(2):360-373. doi: 10.1111/pbi.13717.

Poly A, Tseng WL, Marques F, Setzer FC, Karabucak B. Micro-Computed Tomographic Analysis of the Shaping Ability of XP-Endo Shaper in Oval-Shaped Distal Root Canals of Mandibular Molars.

Eur Endod J. 2021 Dec;6(3):271-277. doi: 10.14744/eej.2021.44153.

Roy S, Chompunud Na Ayudhya C, Thapaliya M, Deepak V, Ali H. Multifaceted MRGPRX2: New insight into the role of mast cells in health and disease. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2021 Aug;148(2):293-308. doi: 10.1016/j. jaci.2021.03.049.

Poly A, Marques F, Moura Sassone L, Karabucak B. The shaping ability of WaveOne Gold, TRUShape and XP-endo Shaper systems in oval-shaped distal canals of mandibular molars: A microcomputed tomographic analysis. Int Endod J. 2021 Dec;54(12):2300-2306. doi: 10.1111/iej.13625.

Yuan G, Fu C, Yang ST, Yuh DY, Hajishengallis G, Yang S. RGS12 Drives Macrophage Activation and Osteoclastogenesis in Periodontitis. J Dent Res. 2021 Nov 19:220345211045303. doi: 10.1177/00220345211045303.

ENDODONTICS SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

A selection of recently published work by department faculty (indicated in bold).

Aminoshariae A, Azarpazhooh A, Diogenes AR, Fouad AF, Glickman GN, He J, Kishen A, Letra AM, Levin L, Roda RS, Setzer FC, Tay FR, Hargreaves KM. Insights into the December 2021 Issue of the JOE. J Endod. 2021 Dec;47(12):18171819. doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2021.10.007.

PMID: 34838240.

Aminoshariae A, Azarpazhooh A, Diogenes AR, Fouad AF, Glickman GN, Kishen A, Letra AM, Levin L, Roda RS, Setzer FC, Tay FR, Hargreaves KM. Insights into the November 2021 Issue of the Journal of Endodontics. J Endod. 2021 Nov;47(11):1669-1671. doi: 10.1016/j. joen.2021.09.013. PMID: 34689924.

Aminoshariae A, Azarpazhooh A, Diogenes AR, Fouad AF, Glickman GN, Kishen A, Letra AM, Levin L, Roda RS, Setzer FC, Tay FR, Hargreaves KM. Insights into the October 2021 Issue of the Journal of Endodontics. J Endod. 2021 Oct;47(10):1547-1549. doi: 10.1016/j. joen.2021.08.011.

Mupparapu M (co-author Dept. of Oral Medicine), Shi KJ, Lo AD, Setzer FC. Novel 3D segmentation for reliable volumetric assessment of the nasal airway: a CBCT study. Quintessence Int. 2021;52(2):154-164. doi: 10.3290/j. qi.a45429.

Sherwood AA, Sherwood AI, Setzer FC, K SD, Shamili JV, John C, Schwendicke F. A Deep Learning Approach to Segment and Classify C-Shaped Canal Morphologies in Mandibular Second Molars Using Cone-beam Computed Tomography. J Endod. 2021 Dec;47(12):1907-1916. doi: 10.1016/j. joen.2021.09.009.

ORAL MEDICINE NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS Dr. Roopali Kulkarni (D’19, GR’19, GD’21) has joined the department’s fulltime faculty as an instructor.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

A selection of recently published work by department faculty (indicated in bold).

Alhendi F, Ko E, Graham L (Co-author Leon Levy Dental Medicine Library), Corby P. The association of sleep disturbances with burning mouth syndrome: An overlooked relationship-A qualitative systematic review. Oral Dis. 2021 Oct 17. doi: 10.1111/odi.14051.

Bindakhil M, Shanti RM (co-author Dept. of Oral Surgery), Mupparapu M. Raloxifene-induced osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) with no exposure to bisphosphonates: clinical and radiographic findings. Quintessence Int. 2021;0(0):27. doi: 10.3290/j.qi.b912675.

Brennan MT, Treister NS, Sollecito TP, Schmidt BL, Patton LL, Lin A, Elting LS, Hodges JS, Lalla RV. Tooth Failure Post-Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer: Primary Report of the Clinical Registry of Dental Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancer Patients (OraRad) Study.

Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2021 Dec 5:S0360-3016(21)03219-3. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2021.11.021.

Chandu VC, Baddam VRR, Mupparapu M, Marella Y. Vaccination induced complacency in adherence to COVID-19 precautionary measures among oral health care professionals in India and the United States: a retrospective pretest-posttest design.

Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2021 Oct 6:19. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1978794.

Korczeniewska OA, France K, Khan J, Greenberg MS, Benoliel R, Eli E. Chapter 11, Neuropathic Orofacial Pain. In: Glick, M.S. (Co-author Dept. of Preventive & Restorative Sciences), Greenberg, P.B., Lockhart, P.B., and Challacombe, S.J., editors. Burket’s Oral Medicine 13th ed.

Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell; 2021. p.419.

Kulkarni R, Sollecito TP. COVID-19 vaccination: possible short-term exacerbations of oral mucosal diseases. Int J Dermatol.

2021 Sep;60(9):e335-e336. doi: 10.1111/ ijd.15779.

Kulkarni R, Caster JM, Robin A, Hajishengallis E (co-author Div. of Pediatric Dentistry), Stoopler ET (Co-author dept. of Oral Medicine), Tanaka TI (Co-author dept. of Oral Medicine). Dental management of a pediatric patient with Kohlschutter-Tonz syndrome: A case report. Spec Care Dentist.

2021 Nov 12. doi: 10.1111/scd.12674.

Masri BA, Perry LM, Stoopler ET. Palatal superficial mucoceles associated with chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Hematol Transfus Cell Ther. 2021 Nov 29:S2531-1379(21)01313-4. doi: 10.1016/j.htct.2021.09.014.

McCartney TE, Mupparapu M. Anomalies of the clivus of interest in dental practice: A systematic review. Imaging Sci Dent. 2021 Dec;51(4):351-361. doi: 10.5624/isd.20210039.

Mupparapu M, Kulkarni R. Assessment of radiology baseline knowledge of freshman North American dental students prior to any formal instruction. Eur J Dent Educ. 2021 Dec 4. doi: 10.1111/eje.12732.

Mupparapu M, Nath S. Calcified carotid artery atheroma and stroke risk assessment. Use of Doppler ultrasonography as a secondary marker: a meta-analysis.

Quintessence Int. 2021;0(0):348-359. doi: 10.3290/j.qi.a45604.

Singer SR, Mupparapu M. Development of virtual radiology clinical competency evaluation amidst COVID-19 at a dental school. Quintessence Int. 2021 Oct 19;52(10):896-902. doi: 10.3290/j. qi.b2053853. PMID: 34595912.

Mupparapu M. Editorial: Commonsensical public health measures prevail over transient health recommendations during COVID-19. Quintessence Int. 2021;52(1):5-6. doi: 10.3290/j. qi.b869541.

Ohrbach R, Sollecito T, Omolehinwa T, Greenberg MS. Chapter 10, Temporomandibular Disorders. In: Glick, M.S. (Co-author Dept. of Preventive & Restorative Sciences), Greenberg, P.B., Lockhart, P.B., and Challacombe, S.J., editors. Burket’s Oral Medicine 13th ed.

Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell; 2021. p. 349.

Stoopler ET, McGarvey ML. Chapter 23, Neurologic Diseases. In: Glick, M.S. (Co-author Dept. of Preventive & Restorative Sciences), Greenberg, P.B., Lockhart, P.B., and Challacombe, S.J., editors. Burket’s Oral Medicine 13th ed.

Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell; 2021. p. 903.

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022 17

ACADEMICUPDATE ORAL SURGERY/ PHARMACOLOGY NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS

Dr. Katherine Theken has joined the department’s full-time faculty as Assistant Professor.

ORTHODONTICS NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS

Ortho Alumni Day will be held October 28, 2022.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

A selection of recently published work by department faculty (indicated in bold).

Pouraghaei Sevari S, Ansari S, Chen C, Moshaverinia A. Harnessing Dental Stem Cell Immunoregulation Using Cell-Laden Biomaterials. J Dent Res. 2021 Jun;100(6):568-575. doi: 10.1177/0022034520985820.

Barrero C, Vu G, Kosyk M, Humphries L, Jeon HH, Boucher N, Taylor J, Nah HD. Postoperative Changes in the Upper Airway Following Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis in Pediatric Hemifacial Microsomia. J Craniofac Surg. 2021 Oct 29. doi: 10.1097/ SCS.0000000000008327.

A selection of recently published work by department faculty (indicated in bold).

Rekawek P, Carr BR, Boggess WJ, Coburn JF, Chuang SK, Panchal N, Ford BP. Hygiene Recall in Diabetic and Nondiabetic Patients: A Periodic Prognostic Factor in the Protection Against Peri-Implantitis? J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2021 May;79(5):1038-1043. doi: 10.1016/j.joms.2020.12.032.

Tian J, Kou X, Wang R, Jing H, Chen C, Tang J, Mao X, Zhao B, Wei X, Shi S. Autophagy controls mesenchymal stem cell therapy in psychological stress colitis mice. Autophagy.

2021 Sep;17(9):2586-2603. doi: 10.1080/15548627.2020.1821547.

Wang S, Ford B. Imaging in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Dent Clin North Am. 2021 Jul;65(3):487-507. doi: 10.1016/j.cden.2021.02.012.

Wang TT, Nadella S, Lee CC, Hersh EV, Tannyhill RJ, Panchal N. Do Patterns of Opioid Prescriptions to Medicare Beneficiaries Differ Between Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Practicing in Urban and Rural Settings? J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2021 Nov 5:S02782391(21)01328-8. doi: 10.1016/j. joms.2021.10.018.

Worede F, Granquist EJ, Srinivasan AS, Vatsky SE, Cahill AM. Direct nidal ethyl vinyl alcohol copolymer embolization with flow reduction techniques as a primary treatment for intraosseous mandibular arteriolovenous malformations: Report of 2 cases. Journal of Vascular Anomalies [Internet]. 2021 Sept;2(3)

18 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

Gershater E, Li C, Ha P, Chung CH, Tanna N, Zou M, Zheng Z. Genes and Pathways Associated with Skeletal Sagittal Malocclusions: A Systematic Review. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Dec 2;22(23):13037. doi: 10.3390/ijms222313037.

Huang G, Yang M, Qali M, Wang TJ, Li C, Chang YC (Co-author dept. of Periodontics). Clinical Considerations in Orthodontically Forced Eruption for Restorative Purposes. J Clin Med. 2021 Dec 18;10(24):5950. doi: 10.3390/ jcm10245950.

Li C, Teixeira H, Tanna N, Zheng Z, Chen SHY, Zou M, Chung CH. The Reliability of Two- and Three-Dimensional Cephalometric Measurements: A CBCT Study. Diagnostics (Basel). 2021 Dec 7;11(12):2292. doi: 10.3390/ diagnostics11122292.

Matsumoto K, Tanna N. Maxillary protraction and vertical control utilizing skeletal anchorage for midfacial-maxillary deficiency. Dental Press J Orthod.

2021 Dec 15;26(6):e2120114. doi: 10.1590/2177-6709.26.6.e2120114.oar.

Matsumoto K, Tanna N, Boucher N. A two-stage approach for phenotype modification with connective tissue and bone grafts in periodontally compromised class II, division 2 patients. J Clin Orthod. 2021 Sep;55(9):543-557. PMID: 35015716.

‘NANOZYME’ THERAPY PREVENTS PLAQUE BUILDUP Penn Dental Medicine research suggests that an FDA-approved therapy for iron-deficiency anemia also holds promise for treating, preventing, and even diagnosing dental decay. The therapeutic, a combination of an iron-oxide nanoparticle-containing solution called ferumoxytol and hydrogen peroxide, was applied to real tooth enamel placed in a denture-like appliance and worn by the study subjects. The study found that a twice daily application of ferumoxytol, which activated hydrogen peroxide contained in a follow-up rinse, significantly reduced the buildup of harmful dental plaque and had a targeted effect on the bacteria largely responsible for tooth decay. See the following article: Liu Y (co-author Dept. of Preventive & Restorative Sciences), Huang Y, Kim D, Ren Z, Oh MJ, Cormode DP, Hara AT, Zero DT, Koo H. Ferumoxytol Nanoparticles Target Biofilms Causing Tooth Decay in the Human Mouth. Nano Lett. 2021 Nov 24;21(22):9442-9449. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c02702.

Yi L, Jeon HH, Li C, Boucher N, Chung CH. Sagittal and Vertical Growth of the Maxillo-Mandibular Complex in Untreated Children: A Longitudinal Study on Lateral Cephalograms Derived from Cone Beam Computed Tomography. Sensors (Basel). 2021 Dec 20;21(24):8484. doi: 10.3390/s21248484.

PERIODONTICS

Yi L, Jeon HH, Li C, Boucher N, Chung CH. Transverse Growth of the MaxilloMandibular Complex in Untreated Children: A Longitudinal Cone Beam Computed Tomography Study. Sensors (Basel). 2021 Sep 24;21(19):6378. doi: 10.3390/s21196378.

A selection of recently published work by department faculty (indicated in bold).

NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS

Dr. Tun-Jan Wang has joined the department’s full-time faculty as an instructor.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Abusleme L, Morandini AC, HashizumeTakizawa T, Sahingur SE. Editorial: Oral Microbiome and Inflammation Connection to Systemic Health. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021 Nov 2;11:780182. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.780182.

Bleyan S, Gaspar J, Huwais S, Schwimer C, Mazor Z, Mendes JJ, Neiva R. Molar Septum Expansion with Osseodensification for Immediate Implant Placement, Retrospective Multicenter Study with Up-to-5-Year Follow-Up, Introducing a New Molar Socket Classification. J Funct Biomater. 2021 Nov 25;12(4):66. doi: 10.3390/jfb12040066.

El Chaar E, Shi Y, Engebretson S, Zahedi D, Chang E. Bone Ring Allograft: Digitally Guided Placement in the Anterior Esthetic Area. A Retrospective Case Series. Int J Periodontics Restorative Dent. 2021 Nov-Dec;41(6):865-872. doi: 10.11607/ prd.5237.

El Chaar E, Puisys A, Sabbag I, Bellón B, Georgantza A, Kye W, Pippenger BE. A novel fully tapered, self-cutting tissue-level implant: non-inferiority study in minipigs. Clin Oral Investig. 2021 Nov;25(11):6127-6137. doi: 10.1007/ s00784-021-03912-w.

Gaspar J, Proença L, Botelho J, Machado V, Chambrone L, Neiva R, Mendes JJ. Implant Stability of Osseodensification Drilling Versus Conventional Surgical Technique: A Systematic Review. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants. 2021 NovDec;36(6):1104-1110. doi: 10.11607/ jomi.9132.

Meng Q, Gao Q, Mehrazarin S, Tangwanichgapong K, Wang Y, Huang Y, Pan Y, Robinson S, Liu Z, Zangiabadi A, Lux R, Papapanou PN, Guo XE, Wang H, Berchowitz LE, Han YW. Fusobacterium nucleatum secretes amyloid-like FadA to enhance pathogenicity.

EMBO Rep. 2021 Jul 5;22(7):e52891. doi: 10.15252/embr.202152891.

Mooney EC, Holden SE, Xia XJ, Li Y, Jiang M, Banson CN, Zhu B, Sahingur SE. Quercetin Preserves Oral Cavity Health by Mitigating Inflammation and Microbial Dysbiosis. Front Immunol.

2021 Nov 26;12:774273. doi: 10.3389/ fimmu.2021.774273.

PREVENTIVE & RESTORATIVE SCIENCES SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

A selection of recently published work by department faculty (indicated in bold).

Brignardello-Petersen R, CarrascoLabra A, Guyatt GH. How to Interpret and Use a Clinical Practice Guideline or Recommendation: Users’ Guides to the Medical Literature. JAMA. 2021 Oct 19;326(15):1516-1523. doi: 10.1001/ jama.2021.15319.

M, Urquhart O, Howell S, Booth A, Glick M. Chapter 29, How to Identify, Interpret and Apply the Scientific Literature to Practice. In: Glick, M.S., Greenberg, P.B., Lockhart, P.B., and Challacombe, S.J., editors. Burket’s Oral Medicine 13th ed.

Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell; 2021. p.

1059.

Carrasco-Labra A, Urquhart O, Spallek H. Chapter 12. Machine Learning in Evidence Synthesis Research. In: Ko, C., Shen, D., & Wang, L., editors. Machine learning in dentistry. Cham, Switzerland: Springer; 2021. p. 147-61 Coachman C, Sesma N, Blatz MB. The complete digital workflow in interdisciplinary dentistry. Int J Esthet Dent.

2021;16(1):34-49. PMID: 33502130.

Dhall A, Islam S, Park M, Zhang Y, Kim A, Hwang G. Bimodal Nanocomposite Platform with Antibiofilm and SelfPowering Functionalities for Biomedical Applications. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2021 Sep 1;13(34):4037940391. doi: 10.1021/acsami.1c11791.

Esquivel J, Meda RG, Blatz MB. The Impact of 3D Implant Position on Emergence Profile Design. Int J Periodontics Restorative Dent. 2021 Jan-Feb;41(1):79-86. doi: 10.11607/ prd.5126.

Falacho RI, Marques JA, Palma PJ, Roseiro L, Caramelo F, Ramos JC, Guerra F, Blatz MB. Luting indirect restorations with resin cements versus composite resins: Effects of preheating and ultrasound energy on film thickness.

J Esthet Restor Dent. 2021 Dec 13. doi: 10.1111/jerd.12851.

Trushkowsky RD, Medianti DR, Giotopoulos PL, Prathompat S, Zhang Y. Conservative Esthetic Replacement of a Missing Anterior Tooth Using Monolithic Zirconia One-Wing Fixed Dental Prosthesis. Compend Contin Educ Dent. 2021 Oct;42(9):e9-e12. PMID: 34606295.

Glick M, Wolff MS, Carrasco-Labra A. COVID-19 and scientific illiteracy, a syndemic. J Am Dent Assoc. 2021 Dec;152(12):967-968. doi: 10.1016/j. adaj.2021.09.013.

Wang Y, Devji T, Qasim A, Hao Q, Wong V, Bhatt M, Prasad M, Wang Y, Noori A, Xiao Y, Ghadimi M, Lozano LEC, Phillips MR, Carrasco-Labra A, King M, Terluin B, Terwee CB, Walsh M, Furukawa TA, Guyatt GH. A systematic survey identified methodological issues in studies estimating anchor-based minimal important differences in patient-reported outcomes. J Clin Epidemiol. 2021 Nov 6;142:144-151. doi: 10.1016/j. jclinepi.2021.10.028.

Glick M, Greenberg MS (Co-author Dept. of Oral Medicine), Lockhart PB, Challacombe SJ. Chapter 1, Introduction to Oral Medicine and Oral Diagnosis. In: Glick, M.S., Greenberg, P.B., Lockhart, P.B., and Challacombe, S.J., editors.

Burket’s Oral Medicine 13th ed.

Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell; 2021. p.1

Woo SB, Setterfield JF, Greenberg MS MS (Co-author Dept. of Oral Medicine). Chapter 3, Ulcerative, Vesicular, and Bullous Lesions. In: Glick, M.S., Greenberg, P.B., Lockhart, P.B., and Challacombe, S.J., editors. Burket’s Oral Medicine 13th ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell; 2021. p. 35.

Hao J, Stavljenić Milašin I, Batu Eken Z, Mravak-Stipetic M, Pavelić K, Ozer F. Effects of Zeolite as a Drug Delivery System on Cancer Therapy: A Systematic Review. Molecules. 2021 Oct 14;26(20):6196. doi: 10.3390/ molecules26206196.

Yanine N, Sabelle N, Vergara-Gárate V, Salazar J, Araya-Cabello I, CarrascoLabra A, Martin C, Villanueva J. Effect of antibiotic prophylaxis for preventing infectious complications following impacted mandibular third molar surgery. A randomized controlled trial.

Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal. 2021 Nov 1;26(6):e703-e710. doi: 10.4317/ medoral.24274.

Islam S, Kim A, Hwang G, Song SH. Smart Tooth System for In-Situ Wireless PH Monitoring. In: 2021 21st International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems (Transducers); 2021. p. 755-8. DOI: 10.1109/ Transducers50396.2021.9495706 Pool CD, Patel VA, Hwang G, Barr J, Goyal N. Color Change of Intranasal Fluorescein Cannot Detect Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks. World Neurosurg. 2021 Dec;156:e243-e248. doi: 10.1016/j. wneu.2021.09.042.

Slonimsky E, Goldenberg D, Hwang G, Gagnon E, Slonimsky G. A Comprehensive Update of the Incidence and Demographics of Laryngoceles in Adults. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol.

2021 Oct 27:34894211055336. doi: 10.1177/00034894211055336.

Division of Community & Oral Health Burgette JM, Vujicic M, Booth M, Meltzer D, Best TJ, Neill J, Conicella ML, Joskow RW, Chalmers NI. Advancing oral health policy through persuasive messaging and effective research measures. J Public Health Dent. 2021 Dec;81(1):7783. doi: 10.1111/jphd.12422.

Scully AC, Joshi AP, Rector JM, Eckert GJ. Willingness and ability of oral health care workers to work during the COVID19 pandemic. J Am Dent Assoc. 2021 Oct;152(10):791-799. doi: 10.1016/j. adaj.2021.04.021.

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022 19

“My primary personal interest has always been to try to use the best available evidence to support decision making at all levels.”

— DR. ALONSO CARRASCO-LABRA

CREATING EVIDENCE-INFORMED ORAL HEALTH POLICY DR. ALONSO CARRASCO-LABRA, WHO JOINED THE SCHOOL IN 2021, IS A LEADER IN DEVELOPING NEW POLICY AND CLINICAL GUIDELINES ACROSS AREAS OF MEDICINE OPPOSITE: Dr. Alonso Carrasco-Labra brings a depth of experience in policy development to the School’s Center for Integrative Global Oral Health.

Prior to coming to Penn Dental Medicine, he worked at the ADA Science and Research Institute as senior director of the Department of Evidence Synthesis and Translation Research.

20 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

HEALTHCARE — INCLUDING ORAL HEALTHCARE — is a rapidly evolving field. For clinicians to offer their patients the best and most up-to-date care, they need guidance that not only integrates the latest science, but also suits the setting in which they operate.

Situated at the intersection of science and policymaking, Dr. Alonso Carrasco-Labra, who joined the faculty at Penn Dental Medicine this past fall, aims to continue making progress in helping develop this guidance in his new role at the School.

“My primary personal interest has always been to try to use the best available evidence to support decision making at all levels,” says Dr. Carrasco-Labra, now an Associate Professor in the School’s Department of Preventive and Restorative Sciences.

Part of the School’s recently developed Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, Dr. Carrasco-Labra will use his experiences in policy development around the world to coordinate reviews of clinical care practices that lay out guidelines for dentists and other

oral healthcare practitioners. At Penn Dental Medicine, he’ll do so relying on the complementary skillsets of such entities as the Center for Innovation in Precision Dentistry and the Center for Clinical and Translational Research.

“Alonso brings a unique skillset to the dental school and the University at large because of his background in evidence-based medicine and dentistry,” says Dr. Michael Glick, Executive Director of the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health and a Professor of Clinical Restorative Dentistry.

“And apart from his incredible training and pedigree, he’s also a nice guy and very, very curious. He makes people around him be much better. That is really what we want and need to be able to achieve our goals as a team.”

A WIDE VIEW OF HEALTHCARE Dr. Carrasco-Labra began his career in the dental field, earning his D.D.S. from the University of Chile. Alongside his clinical training, he developed an interest in health research methods, a field he decided to pursue in studies at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, an institution that doesn’t have a dental school.

“That was intentional,” Dr. CarrascoLabra says, “because I wanted to learn from researchers in the medical field. I wanted to learn the medical perspective.”

He earned a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology and a Ph.D. from McMaster in health research methodology, also devoting time to teaching and research in various appointments at dental schools, including the University of Toronto, University of Buffalo, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Prior to coming to Penn Dental Medicine, Dr. Carrasco-Labra worked at

the American Dental Association (ADA) Science and Research Institute as senior director of the Department of Evidence Synthesis and Translation Research. His has also worked with governments and healthcare agencies around the world, facilitating guideline and policy creation for the Pan-American Health Organization/World Health Organization, the World Bank, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the American Gastroenterological Association.

His projects have spanned the realm of healthcare, involving guidelines and policies for the management of gastrointestinal diseases, stroke, breast cancer screening, cervical cancer, and others. Over the last several years at the ADA, most of his work has focused on oral health-related practices, producing half a dozen more sets of guidelines.

“It’s rewarding, as this work has an impact,” he says. “The documents are highly cited in and across disciplines.”

A NEW, PRESSING ISSUE Most recently, Dr. Carrasco-Labra has coordinated a joint effort involving the ADA, FDA, Penn, and the University of Pittsburgh focused on the management of acute dental pain. The work is particularly timely given the opioid crisis and concerns about overprescribing among dental professionals. Several upcoming peer-review articles will detail the guidelines and the underpinning evidence and provide suggestions for prescribing practices that address patients’ pain, while reducing the risk for undesirable effects.

As in each of the guideline development processes he’s overseen, stakeholder engagement and outreach has been a crucial component.

“We’ve engaged several professional organizations, patient organizations, and government organizations of all sorts that touch on issues of acute dental pain,” says Dr. Carrasco-Labra. “That takes a lot of time,

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022 21

ORALHEALTHPOLICY but it is essential. We take those contributions very seriously.”

A public comment period was also part of this policy development, and promoted through channels such as stakeholder groups and social media.

“If you ask people, people will tell you what they think,” he says. “Addressing these inputs early on minimizes the chance that when the guidelines or policy comes out, some groups, organizations, or patients would feel left out of the conversation. We try to foresee and address concerns as part of the guideline development process.”

PROGRESS AT PENN For Dr. Carrasco-Labra, his recent move to Penn Dental Medicine has opened up new possibilities in furthering his aims of expanding the use of evidence-based methods.

“In my work at the American Dental Association, we made great advancements producing policy and guidelines for the United States,” he says. “Now, I want to have the possibility of addressing these issues using a broader lens, thinking about how these methods and knowledge can be applied in other settings abroad on a more global scale. Being at Penn, which itself has a global reach, made complete sense.”

Through the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, Penn Dental Medicine’s first center focused on policy, Dr. CarrascoLabra and colleagues aim to bring the ability to translate scientific oral health findings into practice and policy.

“Penn, in my opinion, is the perfect place for this,” Dr. Carrasco-Labra says.

Next steps, he says, will involve creating an advisory panel and launching a master’s degree in oral and population health, an academic program for which he will serve as director.

“We will be able to create a profile of a leader in oral health that is able to be right there between the evidence and the decision-makers,” he says. “Such a program doesn’t exist at the moment in the U.S. and we are very excited about it.”

Students in this program, he says, will be trained in a variety of disciplines from evidence creation to policy development and

22 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

“If you ask people, people will tell you what they think.

Addressing these inputs early on minimizes the chance that when the guidelines or policy comes out, some groups, organizations, or patients would feel left out of the conversation.”

— DR. ALONSO CARRASCO-LABRA

implementation, and it will be open to people with dental training as well as those without a dental degree. “We want to be really broad in our scope and fold in people who want to work in oral health,” he says. “You have lots of people who work in oral health research who don’t have this training, so it’s a no-brainer to avoid restricting our talent pool in this way.”

Dr. Carrasco-Labra is building bridges to other parts of the University as well, as a Leonard Davis Institute scholar and soon to be scholar at the Global Health Center at the Perelman School of Medicine. In addition, collaborations with the Center for Clinical and Translational Research and the Center for Innovation and Precision Dentistry at Penn Dental Medicine will be bearing fruit.

The COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. CarrascoLabra says, has put into sharp relief the need for evidence-based healthcare like never

before, highlighting gaps in our knowledge and underscoring the need for data and trusted information.

“In March 2020, we needed to make decisions, we needed to understand our processes and implement decisions that were needed, yet we had little to no data on which to base our decision,” he says. “Now we are at a crossroads. And people working in health policy can take advantage to implement the frameworks and establish the collaborations that will allow us to create solid, evidenceinformed policies beyond COVID-19.” n — By Katherine Unger Baillie

ABOVE: Dr. Alonso Carrasco-Labra with Hala Baradi of the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health.

FACULTYPERSPECTIVE VIEWS ON DENTAL TOPICS & TRENDS

Evidence-Based Dentistry: An Evolution of Practice Contributed by Dr. Alonso Carrasco-Labra, Center for Integrative Global Oral Health In its early stages of development, evidencebased dentistry (EBD) focused on providing a solid rationale for why scientific evidence, as opposed to other sources of information to guide practice, improves patient care. Many organizations focused on training clinicians and academicians on the principles of EBD, reflected in creating skills on how to critically appraise the scientific literature (i.e., search and identify a study, assess study validity, interpret the study results, and determine the applicability of the study results to practice).

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and evidence-informed clinical practice guidelines became a more common and desirable deliverable in the oral health community, with guidelines being cited as essential pieces in several high-level oral healthcare frameworks, including value-based care and universal health coverage. All this progress, loadable and necessary, represented the infancy and adolescence of evidence-based dentistry.

The challenges ahead for the oral health community are vast. Current reports suggest that, although systematic reviews and meta-analyses are often available in oral health for many clinical questions, their methodological quality and appropriateness to decision-making is, at least, questionable.

For example, excluding patient-important outcomes, or poor description or reporting of interventions included in the primary studies, would make a methodologically sound review useless for decision making. Regarding clinical practice guidelines, the number of organizations committed to creating, disseminating, and maintaining a set of key evidence-based guidelines addressing oral health issues is minimal. To move the production of guidelines to the next level, oral healthcare agencies will need to focus on sustainability, and move from the current philosophy for guideline

development as a one-time effort, to understand it as an iterative process across a set of versions of the recommendations. The inclusion of technology can make these processes less resource-intense by having artificial intelligence integrated into several steps, including evidence identification, retrieval, appraisal, and real-time updates of systematic reviews and meta-analysis informing a guideline.

Another area where the oral health community will be focusing is in studying people/ patients’ values and preferences. This aspect of the practice of EBD, although largely neglected, plays an essential role in decision-making. In many scenarios, where high certainty evidence suggests that an intervention is effective in improving patient-important outcomes, it is variability or uncertainty in people/patients’ values what may warrant a “conditional recommendation for an intervention,” as opposed to a strong recommendation. Studying people/ patients’ values and preferences requires that the oral health community moves from a paternalistic approach to decision-making to a different approach, where patients and clinicians

join efforts to ensure that the best available evidence informs the next clinical decision, and the consideration of the balance between the desirable and undesirable consequences of intervention is driven by the patients’ values.

This approach should also be extended to guidelines, health technology assessment reports, and policies.

The third area of evolution in the coming years for EBD is creating and including new sources of evidence beyond what is available in the scientific literature. The emergence of large repositories of data (not only limited to clinical data) relevant to oral health will allow the provision of real-time insights regarding health parameters of a particular population or an individual, even at a practice level. Such an approach will demand the creation of new frameworks to store, process, analyze, and synthesize relevant information using data visualization tools that are designed using a solid user-oriented philosophy and ready to be part of the clinical workflow. The learning health system framework is currently under discussion in several oral health venues, with interesting initiatives being piloted.

For EBD to move to the next level, primary and secondary studies should be more sensitive to the end-user application of their results (i.e., patients, clinicians, policymakers); researchers summarizing primary studies using systematic review methods should identify and report people/patient-important outcomes; a new area of research should emerge focusing on the study of people/patients’ values and preferences in oral health; clinicians, researchers, and policymakers should join efforts to establish the fundaments to build a learning oral health system, in which the conduct of sustainable living evidence-informed clinical practice guidelines becomes the new normal. n

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022 23

RESEARCHSPOTLIGHT TRANSLATING SCIENCE TO PRACTICE

Spanning Disciplines, Funding by Investigators Advancing Science & Practice The Penn Dental Medicine research enterprise spans scientific disciplines to translate new knowledge into clinical therapies that are expanding our understanding of disease and advancing patient care.

In 2021, faculty and research staff continued to move scholarship forward across their respective fields and beyond. On the pages that follow, we highlight some of these research and scholarly activities for 2021.

$20.91M Awarded for research in FY21

Among the Penn Dental Medicine faculty, following are the total funds (direct and indirect) spent by each principal investigator in the 2021 calendar year.

FACULTY/DEPARTMENT

2021 TOTAL

Dr. Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, Oral Medicine

$ 2,434,713

Dr. George Hajishengallis, Basic & Translational Sciences

$ 1,593,738

Dr. Pat Corby, Oral Medicine

$ 1,540,304

Dr. Dana T. Graves, Periodontics

$ 1,468,673

Dr. Henry Daniell, Basic & Translational Sciences

$ 1,353,367

Dr. Hyun (Michel) Koo, Orthodontics/COH/Pediatrics

$ 973,137

Dr. Hydar Ali, Basic & Translational Sciences

$ 926,124

Dr. Gary H. Cohen, Basic & Translational Sciences

$ 861,225

Dr. Claire H. Mitchell, Basic & Translational Sciences

$ 847,713

Dr. Yu Zhang, Preventive & Restorative Sciences

$ 766,893

Dr. Bruce J. Shenker, Basic & Translational Sciences

$ 753,760

Dr. Chider Chen, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

$ 652,239

Dr. Temitope Omolehinwa, Oral Medicine

$ 537,956

Dr. Kathleen Boesze-Battaglia, Basic & Translational Sciences

$ 593,424

Dr. Esra Sahingur, Periodontics

$ 496,530

Dr. David Hershkowitz, Preventive & Restorative Sciences

$ 483,816

Dr. Joan Gluch, Community Oral Health (COH)

$ 483,103

Dr. Thomas Sollecito, Oral Medicine

$ 390,237

Dr. Geelsu Hwang, Preventive & Restorative Sciences

$ 340,252

Dr. Kang Ko, Periodontics Dr. Shuying (Sherri) Yang, Basic & Translational Sciences

$ 169,776

Dr. Robert P. Ricciardi, Basic & Translational Sciences

$ 165,284

Dr. Anh Le, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

$ 162,370

Dr. Elliot Hersh, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

$ 135,020

Dr. Mark S. Wolff, Preventive & Restorative Sciences

$ 69,451

Dr. Anuradha Dhringra, Basic & Translational Sciences

$ 33,029

Dr. Nataliya Balashova, Basic & Translational Sciences

$ 20,762

Dr. Flavia Teles, Basic & Translational Sciences

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$ 251,181

$ 11,076

Scholarly Impact The impact of faculty publications measured by the h index* is presented for a selection of faculty within both the clinical departments and the Department of Basic & Translational Sciences for the past five years.

Career h-indexes are also included.

CLINICAL DEPARTMENTS SCOPUS H-INDEX FACULTY

LIFETIME

5-YEAR

Dr. Hyun (Michel) Koo, Orthodontics/Divs. Pediatrics/Community Oral Health

61

30

Dr. Alonso Carrasco Labra, Preventive & Restorative Sciences

32

24

Dr. Yu Zhang, Preventive & Restorative Sciences

45

22

Dr. Yuan Liu, Preventive & Restorative Sciences

19

21

Dr. Dana Graves, Periodontics

72

18

Dr. Chider Chen, Oral Surgery

35

16

Dr. Geelsu Hwang, Preventive & Restorative Sciences

28

16

Dr. Bekir Karabucak, Endodontics

22

14

Dr. Rabie Shanti, Oral Surgery

20

13

Dr. Frank C. Setzer, Endodontics

20

13

Dr. Anh D. Le, Oral Surgery

45

12

Dr. Markus B. Blatz, Preventive & Restorative Sciences

30

11

Dr. Chenshuang Li, Orthodontics

14

11

Dr. Rodrigo Neiva, Periodontics

27

10

Dr. Thomas Sollecito, Oral Medicine

21

10

Dr. Michael Glick, Preventive & Restorative Sciences

31

9

Dr. Mark S. Wolff, Preventive & Restorative Sciences

30

9

Dr. Kelly L. Jordan-Sciutto, Oral Medicine

26

9

Dr. Patricia Corby, Oral Medicine

23

9

Dr. Betty Hajishengallis, Div. Pediatric Dentistry

17

9

Dr. Esra Sahingur, Periodontics

14

9

Dr. Joseph P. Fiorellini, Periodontics

34

8

Dr. Elliot V. Hersh, Oral Surgery

29

8

Dr. Mel Mupparapu, Oral Medicine

17

8

Dr. Katherine N. Theken, Oral Surgery

13

7

Dr. Sunday O. Akintoye, Oral Medicine

24

6

Dr. Jonathan Korostoff, Periodontics

24

6

Dr. Fusun Ozer, Preventive & Restorative Sciences

24

6

Dr. Chun-Hsi Chung, Orthodontics

19

6

Dr. Francis Mante, Preventive & Restorative Sciences

18

5

Dr. Eric Stoopler, Oral Medicine

17

5

Dr. Eric Granquist, Oral Surgery

7

5

Dr. Edgar El Chaar, Periodontics

7

5

Dr. Su-Min Lee, Endodontics

6

5

Dr. Neeraj Panchal, Oral Surgery

5

5

Dr. Syngcuk Kim, Endodontics

42

4

Dr. Martin S. Greenberg, Oral Medicine

25

4

Dr. Lee Ryan Carrasco, Oral Surgery

11

4

Dr. Yu Wang, Periodontics

11

4

Dr. Helen E. Giannakopoulos, Oral Surgery

10

4

Dr. Eugene Ko, Oral Medicine

5

4

Dr. Yu Cheng Chang, Periodontics

4

4

Dr. Hyeran Helen Jeon, Orthodontics

4

3

Dr. Katherine France, Oral Medicine

3

3

Dr. Takako Tanaka, Oral Medicine

9

2

Dr. Kang I Ko, Periodontics

6

2

Dr. Nipul Tanna, Orthodontics

4

2

Dr. Joan Gluch, Community Oral Health

4

2

Dr Brian P. Ford, Oral Surgery

2

2

Dr. Uri Hangorsky, Periodontics

2

2

Dr. Roopali Kulkarni, Oral Medicine

2

2

Dr. Temitope Omolehinwa, Oral Medicine

2

2

16

1

Dr. Thomas R. Berardi, Oral Medicine

2

1

Dr. Adeyinka Dayo, Oral Medicine

1

1

Dr. Peter D. Quinn, Oral Surgery

DEPARTMENT OF BASIC & TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCES SCOPUS H-INDEX FACULTY

LIFETIME

5-YEAR

Dr. George Hajishengallis

66

28

Dr. Henry Daniell

73

22

Dr. Kathleen Boesze-Battaglia

33

14

Dr. Shuying (Sheri) Yang

24

13

Dr. Claire Mitchell

38

12

Dr. Gary Cohen

66

10

Dr. Hydar Ali

38

10

Dr. Yan Yuan

32

8

Dr. Flavia Teles

22

7

Dr. Bruce Shenker

36

6

Dr. Faizan Alawi

20

6

Dr. Nataliya Balashova

17

6

Dr. Cagla Akay Espinoza

16

4

Dr. Robert P. Ricciardi

33

3

Dr. Marco Tizzano

15

2

* The h-index was developed by J.E. Hirsch, Department of Physics, UCSD and attempts to measure the impact of an individual’s publications. As an example, an h-index of 20 means there are 20 publications that have 20 citations or more each in journals covered by the Scopus database.

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022 25

RESEARCHSPOTLIGHT

2021 High Impact Original Articles: Basic & Translational Sciences Within the School’s Department of Basic & Translational Sciences, following is a selection of original research articles with Penn Dental Medicine faculty as first or senior authors published in 2021 in journals of high impact.

AUTHORS

ARTICLES

IMPACT FACTOR

JOURNAL

Wang, H., Li, X., Kajikawa, T., Shin, J., Lim, J.-H., Kourtzelis, I., Nagai, K., Korostoff, J.M., Grossklaus,S., Naumann, R., Chavakis, T., Hajishengallis, G.

Stromal cell-derived DEL-1 inhibits 14.808 Tfh cell activation and inflammatory arthritis

Journal of Clinical Investigation

Daniell, H., Nair, S.K., Esmaeili, N., Wakade, G., Shahid, N., Ganesan, P.K., Islam, M.R., Shepley-McTaggart, A., Feng, S., Gary, E.N., Ali, A.R., Nuth, M., Cruz, S.N., Graham-Wooten, J., Streatfield, S.J., Montoya-Lopez, R., Kaznica, P., Mawson, M., Green, B.J., Ricciardi, R., Milone, M., Harty, R.N., Wang, P., Weiner, D.B., Margulies, K.B., Collman, R.G.

Debulking SARS-CoV-2 in saliva using angiotensin converting enzyme 2 in chewing gum to decrease oral virus transmission and infection

11.454

Molecular Therapy

Guan, H., Nuth, M., Lee, V., Lin, C., Mitchell, C.H., Lu, W., Scott, R.W., Parker, M.H., Kulp, J.L., Reitz, A.B., Ricciardi, R.P.

Herpes Simplex Virus-1 infection in human primary corneal epithelial cells is blocked by a stapled peptide that targets processive DNA synthesis

11.454

Ocular Surface

Li, X., Yang, S., Chinipardaz, Z., Koyama, E., Yang, S.

SAG therapy restores bone growth and 11.454 reduces enchondroma incidence in a model of skeletal chondrodysplasias caused by Ihh deficiency

Molecular Therapy Methods and Clinical Development

Deepak, V., Komarow, H.D., Alblaihess, A.A., Carter, M.C., Metcalfe, D.D., Ali, H.

Expression of MRGPRX2 in skin mast cells 10.793 of patients with maculopapular cutaneous mastocytosis

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice

2021 High Impact Review Articles Following is a selection of review articles with Penn Dental Medicine faculty as first or senior authors published in 2021 in journals of high impact.

AUTHORS

ARTICLES

IMPACT FACTOR

JOURNAL

DEPARTMENT

Hajishengallis, G., Chavakis, T.

Local and systemic 53.106 Nature Reviews mechanisms linking Immunology periodontal disease and inflammatory comorbidities

Basic & Translational Sciences

K Theken, G FitzGerald

Bioactive lipids in antiviral 47.728 Science immunity

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Hajishengallis, G., Hasturk, H., Lambris, J.D., C3-targeted therapy in 16.687 Trends in Apatzidou, D.A., Belibasakis, G.N., Bostanci, N., Corby, P.M., periodontal disease: moving Immunology Cutler, C.W., D'Aiuto, F., Hajishengallis, E., Huber-Lang, M., closer to the clinic Ioannidou, E., Kajikawa, T., Kantarci, A., Korostoff, J.M., Kotsakis, G.A., Maekawa, T., Mastellos, D.C., Moutsopoulos, N.M., Myneni, S., Nagelberg, R., Nilsson, B., Papapanou, P.N., Papathanasiou, E., Potempa, J., Risitano, A., Sahingur, S.E., Saito, A., Sculean, A., Stavropoulos, A., Teles, F.R., Tonetti, M., Yancopoulou, D.

Basic & Translational Sciences

Singh, R., Ren, Z., Shi, Y., Lin, S., Kwon, K.-C., Balamurugan, S., Rai, V., Mante, F., Koo, H., Daniell, H.

Affordable oral healthcare: 9.803 dental biofilm disruption using chloroplast made enzymes with chewing gum delivery

Plant Biotechnology Journal

Basic & Translational Sciences

Ko, K.I., Sculean, A., Graves, D.T.

Diabetic wound healing in 7.012 soft and hard oral tissues

Translational Research

Periodontics

26 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

2021 High Impact Original Articles: Clinical Sciences Within the School’s clinical departments, following is a selection of original research articles with Penn Dental Medicine faculty as first or senior authors published in 2021 in journals of high impact.

AUTHORS

ARTICLES

IMPACT FACTOR

Huang, Y., Liu, Y., Shah, S., Kim, D., Simon-Soro, A., Ito, T., Hajfathalian, M., Li, Y., Hsu, J.C., Nieves, L.M., Alawi, F., Naha, P.C., Cormode, D.P., Koo, H.

Precision targeting of bacterial pathogen 12.479 Biomaterials via bi-functional nanozyme activated by biofilm microenvironment

Orthodontics/Pediatrics/ Community Oral Health

Zhang, Q., Nguyen, P., Burrell, J.C., Zeng, J., Shi, S., Shanti, R.M., Kulischak, G., Cullen, D.K., Le, A.D.

Harnessing 3D collagen hydrogel-directed 10.364 conversion of human GMSCs into SCP-like cells to generate functionalized nerve conduits

npj Regenerative Medicine

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Dhall, A., Islam, S., Park, M., Zhang, Y., Kim, A., Hwang, G.

Bimodal Nanocomposite Platform with 9.229 Antibiofilm and Self-Powering Functionalities for Biomedical Applications

ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces

Restorative Sciences

Mooney, E.C., Holden, S.E., Quercetin Preserves Oral Cavity Health 7.561 Xia, X.-J., Li, Y., Jiang, M.,

by Mitigating Inflammation and Microbial Banson, C.N., Zhu, B., Sahingur, S.E. Dysbiosis

Frontiers in Immunology

Periodontics

Roth, L.M., Zidane, B., Festa, L., Putatunda, R., Romer, M., Monnerie, H., Jordan-Sciutto, K.L., Grinspan, J.B.

GLIA

Oral Medicine

Differential effects of integrase strand transfer inhibitors, elvitegravir and raltegravir, on oligodendrocyte maturation: A role for the integrated stress response

7.452

JOURNAL

DEPARTMENT

* The Impact Factor identifies the frequency with which an average article from a journal is cited in a particular year. This number can be used to evaluate or compare a journal’s relative importance to others in the same field. Journal impact factors are reported in Clarivate Analytics InCites™ Journal Citation Reports®. The JCR, 2017, was used for these figures.

FY21 Patent Awards The following patents were awarded to Penn Dental Medicine faculty in fiscal year 2021 as part of their research activities.

PATENT TITLE

INVENTOR

Chloroplasts engineered to express pharmaceutical proteins in edible plants

Dr. Henry Daniell

Oral Delivery Of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (Ace2) Or Angiotensin-(1-7)Bioencapsulated In Plant Cells Attenuates Pulmonary Hypertensions, Cardiac Dysfunction And Development Of Autoimmune And Experimentally Induced Ocular Disorders

Dr. Henry Daniell, Qiuhong Li, Mohan Raizada

Orally Administered Plastid Expressed Cholera Toxin B Subunit-Exendin 4 As Treatment For Type 2 Diabetes

Dr. Henry Daniell

Compositions and Methods Thereof for Down-Regulation of Genes Following Oral Delivery of an RNAi Molecule Bioencapsulated Within Plant Cells

Dr. Henry Daniell

Compositions and Methods for Delivery of Bioencapsulated Proteins Across Blood-Brain and Retinal Barriers

Dr. Henry Daniell

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022 27

RESEARCHSPOTLIGHT

2021 New Grant Awards In 2021, the following new grants above $50,000 were awarded to Penn Dental Medicine faculty.

Inter- and Intra-cellular effects of cannabinoids, HIV and ART in the CNS Principal Investigator: Dr. Kelly L. Jordan-Sciutto, Dept. of Oral Medicine (NIH; Total Award $3,529,874, 5 years) Biofilm Elimination and Caries Prevention using Multifunctional Nanocatalysts Principal Investigator: Dr. Hyun (Michel) Koo, Dept. of Orthodontics, Divs. of Community Oral Health/Pediatric Dentistry (NIH; Total Award $3,464,432, 5 years) Effects of HIV and ART on myelination in the adolescent Principal Investigator: Dr. Kelly L. Jordan-Sciutto, Dept. of Oral Medicine (NIH; Total Award $3,316,582, 5 years) RGS12, a Novel Inflammatory Mediator for Rheumatoid Arthritis Principal Investigator: Dr. Shuying Yang, Dept. Basic & Translational Sciences (Dept. of Defense; Total Award; $2,402,885, 4 years)

Development of a Peptide-Drug Conjugate for Topically Treating the Viral Skin Disease Molluscum Contagiosum Principal Investigator: Dr. Robert Ricciardi, Dept. of Basic & Translational Sciences (NIH through Fox Chase Chemical Diversity Center; $349,200, 2 years) The Impact of Oral Health on Metabolism and Persistent Inflammation in HIV Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy Principal Investigator: Dr. Temitope Omolehinwa, Dept. of Oral Medicine (NIH; Total Award $298,566, 1 year) A Phase II, randomized, open-label trial to test the effects of Povidone- iodine 0.5% as mouthwash/gargle on SARS-CoV-2 Principal Investigator: Dr. Corby Patricia, Dept. of Oral Medicine (Avrio Health; Total Award $270,439, 1 year)

The role of solitary chemosensory cells in periodontal homeostasis Principal Investigator: Dr. Marco Tizzano, Dept. Basic & Translational Sciences (NIH; Total Award $1,978,427, 4 years)

Small Scale Robotics for Automated Dental Biofilm Treatment Principal Investigator: Dr. Hyun (Michel) Koo, Dept. of Orthodontics, Divs. of Community Oral Health/Pediatric Dentistry (NIH; Total Award $269,026, 1 year)

Wound healing mechanisms by distinct oral fibroblast population Principal Investigator: Dr. Kang Ko, Dept. of Periodontics (NIH; Total Costs: $1,929,393, 5 years)

mRNA-LNP vaccine platform Principal Investigator: Gary Cohen, Dept. of Basic & Translational Sciences (BioNTech; Total Award $190,406, 1 year)

Biological Indicators of Racial Disparity in Ameloblastoma Recurrence Principal Investigator: Dr. Sunday Akintoye, Dept. Oral Medicine (NIH; Total Award $1,858,595, 5 years)

Oral Protein Therapeutics against C. difficile Associated Colitis Principal Investigator: Dr. Henry Daniell, Dept. of Basic and Translational Sciences (NIH through Texas A&M University Health Science Center; Total Award $162,500, 1 year)

Local endogenous regulators of functional immune plasticity in the periodontium Principal Investigator: Dr. George Hajishengallis, Dept. of Basic & Translational Sciences (NIH; Total Costs: $1,758,750, 5 years) Advanced Training at the Interface of Engineering and Oral-Craniofacial Sciences Principal Investigator: Dr. Hyun (Michel) Koo, Dept. of Orthodontics, Divs. of Community Oral Health/Pediatric Dentistry (NIH; Total Award $1,257,065, 5 years) Regulation of Epithelial Barrier Principal Investigator: Dr. Dana Graves, Dept. of Periodontics (NIH through ASRI LLC; Total Award $904,137, 5 years) Advanced Training at the Interface of Engineering and Oral-Craniofacial Sciences Principal Investigator: Dr. Hyun (Michel) Koo, Professor, Dept. of Orthodontics, Divs. of Community Oral Health/Pediatric Dentistry (NIH; Total Award $483,605, 5 years) The hCNS-HIV/ARV assay system, a platform utilizing human iPSC-neurons/microglia/-astrocytes to test HIV/AIDS Principal Investigator: Dr. Kelly L. Jordan-Sciutto, Dept. of Oral Medicine (NIH through Vala Sciences Inc.; Total Award $411,909, 2 years) Role of solitary chemosensory cells in irritant avoidance and protection of olfactory sensation Principal Investigator: Dr. Marco Tizzano, Dept. Basic & Translational Sciences (NIH; Total Award $363,964, 1 year)

28 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

Long-term Oral Complications of an Established Head and Neck Cancer Cohort - Clinical Registry of Dental Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancer Patients: ORARAD Principal Investigator: Dr. Sollecito Thomas, Dept. of Oral Medicine (NIH through Charlotte-Mecklenburg Authority / Carolinas Medical Center; Total Award $161,445, 1 year) Mechanisms of variability in analgesic response to ibuprofen following third molar extraction Principal Investigator: Dr. Katherine Theken, Dept. of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery/ Pharmacology (Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation; Total Award $150,000, 1 year) HIV viral dynamics and host-cell gene expression profiles in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived myeloid cells Principal Investigator: Dr. Cagla Espinoza, Dept. of Basic and Translational Sciences (NIH; Total Award $97,500, 1 year) Comparison of Five Distinct Membranes for Preservation of the Alveolar Ridge Following Tooth Extraction: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Clinical Study Principal Investigator: Dr. Yu Cheng Chang, Dept. of Periodontics (ZIMMER BIOMET; Total Award $55,500, 1 year)

ALUMNIHIGHLIGHTS

PROFILES, GATHERINGS & ENGAGEMENT

2022 Alumni Awards The Penn Dental Medicine Alumni Society is pleased to honor the accomplishments and dedication of alumni with its annual awards. The awards will be presented as part of Alumni Weekend 2022 at a special reception May 13, 4 p.m., in Fonseca Courtyard. The 2022 Alumni Award recipients include the following.

THOMAS EVANS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The Thomas Evans Achievement Award is Penn Dental Medicine Alumni Society’s highest award of recognition, honoring alumni who have shown innovation, excellence, and leadership in the profession of oral healthcare nationally and internationally. This year’s recipient is Anne Koch (D’77, GD’93).

An active member of the Penn Dental Medicine Board of Advisors since 2013, Dr. Anne Koch earned both her DMD and postdoctoral certificate in endodontics at Penn Dental Medicine. After completing her DMD, Dr. Koch began her dental career in the military, serving in Japan, Korea, and at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., where she was Chief of Prosthodontics. She returned to Penn Dental Medicine after her military service to pursue endodontics, completing the specialty program in 1993. An accomplished clinician and educator, she was the founding director of the postdoctoral program in endodontics and microsurgery at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

Dr. Koch holds multiple patents for treatment techniques in the field of endodontics, and in 2001, she created Real World Endo, a continuing education company focused on endodontic treatment techniques and technologies. Dr. Koch continues to lecture extensively on endodontics and cultural competency issues and since 2013, she has been President and CEO of Koch Consulting and Management LLC.

The Alumni Award of Merit recognizes love for and loyalty to Penn Dental Medicine, excellence in the profession of dentistry, and community involvement.

The award acknowledges graduates who have maintained their ties with the School through their support of alumni activities, demonstrated leadership in the dental profession, and fostered and maintained the ideals of the School. This year’s recipients include:

Charlene Jennings Fenster, DH’75

Frank Smithgall, C’79 D’83

HONORARY ALUMNI AWARD

YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD OF MERIT

The Young Alumni Award of Merit recognizes Penn Dental Medicine alumni one to 15 years from graduation who have maintained their ties with the School through their support of alumni activities, demonstrated leadership in the dental profession, and fostered and maintained the ideals that the School of Dental Medicine has stood for since Brian Ford, D’09, M’12, its founding. This year’s recipients are: GD’15

ALUMNI AWARD OF MERIT

Steven Wang, D’09, M’12, GD’15

The honorary alumni awards are presented to individuals who are not graduates of Penn Dental Medicine, but have demonstrated a strong commitment to Penn Dental Medicine through their service to and involvement with the School. This year’s recipient is: Dr. Joe Fiorellini, Professor and Postdoctoral Director of Periodontics, Penn Dental Medicine.

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022 29

Alumni Gatherings ALUMNI SKI TRIP 2022

A CALL FOR MISSING YEARBOOKS

After a hiatus for the past two years due to the pandemic, the 4th Annual Alumni Ski Trip returned, March 9–13 in Vail, Colo. A group of 24 came together for a unique continuing education experience, attending lectures and discussions in the morning and evening and enjoying time on the ski slopes in the afternoon.

Do you have a yearbook from your time at Penn Dental Medicine that you’d want to donate to the School?

Our library and alumni office did a recent inventory, and we are missing a copy for the School archives of yearbooks from the following years. Copies can be sent to: Office of Institutional Advancement, Penn Dental Medicine, 240 S. 40th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

ALUMNI WEEKEND 2022

This year’s Alumni Weekend 2022, upcoming very soon, is also returning to an in-person event this year. On May 13-14, alumni from those classes ending in “2” and “7” will return to Penn Dental Medicine for their milestone reunions.

1907

1999

1953

2000

1958

2001

1979

2002

1989

2003

1991

2004

1992

2010

1993

2011

1994

2012

1995

2013

1997

2014

1998

30 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

Estate Gifts Leave Lasting Legacy Earlier this year, Penn Dental Medicine was the beneficiary of two major estate gifts — $10 million from the estate of Carol Corby-Waller (CW’58) and $250,000 from the estate of Jean Willard Foss. Both gifts, made in honor of family members, create a lasting legacy for the honorees and will provide vital support to the School now and into the future.

The Corby-Waller gift was the second half of a $20 million estate gift to the School honoring Corby-Waller’s father, Dr. Arthur Corby, from the Class of 1917. The Foss bequest was made in honor of her great grandfather, Dr. Edwin T. Darby, a member of the inaugural Penn Dental Medicine faculty in 1878.

Both gifts were unrestricted, adding to the School’s endowment and providing resources to support a diversity of projects as needs arise.

Planned giving enables donors to make major gifts to Penn Dental Medicine in ways that complement their personal financial planning. There are a variety of giving vehicles with benefits to donors, including generating lifelong income, reducing capital gains cost, obtaining significant income tax deductions, and reducing or eliminating estate taxes. To learn more about planned giving, contact Elizabeth Ketterlinus, Vice Dean of Institutional Advancement, ekett@upenn.edu.

LEFT: Dr. Arthur Corby, Class of 1917.

RIGHT: Dr. Edwin Darby, member of inaugural faculty in 1878.

< Learn more about planned giving options

BECOME A BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SOCIETY MEMBER! Gifts to Penn Dental Medicine at the Benjamin Franklin Society level impact the School in a variety of ways providing the flexibility to meet the short- and long-term needs of our students. Members are an inspiration to fellow alumni and are recognized annually in the Penn Dental Medicine Alumni Giving Report as well as with invitations to special University-wide Benjamin Franklin Society events throughout the year.

Join the Benjamin Franklin Society this fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) with a one-time donation or with a recurring gift option of monthly, quarterly, or annually!

Membership starts at $2,500 or at the reduced level of $250 for recent graduates.

For more information, visit www.dental.upenn.edu/bfs

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022 31

A PASSION FOR PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH DUAL-DEGREE PROGRAM EXPANDS GRADUATES’ PERSPECTIVES AND SUPPORTS THEIR DESIRE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR DENTAL STUDENTS WITH A PASSION for serving the underserved and confronting disparities in oral healthcare, Penn Dental Medicine offers the opportunity to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) alongside their DMD – one of the unique dual-degree options made possible through the close interdisciplinary ties with Penn’s other schools.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of this offering in conjunction with Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, a program that continues to have a far-reaching impact on the career paths of graduates and the patients they serve. Through coursework in public health, graduates broaden their understanding of how oral health and public health intersect, and how oral health issues in communities around the world can be addressed — and changed — through community-based efforts, including advocacy, public policy, program development and implementation, and research.

This dual-degree option complements Penn Dental Medicine’s decades-long commitment to promoting equitable oral health for all through its service learning and community care partnerships, bolstered recently through new initiatives like the School’s first policy center, the Center for Integrative

32 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

Global Oral Health (currently developing a new master’s program in oral and population health) and its Care Center for Persons with Disabilities, through which all fourth-year students now rotate. The MPH is one of the six School-funded dual degrees that Penn Dental Medicine students can pursue over the 4 years of their DMD program.

“The MPH program provides talented students with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills in the various aspects of public health,” says Dr. Joan Gluch, Chief of the Division of Community Oral Health, who helped to establish the MPH dual degree.

“By participating in classes with students and faculty from Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine and the Schools of Nursing and Social Policy and Practice, these dual-degree students also ensure that oral health is highlighted as an essential part of healthcare and public health.”

Since establishing the MPH dual degree in 2012, 23 Penn Dental Medicine graduates have earned a MPH along with their DMD, and there are seven current students in the program (see list, page 36). Of the graduates, the majority (17) work with vulnerable and underserved populations. Many entered postdoctoral programs after graduation (8 went on to GPR/AEGD residencies, 8 to pediatric dentistry, 2 to oral medicine, and 3 to oral surgery), while two went directly into practice. They work in diverse settings that include clinical and community practices, universities, hospitals, and the military.

We recently reconnected with three alumni, talking to them about their experience as a MPH dual-degree graduate and where they are now — their profiles follow. Though their paths are varied, their goals are similar: to serve vulnerable populations and alter the status quo.

OPPOSITE (L TO R): Current MPH dual-degree students include Jeremy Budd, Annie Shtino, Danielle Silver, Neelam Vohra, Alexis Till, Kate Trieschman, and (not pictured) Zaara Baig.

“The MPH dual-degree program has been an incredible addition to my DMD curriculum. I feel fortunate to be able to expand my understanding of public health in collaboration with other students from varying graduate programs and to challenge myself to examine the intersection of population health and dentistry.”

— NEELAM VOHRA, D’24

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022 33

PUBLICHEALTH EDUCATE, ENGAGE, EMPOWER

F

or Dr. Roopali Kulkarni, (D’19, GR’19, GD’21), her Penn Dental Medicine journey has come full circle — from dual degree DMD/MPH student and oral medicine resident to a full-time member of the School's faculty, developing her passion for public oral health along the way and putting her on a career path in academic dentistry. With her recent appointment to the Department of Oral Medicine faculty, Dr. Kulkarni is using her public health perspective to inform her new role as a teacher, researcher, and academic clinician.

Dr. Kulkarni understood from an early age that good healthcare was not easily accessible to all. As a student at Northwestern University, she threw herself into community outreach, working with refugee and homeless populations in the greater Chicago area. “I learned that oral healthcare is a unique and important part of public health,” she says.

Before dental school, she took a gap year to work with a general dentist and in public health research, exploring the correlation between cognitive function and health literacy in older adults. She found both experiences motivational, and once at Penn Dental Medicine it didn’t take much contemplation on her part to apply for the MPH dual degree.

ROOPALI KULKARNI, (D’19, GR’19, GD’21) INSTRUCTOR, DEPT. OF ORAL MEDICINE, PENN DENTAL MEDICINE

“The interdisciplinary nature of the MPH program allowed me to meet and work with professionals in many different fields who would become my future colleagues. It brought the world of healthcare together, while also offering me a broader perspective.”

— DR. ROOPALI KULKARNI, (D’19, GR’19, GD’21)

CHALLENGING AND REWARDING Tackling both her DMD and MPH at once, while challenging, turned out to be the right decision for Dr. Kulkarni: “The interdisciplinary nature of the MPH program allowed me to meet and work with professionals in many different fields who would become my future colleagues,” she recalls. “For me, it brought the world of healthcare together, while also offering me a broader perspective.”

An important aspect of her growth as a dentist and a public health advocate has been using her knowledge and voice to promote public policy change. As a Penn Dental Medicine student, she served as national president of the American Student Dental Association, a group of 24,000, leading lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill for policies in oral healthcare. She has continued

34 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

her work in organized dentistry as a national media spokesperson for the American Dental Association and a representative of the Pennsylvania Dental Association, the Philadelphia County Dental Society, and the American Academy Oral Medicine, advocating for high-quality oral healthcare for all.

“I believe in the power of pushing boundaries to make things better,” she says.

“Changes in policy truly can lead to changes in practice.”

For her capstone MPH project, Dr. Kulkarni chose a topic that would further her love of research -- a study of pediatric dental patients that explored how the health literacy of parents and caregivers affected the young patients’ outcomes. Studying children with

chronic illnesses as well as healthy children, she found that while the caregivers of chronically ill patients were more knowledgeable about other areas of medicine, their knowledge of oral healthcare was no higher than the caregivers of the healthy group, which was generally low. Dr. Kulkarni concluded that all caregivers of children needed to be “educated, engaged and empowered” in regard to oral healthcare, a phrase that has come to sum up her overall approach to public oral health.

After graduating with her dual DMD and MPH degrees in 2019, pursuing a postdoctoral degree in oral medicine at Penn Dental Medicine came naturally. “Oral medicine is the integration of dentistry and

medicine, and promotes oral healthcare as a critical component of overall health,” she says. “I see it as the intersection of dentistry and public health.” Her residency coincided with all of the challenges and learning opportunities of the Covid-19 pandemic. “I became chief resident in my second year and gained experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings,” she notes.

“I felt like I was able to have my foot in both doors — dentistry and public health — and learn how clinical dentistry on an individual level informed population-level interventions and vice versa.”

— MATT OISHI, (D’15, GR ’15)

PAYING IT FORWARD Today, as a full-time faculty member, Dr. Kulkarni finds she loves teaching, especially the rewarding “light bulb moments” when her students understand important concepts and how they fit together. She currently teaches predoctoral and postdoctoral students clinically, in the Oral Medicine and Personalized Care Suite clinics, and didactically, on a wide range of subjects relating to oral medicine and interdisciplinary care. Her scholarly work focuses on both oral medicine and public health. Dr. Kulkarni serves as an attending at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, as assistant director of the oral residency program, and treats patients at Penn Medicine Radnor.

She values working alongside her former mentors, who are now trusted colleagues.

“I have been so fortunate with the mentors I have had, and I find the best way to pay it back is to pay it forward and empower the next generation,” she says. In doing so, she finds she uses her MPH training every day: “It has truly shaped my role as a dentist.”

ANOTHER SIDE OF HEALTHCARE

A

s the third generation of a family of dentists in Honolulu, Hawaii, Dr. Matt Oishi’s, (D’15, GR ’15), plan had always been to return to his home state after dental school. First, however, he wanted to learn all that he could — not only about dentistry, but also about dental public health — with the goals of serving underrepresented patients back home. He did just that – not only earning an MPH and DMD at Penn Dental Medicine, but going on to become board certified in Dental Public Health. Today, in his native Hawaii, Dr. Oishi is a full-time public health dentist in a community health

MATT OISHI, (D’15, GR ’15) PUBLIC HEALTH/GENERAL DENTIST, HONOLULU center, while also working part-time in his family’s general dentistry practice.

It was as a college and graduate student in public policy at Georgetown before entering dental school that he developed an interest in influencing public policy with regard to oral healthcare.

“I knew very little about dental public health, but I knew I wanted to change dental policy,” he says. “I grew up with my dad talking about many of the oral health issues facing Hawaii residents, and going to college in the nation’s capital fueled those interests.”

“A FOOT IN BOTH DOORS” When he was accepted to Penn Dental Medicine and learned of the dual-degree MPH program, it was a natural fit.

Through the MPH program, Dr. Oishi recalls that he valued the experience of seeing another side of healthcare. “The faculty in the MPH program were talking about providing care on a population level,” he says.

“I felt like I was able to have my foot in both doors — dentistry and public health — and learn how clinical dentistry on an individual level informed population-level interventions and vice versa.”

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022 35

PUBLICHEALTH EXPLORING GERIATRIC DENTISTRY

CARING FOR THOSE AT HOME

After graduating from Penn Dental Medicine in 2015 and finishing a general practice residency in New Jersey in 2016, Dr. Oishi headed to the University of Iowa for advanced training in public health dentistry, completing a dental public health residency and a geriatric and special needs fellowship.

He knew that this combination of training would provide him with the background and skills he would need to treat a wide range of patients in Hawaii.

In Iowa, Dr. Oishi continued the geriatric research he had begun at Penn Dental Medicine for his MPH capstone project, which explored the delivery and financing of dental care among adults at Mercy LIFE, a community senior citizens center at 45th and Chestnut Streets.

“I was fortunate to be able to continue my research with many of the same mentors from Penn Dental and Penn Nursing, including Dr. Robert Collins and Dr. Joan Gluch,” he says. “Both were crucial to my career path.”

After completing his postdoctoral programs in Iowa, Dr. Oishi returned to Hawaii, where he has been sharing his skills and public service passion as a full-time public health dentist. He is part of Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services in Honolulu, a federally qualified health center that serves a local community of low-income Asian and Pacific Islanders, including those from the Philippines, Samoa, Micronesia, and elsewhere. Here, Dr. Oishi works with other dentists to provide clinical dentistry, teach dental residents, and conduct public health needs assessments, program development, and evaluation.

“While the need for treatment is great, there is an even larger need to focus on prevention, oral health literacy, and diet, and nutrition,” he says. “Given the high rate of dental caries and the lack of community water fluoridation, there is a great need for the health center’s long-established schoolbased sealant program.”

THE NEXT GENERATION The following students are currently earning dual DMD and MPH degrees: CLASS OF 2022 Zaara Baig Jeremy Budd Kate Trieschman

CLASS OF 2023 Alexis Till Danielle Silver

CLASS OF 2024 Annie Shtino Neelam Vohra

During the pandemic, Dr. Oishi also began working a few days each month on the remote island of Lanai, the smallest inhabited Hawaiian Island, where he is one of a few dentists providing the only oral healthcare at the island’s sole dental practice, Lanai Community Health Center.

Boarding a small plane to Lanai reminds him of his experience as an extern working with the Indian Health Service in remote parts of Alaska, one of his most memorable experiences while a dental student.

Providing care to the people of Lanai is a role he cherishes. “It’s great to be welcomed into a small community and to help provide access to care,” he says. “Given the limited access and resources there, it’s also an opportunity to think outside the box about how to deliver dentistry and serve people’s needs.”

Perhaps his most rewarding role, he notes, is practicing alongside his family in Honolulu. Dr. Oishi works part-time in his family’s general dentistry practice with his father, a dentist, and his mother, a hygienist, caring for multiple generations of local families.

“To be able to see the evolution of dental treatment over the years is fascinating, and it is so humbling to serve many patients who began with my grandfather,” he says. “I had fantastic role models at Penn who taught me that in clinical care and public health work, we are serving people’s needs while continually learning from each other. I am fortunate to be able to do that in a public health capacity and in practice with my family.”

“The dual MPH/DMD program offers a rich interdisciplinary curriculum that helps me explore needs of the patients and community. My professors in the MPH love to hear a dental perspective on complex public policy issues.”

— DANIELLE SILVER, D’23

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“We have a number of LGBTQ members on our team, and our goal is to build relationships with this group, to let them know that here they will be safe and understood.”

— MARYAM AKBARI (D’14, GR ’14)

IDENTIFYING SIGNS OF ABUSE

MARYAM AKBARI (D’14, GR ’14) CLINICAL ATTENDING IN MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY, BRONX, NY

SEEING THE BIG PICTURE

W

hen Dr. Maryam Akbari, (D’14, GR ’14), first decided on a career in dentistry in college, the Tehran native pictured herself in private practice. “At the time, I felt that running my own business would give me a sense of autonomy, and that dentistry would provide me with an artistic component to my career,” she remembers. With her decision to pursue a dual degree in dentistry and public health, her career path has evolved, leading her to a teaching and clinical role at a large urban medical center where opportunities to make a difference abound.

She calls the opportunity to have earned a MPH degree alongside her dental degree “an amazing experience — the best in my career. Learning about public health should be essential for all providers … I consider myself lucky.”

Dr. Akbari recalls the courses in the MPH program to be robust and serious, and was grateful for the support of her mentor, Susan Sorensen, PhD, Professor of Social Policy.

“She was wonderful — very strict, no slacking allowed, and I really appreciated it,” she remembers. She worked closely with Dr. Sorenson, who currently serves on the advisory board of the Biden Foundation’s Women Against Violence effort, to develop a study on the ways that dental providers respond to signs of domestic violence among patients.

“The signs and symptoms of physical abuse are often visible in the head and neck, so dentists can play an important role in documenting them,” she says. Her project involved a survey that assessed the baseline awareness of domestic violence among Penn Dental Medicine faculty and students, as well as their level of comfort in discussing the topic with patients. (A current MPH dualdegree student, Zaara Baig (D’22, GR ’22) is continuing this important research in her own capstone project this year.)

A SAFE, SUPPORTIVE PRACTICE FOR ALL After graduating with her dual degrees in 2014, Dr. Akbari completed a residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Mount Sinai Medical School in New York, which she completed in 2021. In the same year, she accepted her current position as a clinical attending at Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx. In this role, she is responsible for supervising oral and maxillofacial as well as general dentistry residents. She is in charge of curriculum and leads didactics for oral and maxillofacial

residents, and goes into the operating room once a week for trauma, orthognathic, and related cases.

In addition to her extensive teaching and clinical duties, Dr. Akbari has become interested in a local cause: the plight of transgender youth who may be in the process of transitioning and are without a dental home.

Through interactions with her medical colleagues and outreach to local youth centers, she is spreading the word that Lincoln is a supportive place for these young patients to receive dental care.

“Passive and active discrimination against LBGTQ patients in the medical community have left many with a sense of distrust toward healthcare systems and providers,” she explains. “We have a number of LGBTQ members on our team, and our goal is to build relationships with this group, to let them know that here they will be safe and understood.”

“A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW” Dr. Akbari believes the most valuable thing she gained from the MPH program is the ability to look at things from a broader perspective.

“My public health background has always pushed me to be involved with the bigger picture, to take a birds-eye view of things,” she says. “What are the problems impacting care, and how can they be solved?”

“But at the end of the day, the most important thing the MPH program taught me was that to solve a community problem, you have to be present in that community, and to know it,” she says. “The answer is being there to build sustainable solutions.” n

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022 37

CLASSNOTES

NEWS FROM FELLOW ALUMNI

1950s

1980s

2000s

Dr. Leonard A. Cole (D’57) recently published a book called “Chasing the Ghost: Nobelist Fred Reines and the Neutrino,” a book about his cousin, Fred Reines, who was a Nobel Laureate winner. The book discusses Reines and his extraordinary, persistent quest to find and study the most abstract particle in nature, told from a personal perspective in an engaging, enlightening, and clear manner.

1970s

The Class of 1972 Reunion leadership group gathered in Boca Raton in March to plan their outreach to classmates for this year’s Alumni Weekend. Pictured (left to right) is Richard Levitt, Jeffrey Rempell, Robert Frankel, Martin Levin, Martin Hirsch, Robert Seltzer, and Joseph Greenberg.

The class has created a Class of 1972 Alumni Scholar, a named term scholarship of $10,000 — each class member is encouraged to contribute at least $500 this year. Donate at www. dental.upenn.edu/AlumniScholars.

For more information, contact Sarah Flynn,sburton@upenn.edu.

Dr. Gregory Letica (D’83) is currently serving his 10th year as the Mayor of the Village of Asharoken on Long Island, New York. He has also served as Trustee and Village Treasurer, while also maintaining a family practice.

Dr. Anil J. Idiculla (C’98, GD’06) has been appointed to the American Association of Orthodontists Board of Trustees, selected for his proven leadership skills, vision for the Association of the future, and extensive and relevant expertise in the field of orthodontics. He will serve a three-year term.

Share Your News Dr. Daniel G. Brody (D’84) recently received the National Network of Oral Health Access (NNOHA) President’s Award. This award recognizes the passion and inspiration provided to the NNOHA membership through outstanding presentations, visionary research, and personal commitment to underserved.

1990s Dr. Marianne I. Morelli (D’94, GD’98, GD’99) recently became a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology.

38 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

Dr. Rosemary Wu (C’96, D’03) was recently inducted as a Fellow in the Academy of General Dentists.

Penn Dental Medicine’s Dean, Dr. Mark S. Wolff enjoyed visiting Dr. Derek Sanders (D’06) and touring his new Miami office, Orthodontics Only, which received LEED Platinum certification.

One of the many sustainable design elements of the practice’s new home includes 188 solar panels, which produce more than enough energy to power the entire building known as “The Treehouse.”

We want to hear from you.

Submit a Class Note to www.dental.upenn.edu/classnotes

Or, you can send your submissions to: Robert Schattner Center Penn Dental Medicine Office of Institutional Advancement 240 South 40th Street Philadelphia, PA 19104

INMEMORIAM

REMEMBERING MEMBERS OF THE PENN DENTAL MEDICINE COMMUNITY

Mortimer J. Cohen (D’40) Vernona, NJ; December 8, 2021

G. Edward McComsey, Jr (D’55) Lakewood, NJ; December 22, 2021

Roger L. Comeau (D’64) Appleton, WI; February 25, 2021

Donald Maiocco (D’47) Haverford, PA; October 6, 2021

Francis O. Webb (D’55) Bellevue, WA; July 2, 2021

Robert T. Wilson (D’54, GD’70) Huntington, PA; February 19, 2022

Grace Donahue Loyle (DH’47) Millville, NJ; November 13, 2021

Dorothy B. Payne (DH’57) Johnson City, NY; January 1, 2021

Anthony C. Harlacher (D’66) East Stroudsburg, PA; June 17, 2021

Paul J. McNeil (D’48) Marblehead, MA; November 24, 2021

Elliot J. Gordon (D’57) Manchester Center, VT; June 10, 2021

Richard C. Weiss (D’66) Stone Harbor, NJ; October 17, 2021

Harold A. Butz, Jr. (D’51) Easton, PA; November 1, 2021

Richard D. Smith (D’57) Rockville Centre, NY; October 26, 2021

James Guggenheimer (GD’66) Pittsburg, PA; January 27, 2022

Philip T. Fleuchaus (D’51) Ormond Beach, FL; November 4, 2021

Francis C. Sarro, Jr. (D’57) Wilmington, DE; January 22, 2022

Wendy L. Kitner (DH’67) Carlisle, PA; July 6, 2021

Lionel Gold (GD’51) Philadelphia, PA; December 21, 2021

Leonard G. Jewson (D’54) Burlington, NC; September 10, 2021

Neal A. Demby (D’68) Worcester, NY; November 28, 2021

Margaret C. M. Peruzzi (DH’51) Hudson, OH; August 27, 2021

Harold J. Schaaff (D’58) Southport, NC; November 14, 2021

Gary A. Lewis (D’68) Venice, FL; August 25, 2021

Sanford Krimmer (D’52) Albany, NY; January 3, 2022

Calvin Reeman (D’ 59) Englewood, NJ; October 1, 2021

Albert A. Bonasoro (GD’69) Revere, MA; October 21, 2021

Sarah Mapstone Long (DH’53) Nashville TN; December 21, 2021

William R. Silverman (D’60) Edison, NJ; July 4, 2021

Joseph A. Persichetti (D’72, GD’78) New Hope, PA; October 7, 2021

Robert A. Werner (D’53) Venice, FL; February 17, 2022

Jacob Herz (D’61) Fleischmanns, NY; June 13, 2021

Jerry H. Rich (D’75) Fairfax, VA; January 31, 2022

Lawrence G. Laiks (C’51, D’54) Osprey, FL; January 12, 2022

Donald L. Kane (D’61) Melbourne, FL; February 7, 2022

James S. Cinamon (D’78) Framingham, MA; January 26, 2022

Paul D. Horsman (D’54) Grosse Pointe Farms, MI; December 16, 2021

Judith Hoyt Dorn (DH’63) Asbury Park, NJ; January 11, 2022

Nile A. Sorenson, Jr (D’80) Yorba Linda, CA; October 2, 2021

Roger L. Comeau (D’64) Appleton, WI; February 25, 2022

William D. Ziegler III (D’88, GD89) Mountain Top, PA; January 14, 2022

Jeffrey W. Munson (D’64) Bennington, VT; October 28, 2021

Ira A. Sheres (D’90) Haverford, PA; February 7, 2021

Donna G. Gutowski (DH’64) Titusville, FL; November 9, 2021

Jonathan Patrick Powell (D’92) Pottstown, PA; October 28, 2021

Dale L. Tribe (D’54) Ogden, UT; January 7, 2022 Russell J. Vanacek (D’54) South Londonderry, VT; February 24, 2022 Authur Z. Ponce (D’55) Boca Raton, FL; January 18, 2022

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | SPRING 2022 39

2022CALENDAR

UPCOMING EVENTS & PROGRAMS

MAY MAY 12 Advances in Clinical Care & Education (ACCE) DAY Penn Dental Medicine MAY 13 Research Day Penn Dental Medicine MAY 13–14 Alumni Weekend Penn Dental Medicine

MAY 22 Special Commencement for the Class of 2020 and 2021 Franklin Field, University of Pennsylvania MAY 28 American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) Alumni Reception San Diego, CA

JUNE

MAY 16 Commencement Irvine Auditorium, University of Pennsylvania

JUNE 2 CiPD Symposium: Dentists, Scientists & Engineers Transforming Oral Health Penn Dental Medicine and Online

MAY 18 CDE: Continuing Conversations — SDF Challenges Around the Globe ... Are Other Options Available?

Live Webinar

JUNE 4 CDE: TMJ Total Joint Replacement: Past, Present and Future Jordan Medical Education Center and Online

MAY 19 CDE: Case of the Quarter: Virtual Treatment Planning, Details Matter Live Webinar MAY 21 Oral Cancer Walk and 5K Penn Dental Medicine MAY 21 American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) Alumni Reception Miami, FL

JUNE 4 OMFS Alumni & Friends Dinner Jordan Medical Education Center

JULY JULY 22 CDE: Quarterly Combined TMJ Lecture Series Live Webinar

AUGUST AUGUST 11 White Coat Ceremony, Class of 2026 Penn Dental Medicine

40 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU

SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER 29 CDE: Case of the Quarter: Virtual Treatment Planning, Details Matter Live Webinar SEPTEMBER 30 CDE: Bender, Seltzer, Grossman Academic Review of Endodontology Penn Dental Medicine and Online

OCTOBER OCTOBER 1–2 CDE: Bender, Seltzer, Grossman Academic Review of Endodontology Penn Dental Medicine and Online OCTOBER 21 CDE: Quarterly Combined TMJ Lecture Series Live Webinar OCTOBER 22 Penn Homecoming University of Pennsylvania

NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 5 American College of Prosthodontist Alumni Reception Austin, TX NOVEMBER 28 Greater New York Alumni Reception New York, NY NOVEMBER 28 Greater New York Young Alumni Reception New York, NY

DECEMBER DECEMBER 1 CDE: Case of the Quarter: Virtual Treatment Planning, Details Matter Live Webinar

Visit www.dental.upenn.edu/events or call 215-898-8951 for information on alumni events.

OCTOBER 28 Ortho Alumni Day Philadelphia, PA OCTOBER 29 American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) Alumni Reception Phoenix, AZ

Visit www.dental.upenn.edu/cde or call 215-573-6841 for information on continuing dental education programs.

PENN DENTAL MEDICINE ALUMNI SOCIETY 2021-2022 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Scott Chanin, D'83 President Alyssa Greenberger, D'02 Vice-President Eric Spieler, D'84 Immediate Past-President Members-at-Large Deena Alani, D'13 Pam Alberto, D'80 Judy Bendit, DH'81 Hope Berman, C'77 D'83 Jennifer Caughey, D'19 Larry Chacker, D'85 Sooji (Cindy) Choi, D'20 Gail Spiegel Cohen, C'76 D'80 Milan Doshi, D'07 Lee Durst, D'83 Keith Dunoff, D'84 Caryn Siegel Finley, C'95 D'99 Katherine France, D'16 GR'16 GD'18 Joel Frankel, C'02 D'06 Andrew Fraser, D'16 Maria Perno Goldie, DH'71 Wendy Halpern, D'99 GD'02 GD'03 Stephen Howarth, D'16 Ken Ingber, D'71 JV Kracke, D'17 GD'19 Daniel Kubikian, D'01 GD'04 GD'05 Bernard Kurek, D'73 WMP'03 Kristen Leong, C'16 GED'20 D'21 Bret Lesavoy, D'19 Rachel Levarek, D'11 Mel Mupparapu, D'96 Ngozi Okoh, D'12 Morrie Rosen, D'92 Steven Ryoo, D'20 Trevan Samp, D'14 Lisa Schildhorn, DH'75 Shabnam Sedaghat, D'06 Neel Shah, D'21 Josh Simpson, D'16 Matt Sones, D'12 Ann Eshenaur Spolarich, DH'82 Ben Truong, D'19 Gary Wegman, D'83 Michael Yasner, C'79 D'83 GD'84 GD'86 Brigitte White Zinkovic, CGS'04 D'07

BOARD OF ADVISORS

David Tai-Man Shen, DMD, D’79, GD’81, Chair Nancy L. Baker, Esq. Stanley M. Bergman - Emeritus Dirk Brunner, MSC, MBA Julie Charlestein William W. M. Cheung, DMD, D’81, GD’82 - Emeritus Joanne Chouinard-Luth, DMD, D’79 Terry Dolan, DDS, MPH Matthew J. Doyle, PhD Patrik Eriksson Allen Finkelstein, DDS Ruchi Goel, WG’04 C. Mitchell Goldman Steve Kess Anne E. Klamar, MD Anne Koch, DMD, D’77, GD’93 Haruo Morita Vincent Mosimann Joan O’Shea, MD Daniel W. Perkins Lewis E. Proffitt, DMD, D’73, WG’80 Garry Rayant, DDS, GD’77 Maria Ryan, DDS, PhD Tony Saito, DMD, D’95 Ken Serota, Esq. Alfred L. Spencer, Jr. Larry Turner, Esq. Robert Zou, WG’94 Ex Officio Members Martin D. Levin, DMD, D’72, GD’74, Chair, Dean’s Council Scott Chanin, DMD, D’83, President, Alumni Society

DEAN’S COUNCIL

Martin D. Levin, D’72, GD’74, Chair Robert Brody, C’80, D’84 Stefani Cheung, C’08, D’11 Egidio Farone, D’84 Charlene Jennings Fenster, DH’75 Joseph P. Fiorellini Howard P. Fraiman, D’91, GD’93, GD’94 Joseph E. Gian-Grasso, C’67, D’71 Jeffrey N. Grove, D’04 Elliot Hersh Anil J. Idiculla, C’98, GD’06 Christopher H. Joy, D’80 Meetu Kohli, D’02, GD’05 Brian Lee, D’00, GD’04 Richard Levitt, C’68, D’72, GD’77 Daniell J. Mishaan, D’03 Saul M. Pressner, D’79 Daniel Richardson, D’02 Howie Rosa, D’82 Louis Rossman, D’75, GD’77 Derek Sanders, D’06 Gail E. Schupak, D’83 Tara Sexton, D’88 Robert Stern, D’87 Susan Stern, C’77, D’81 Arnold Weisgold, GD’65

PDMJ ADVISORY COMMITTEE Beth Adams Director of Publications

Dr. Faizan Alawi Associate Professor, Basic & Translational Sciences Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. Markus Blatz Professor of Restorative Dentistry Chair, Department of Preventive & Restorative Sciences Sarah Burton Flynn Director of Strategic Development & Alumni Relations Maren Gaughan Associate Dean for Leadership Giving Dr. Joan Gluch Division Chief and Professor of Clinical Community Oral Health, Associate Dean for Academic Policies Dr. Dana Graves Professor, Department of Periodontics Vice Dean for Research and Scholarship Elizabeth Ketterlinus Vice Dean of Institutional Advancement Dr. Robert Ricciardi Professor, Acting Chair, Department of Basic & Translational Sciences Susan Schwartz Director of Career Services Dr. Thomas Sollecito Professor of Oral Medicine Chair, Department of Oral Medicine

INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Elizabeth Ketterlinus, ekett@upenn.edu Vice Dean of Institutional Advancement Maren Gaughan, gaughan@upenn.edu Associate Dean for Leadership Giving Sarah Burton Flynn, sburton@upenn.edu Director of Strategic Development & Alumni Relations Lindsay Murphy, lhonzak@upenn.edu Assistant Director of Annual Giving Domenic Gaeta, dtgaeta@upenn.edu Development Coordinator Beth Adams, adamsnb@upenn.edu Director, Publications Pam Rice, pamrice@upenn.edu Director of Continuing Education Shaunna Lee, shaunna@upenn.edu Continuing Education Program Manager Office of Institutional Advancement: 215–898–8951

The University of Pennsylvania values diversity and seeks talented students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds. The University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected class status in the administration of its admissions, financial aid, educational or athletic programs, or other University-administered programs or in its employment practices. Questions or complaints regarding this policy should be directed to the Executive Director of the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs, Sansom Place East, 3600 Chestnut Street, Suite 228, Philadelphia, PA 19104–6106; or (215) 898–6993 (Voice) or (215) 898–7803 (TDD).

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Robert Schattner Center University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine 240 South 40th Street Philadelphia, PA 19104–6030

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