PDMJ PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2017
MAKING PATIENTS WHOLE AGAIN USING THE LATEST DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, DEPARTMENT OF ORAL SURGERY ADVANCING INTEGRATED CARE
FROM THE DEAN
Moving Forward AS I PREPARE to move on from my role as Dean at the end of December, I thank the entire Penn Dental Medicine community for an extraordinary eight and a half years. Leading the School has been the major honor of my life. Yet, it has hardly been leading in that every one of you are leaders — our illustrious faculty, staff, students, and alumni all make Penn Dental Medicine an exceptional school. I am humbled to have had the opportunity to serve this great institution and to have worked with so many committed to Penn’s legacy of leadership in dental medicine. The School’s rich history and reputation for excellence is built on the unique talents, accomplishments, and contributions of the faculty, staff, students, and alumni of each generation, and it would be fair to say the current efforts of the Penn Dental Medicine community are exceptional across all fronts. Faculty have come together to inspire each other, collaborate in new ways, and strengthen the School’s research/scholarship and academic programs. Our students continue to excel and are the best and brightest in dentistry. And, by incorporating the latest technologies and state-of-the-art facilities, Penn Dental Medicine is leading in the provision of high-quality dental care. In addition, the level of philanthropic support and engagement from alumni and industry has been significant in furthering our mission. I feel confident in our strong position nationally and globally today and in the future thanks to the work and dedication of so many.
The search for my successor is well underway with a consultative committee of faculty, students, and alumni, and until that search is complete, Dr. Dana Graves, Vice Dean, will be serving as Interim Dean beginning in January. With his background in research, administration, and clinical practice, we are fortunate to have Dr. Graves lead the School during this transition. I look forward to the further growth and success of Penn Dental Medicine and will continue to seek ways to support our School and the many Penn colleagues I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. I will forever champion the School’s exemplary work in advancing dental education, research, and patient care. Heartfelt best wishes,
Denis F. Kinane, BDS, PhD Morton Amsterdam Dean
INSIDE 8 2 7 21 22 27 33
Looking Back, Moving Forward
Q&A with Dean Denis Kinane as We Look Back on Initiatives within Education, Research, and Patient Care Advanced over His Tenure
On Campus School News in Brief Faculty Q&A Sharing Personal & Professional Paths Faculty Perspective Views on Dental Topics & Trends Academic Update Department/Faculty News & Scholarship Alumni Highlights Profiles, Gatherings & Engagement Class Notes News from Fellow Alumni
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Fostering Interdisciplinary Patient-Centered Care
Incorporating the Latest Technology, Research, and Integrated Care, the Dept. of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery is Making Patients Whole Again
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In Memoriam Remembering Members of the Penn Dental Medicine Community
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2017/2018 Calendar Upcoming Events & Programs SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT Research Review: Highlights from 2017 Research Conferences
ON THE COVER: Post-operative 3D-stereolithographic model of a patient with a benign tumor of the right mandible. Faculty of the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery/Pharmacology use such models for patient education in advance of a surgery, as well as for pre-surgical treatment planning and as an adjunct during surgery to aid in decision-making.
PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL: Vol. 14, No. 1 University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine www.dental.upenn.edu Dean: Denis F. Kinane, BDS, PhD Senior Associate Dean of Development and Alumni Relations: Elizabeth Ketterlinus Associate Dean for Leadership Giving: Maren Gaughan Director, Publications: Beth Adams Contributing Writers: Beth Adams, Amy Biemiller, Juliana Delany, Debbie Goldberg Design: Dyad Communications Photography: Mark Garvin, Peter Olson Printing: The Pearl Group at CRW Graphics Office of Development and Alumni Relations: 215-898-8951 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. ©2017 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.
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ONCAMPUS
SCHOOL NEWS IN BRIEF
Penn Dental Names Dr. Ricardo Teles Department of Periodontics Chair Following an extensive search for the leadership post in the School’s Department of Periodontics, Penn Dental Medicine welcomed Dr. Ricardo Teles as Professor and Chairman, effective August 15. “We are excited to have Ricardo leading our Department of Periodontics,” says Morton Amsterdam Dean Denis Kinane. “He has the vision from both a clinical and research perspective to ensure Penn periodontics continues to excel.” Dr. Teles comes to Penn Dental Medicine from the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry, where he served as OraPharma Distinguished Professor in the Department of Periodontology since 2014 and Vice Chair Dr. Ricardo Teles of the Department since 2015. Part of The Forsyth Institute since 2003, Dr. Teles most recently served as Senior Research Investigator (2014–2017) in the Department of Applied Oral Sciences within the Center for Periodontology. From 2010–2014, Dr. Teles also held the appointment of Associate Director of Forsyth’s Center for Clinical and Translational Research and served as the Center’s Director from 2009–2010. Since 2003, he was also a clinical instructor in periodontics at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. A native of Brazil, Dr. Teles earned his DDS (1988) at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Dr. Teles holds a DMSc (Oral Biology, 1996) and a certificate in periodontology (1996) from Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Teles is Board Certified in Periodontology and Dental Implant Surgery. An accomplished researcher, the overarching focus of Dr. Teles’ research is on the cause and treatment of periodontal diseases. Dr. Teles has been the principal investigator and co-investigator on many NIH- funded clinical trials focusing on the etiology and pathogenesis of periodontal diseases and the clinical and biological effects of periodontal therapies. The Teles lab also conducts bench research focusing on the interplay between subgingival polymicrobial biofilms and mediators of the immuno-inflammatory host response. In addition, his lab has developed sophisticated in vitro and ex vivo biofilm models to examine the susceptibility of these structures to antimicrobial agents. Dr. Teles’ wife, Dr. Flavia Teles, has also joined the Penn Dental Medicine faculty as Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology.
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Supporting a New Class of Scholars For the incoming Class of 2021, the Penn Dental Medicine Dean’s Scholarship program continued to support and attract top students from across the country and around the world. Within the 134-member freshman class, 53 Dean’s Scholarships were awarded in amounts that ranged from $10,000 to $40,000. As long as students remain in good standing, the scholarships renew annually throughout their four-year DMD program. “Scholarships play a crucial role in competing for applicants,” notes Dr. Olivia Sheridan, Assistant Dean for Admissions. “And, we are pleased to be able to offer this support.” All accepted applicants, including international non-residents, are considered for the scholarships. Selection criteria includes academic performance and achievement, a broad range of intellectual interests, a diversity of interests outside academics, demonstrated leadership, and unique life experiences that may contribute to a dental career. ABOVE: Some of the Class of 2021 Dean’s Scholarship recipients at the White Coat Ceremony, which welcomed the class to the study of dental medicine in August.
By the Numbers: Recent Grads & Incoming Students CLASS OF 2017
62%
OF THE 148-MEMBER CLASS WENT ON TO POSTDOCTORAL STUDY
36% entered specialty programs (endo, OMFS, ortho, pedo, perio, and pros) 22% entered AEDG or general dentistry residencies 4% entered postdoctoral study in the military 35% pursued general practice 2% entered U.S. military practice .5% entered public health .5% joined dental supply companies
CLASS OF 2019 PASS STUDENTS
18
COUNTRIES REPRESENTED IN THIS 31ST CLASS OF THE PASS PROGRAM
33 foreign-trained dentists (9 men and 24 women) from around the world joined the second-year class in January 2017 as part of the PASS program
CLASS OF 2021
134
STUDENTS MAKE UP THIS YEAR’S FRESHMAN CLASS 81 WOMEN AND 53 MEN SELECTED FROM MORE THAN 2,200 APPLICANTS
25 states represented in this year’s freshman class (for the first time in many years, PA is 1st with 20, NY follows with 16, and NJ and CA tied for 3rd with 15) 6 foreign countries (Australia, Barbados, Canada, France, People’s Republic of China, and South Korea) 23 Languages — from Afrikaans to Vietnamese — are spoken by the students 51 students have relatives who are dentists, 9 with relatives who are Penn Dental Medicine graduates 11 varsity sports represented (basketball, crew, cross country, field hockey, rowing, sailing, soccer, swimming, diving, tennis, and volleyball) 20 musical instruments played (guitar, piano (most popular), keyboard, Indian percussion instruments, drums, harp, viola, violin, French horn, flute, piccolo, saxophone, cello, trumpet, clarinet, trombone, oud, marimba, ukulele and xylophone)
Penn Dental Awarded $650K Delta Dental Grant to Expand PennSmiles Community Outreach Penn Dental Medicine has been awarded a $650,000 grant from Delta Dental of Pennsylvania and its affiliates, to expand the School’s community outreach efforts. The grant supports PennSmiles, the School’s longstanding oral health education and clinical care program for school children and their families in West and Southwest Philadelphia, providing funds for a new mobile dental vehicle as well as the operational costs for educational programs. “PennSmiles is our flagship program in terms of bringing oral health education and dental care to the community,” says Dr. Joan Gluch, Chief of the Division of Community Health. “Funding from Delta Dental of Pennsylvania is allowing us to replace the 14-year-old existing PennSmiles bus with a modern, new dental bus, thus ensuring continuity in care for the school children we serve.” The school- and community-based oral health education component of PennSmiles launched in 2000 in partnership with the School District of Philadelphia, and since 2003, Penn Dental Medicine students and faculty have also been providing comprehensive dental care aboard the PennSmiles dental bus. Presently, the PennSmiles program works with 24 pre-school, elementary, and middle public and charter schools in the neighborhoods within approximately 24-square-miles of the University of Pennsylvania. In the current academic year, all predoctoral dental students will participate in Penn’s service-learning courses in community
health, which include the PennSmiles education, preventive, and dental care programs. “Delta Dental and PennSmiles have a shared goal of improving the oral health of Pennsylvania residents,” said Kenneth Yale, DDS, chief clinical officer for Delta Dental. “We’re pleased to help PennSmiles expand their community outreach with a new dental vehicle to help underrepresented communities become healthier.” The new PennSmiles dental vehicle is replacing the existing bus, which will continue on a part-time basis, enabling the school to provide oral health education and clinical care to 5,000 children in the 2017–2018 academic year. Like the original, the new PennSmiles bus is designed as a 40-foot vehicle, featuring two dental operatories, fully outfitted for comprehensive dental care, with electronic dental records and digital radiology capabilities. The exterior design mimics the original bus with its bright red cab and vibrant photography. “When residents see the PennSmiles bus, they see a tangible commitment from Penn Dental Medicine to improve the oral health of children in our community,” adds Dr. Gluch. The new PennSmiles vehicle, developed with Mobile Specialty Vehicles of Jasper, Texas, debuted at a Mobile Health Clinics Association meeting in Phoenix, September 17, and arrived at Penn Dental Medicine on September 26. ABOVE: The new PennSmiles bus arrived at Penn Dental Medicine in late September.
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ONCAMPUS Morning came and, after more questioning, Wael was at last permitted to cross the border into Lebanon. From there, he was able to catch a flight to Jordan, and soon afterward, he came to the United States.
STUDENT PROFILE: PASS STUDENT, WAEL ISLEEM (D’18)
A FRIENDLY RECEPTION
A Life-Changing Journey PENN DENTAL MEDICINE’S Program for Advance Standing Students (PASS), designed for graduates of foreign dental schools who want to practice in the United States, will have graduated 888 students from 83 countries over its history when the Class of 2018 earns their DMDs this spring. The PASS students, who join the second-year DMD class each January, arrive at Penn Dental Medicine with unique personal histories. While many of their stories are inspiring, few are more harrowing than that of Wael Isleem, D‘18, who came to the United States from Aleppo, Syria in 2013, in the midst of his country’s deadly civil war. Wael, 29, a Syrian native who had wanted to be a dentist since his middle school years, had invested five years of his life as a student at Aleppo University School of Dentistry — earning a degree in dentistry and then pursuing postgraduate work in periodontics — when frequent, violent clashes in the region closed his school. Wael’s parents, brothers, and sisters urged him to leave Syria as soon as possible in order to complete his education in a safe environment. Although leaving his family behind was difficult, “I knew the U.S. was the best destination for me,” Wael says. “I also knew that it would be much easier for a single man travelling alone to get out of the country.” (Soon afterward, Wael’s family also relocated, to a stable location in the Middle East.)
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“It's a great environment. Even though I am from another country, I never felt out of place here. It's comfortable for everyone.” — WAEL ISLEEM (D’18)
CROSSING TO A BETTER FUTURE Wael hired a private taxi for the first leg of his trip, which lasted seven hours and took him through a series of security checkpoints en route to the Syria-Lebanon border. At each, armed soldiers questioned him closely, but allowed him to proceed. When he reached the border, however, he was held overnight, and felt sure he would be forced to go back. “The Syrian regime was trying to keep residents with medical backgrounds in the country,” he says, remembering a tense and sleepless night. “I was concerned that I might never get across to Lebanon. If I didn’t get out of Syria, I had no idea what my future would be.”
A family friend in North Carolina gave him a place to stay and helped him find a position as a dental assistant, where he worked while applying to dental schools. Friends in Syria and the United States had spoken highly of Penn, and Wael was thrilled to be granted an interview for the PASS program in 2016, where he met Dr. Uri Hangorsky, Director of PASS, and Dr. Heywood Koch, Clinical Associate Professor of Restorative Dentistry “They were so friendly and really wanted to get to know me,” he says. He has been impressed by his fellow students as well. “From the first day, I looked around and thought, ‘I am sitting with welleducated people from all over the world who are eager to learn,’” he remembers. Wael immediately felt at home in Philadelphia, where the old buildings and the city’s storied past reminded him of his history-rich homeland. He has also made a home at Penn Dental Medicine. “It’s a great environment,” he says. “Even though I am from another country, I never felt out of place here. It’s comfortable for everyone.” Wael has become involved in CAD/CAM research and testing materials for implants and crowns. And among his community service activities through Penn Dental Medicine, he has particularly enjoyed making a number of trips to the Amish community in Lancaster County, where he has been able to experience a new culture with unique dental needs.
SEEING THE BIG PICTURE “I really appreciate the comprehensive approach to dentistry here,” says Wael, who will graduate this spring and hopes to pursue postgraduate work in periodontics and prosthodontics. “We look at the big picture of managing oral health. We are not only fixing a problem, we are asking how and why it happened, so that we can prevent it in the future.” “This has been a life-changing journey,” he says of his escape from Syria. “Dentistry is my passion, and I am so grateful to continue my education here at Penn.”
Penn Dental Presents Biofilm Symposium in Beijing Bringing together researchers from throughout China, Penn Dental Medicine recently presented a symposium in Beijing in collaboration with State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases within Sichuan University’s West China School of Stomatology. Titled Biofilms, Microbiomes and Oral Diseases: Challenges and Future Perspectives, the September 30 program was held at Penn Wharton China Center (PWCC) — the second symposium to be presented by Penn Dental Medicine through support from Penn’s China Research and Engagement Fund (CREF). The School was among the inaugural recipients of the CREF awards, established by the University to stimulate and support activity in China and engagement with the Penn Wharton China Center, which opened in March 2015. Penn Dental Medicine’s CREF grant, Advancing Research and Clinical Practice, includes three research symposia — one on bone biology, which took place in 2016; the recently presented biofilm program; and a third on stem cells, tentatively planned for 2018. The CREF grant will also fund a conference on the delivery of dental care in China. Dr. Hyun (Michel) Koo, Professor of Orthodontics and Divisions of Pediatric Dentistry & Community Oral Health — a co-principal investigator on the CREF grant — led the development of the biofilm symposium. The program included lectures by Dr. Koo and Morton Amsterdam Dean Denis Kinane, along with seven leading researchers from schools throughout China addressing a variety of biofilm-related topics from mechanisms of biofilm virulence to novel therapeutic approaches. The participating lecturers represented Sichuan University, Fudan University, two institutes within the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Medical University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Peking University. A poster session and competition featuring research of postdoctoral/junior faculty and graduate students was also part of the program. Symposium sponsors included Proctor & Gamble Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd; Colgate-Palmolive (China) Co., Ltd; Personalbio; and Major Bio. “The day provided a platform for discussion on the best ways forward to learn more about this critical component in oral diseases and to find new ways to prevent them,” says Dr. Koo. “I think the connections made could lead to greater collaborations with top scientists in China in the future that are mutually beneficial as biofilm-associated oral diseases plague both the American and the Chinese populations.”
Thomas W. Evans Collection Library Exhibits Artifacts from the collection of Dr. Thomas Evans, now a visible part of the fabric of Penn Dental Medicine, continue to illuminate the life and times of Dr. Evans, Penn Dental Medicine’s earliest benefactor, including his relationships with a host of artists and writers in 19th-century Paris. A rotating exhibit within the main reading room of the School’s library features books, letters, photographs, and other memorabilia from the Evans Collection that are now part of Penn’s Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, which curates the exhibits. The latest one, titled “Everything in the world exists to end up as a book…” runs through November 24. The exhibit looks at the friendship between Dr. Evans and French poet and essayist Stéphane Mallarmé. The display includes a letter to Dr. Evans’ parents, correspondence between the friends, books of Mallarmé’s poetry, and images of Mallarmé. It reveals Dr. Evans as a man of letters who brought together some of the great poets and writers of his time. This was the third exhibit since the renovated library opened last fall; the next will open December 4. The upcoming exhibit will feature French photographer Félix Nadar’s Studio Visitor’s Book, acquired by Dr. Evans while he was living in Paris. The album tells much about Nadar’s network of prestigious clients, who sat for their portraits in the Parisian photographer’s studio. The Friends of the Thomas W. Evans Collection, led by Dr. Peter Quinn (D’74, GD’78), Dr. Gary Cohen, and Dr. Mark Nestor (D’87, GD’88), was formed in 2016 to help ensure the ongoing display and preservation of the Evans Collection for the enjoyment of the Penn Dental Medicine community To join the Friends group, visit www.dental. upenn.edu/friendsofevans or contact Elizabeth Ketterlinus at 215–898–3328.
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ONCAMPUS
New Online Coursera Course Explores Ties between Medicine and Dentistry Penn Dental Medicine has launched its second course through Coursera, the online educational platform that offers universal access to courses developed by top universities and organizations around the world. The course, titled “The Oral Cavity – Portal to Health and Disease,” opened for enrollment on Coursera’s web site, www.coursera.org, in September and will continue to be offered on a rolling basis. The course addresses the connections between dentistry and medicine and is presented in an interview format led by Dr. Uri Hangorsky, Clinical Professor of Periodontics and Associate Dean for Student Life at Penn Dental Medicine. Specialists in seven areas of medicine highlight the ways in which oral health and general health influence each other. “It has become increasingly clear that the oral cavity is intimately tied to overall health,” says Dr. Hangorsky. “In this course, we summarize all the recent advances and highlight the relationship between different medical specialties and oral health.” Dr. Thomas Sollecito (D’89, GD’91), Chair and Professor of Oral Medicine and Eric Stoopler (D’99, GD’02), Associate Professor of Oral Medicine, who have appointments in Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine as well, also provide commentary in the course videos. Dr. Katherine France (D’16, GD’18), a current oral medicine resident, is teaching assistant for the course. Each week’s session features an interview with a different Penn Medicine specialist. The topics covered include pain management,
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diabetes, cardiology, various skin conditions that also appear in the oral cavity, blood and bone marrow cancers, and certain kinds of head and neck cancer. Hangorsky credits the ability to bring this course to fruition to Dr. Sollecito and Dr. Stoopler’s positions in the University of Pennsylvania Health System and close working relationship with many Penn Medicine specialists. “It’s really a tribute to Penn Dental’s Oral Medicine Department that this course is even possible,” Hangorsky says. “We’re fortunate to be so well integrated into the Health System.” The course developers see value in the material for a wide audience, from physicians, dentists, and other health care professionals to dental students, college students contemplating careers, or any individuals interested in learning more about the oral/systemic health connection. Coursera learners can take the courses, including exams and quizzes, for free, but must pay a fee if they wish to receive a certificate documenting their achievement. The School’s first Coursera course, “Introduction to Dental Medicine,” remains popular and continues to be offered on a rolling basis. “In the first course, we’ve been able to reach approximately 17,900 people in more than 100 countries,” says Dr. Hangorsky. “That’s more students than I’ve taught in my entire career.” The Penn Dental Medicine Coursera courses are among the nearly 100 courses offered on Coursera by the University of Pennsylvania.
Paving a Path to Higher Education This summer, through participation in Penn’s Summer Mentorship Program (SMP), Penn Dental Medicine once again welcomed 10 students from area high schools as they explored the career possibilities within dental medicine. Administered by the Division of the Vice Provost for University Life, the SMP aims to inspire first-generation and minority students to view higher education as an achievable goal. Participants in the four-week program choose among dentistry, medicine, law, engineering, and nursing for their SMP experience. Penn Dental Medicine has been participating in the SMP since its launch in 2006. Dr. Beverley Crawford, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, oversees the SMP at Penn Dental Medicine and views it as a vital part of pipeline efforts to increase diversity within the dental profession. “Introducing students to the dental profession at a young age and setting their sights on an education that can be financially achievable are the first steps to growing this important part of the professional community,” notes Dr. Crawford. A million-dollar fundraising challenge in partnership with Henry Schein, Inc. is presently underway to build support for diversity scholarships and pipeline/recruitment efforts. For information on supporting the program, contact Maren Gaughan, Associate Dean for Leadership Giving, gaughan@upenn.edu, 215–898–8952. ABOVE: Summer Mentorship Program participants were introduced to dental instruments and the oral cavity in the simulation clinic.
FACULTYQ&A
SHARING PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL PATHS
What excites you most about Penn Dental today? The renewal of the School’s facilities as well as our world class faculty have allowed us to attract and enroll top students for the DMD, advanced dental education, and DScD programs. There is a real sense of energy in achievement and success here at Penn Dental that keeps me busy every day.
WHILE THE PENN DENTAL Medicine community may know the School’s faculty by the courses they teach or the research they conduct, this Q&A faculty spotlight aims to get a bit more personal glimpse of them as individuals For this issue, we talked with Dr. Joan Gluch, Division Chief and Professor of Clinical Community Oral Health and Associate Dean for Academic Policy. Dr. Gluch has been part of the School’s faculty for 25 years. What have you found most rewarding about being a member of the Penn faculty? I feel privileged to collaborate with compassionate faculty, staff, and students who help me do my best work in meeting personal and professional challenges. I enjoy the variety of my professional assignments, which include teaching, clinical supervision, and community program development, as well as administrative and leadership positions within the dental school. Every day is different and brings new challenges, and I am proud that I have been able to contribute to Penn Dental Medicine’s achievements in the past several years. What do you view as your greatest professional accomplishment? Working to increase access to oral health care for many of our neighbors in West and Southwest Philadelphia. Since 1992, I have worked with a great team of professionals at Penn to help expand care for children, families, older adults, and those with medically complex conditions in the Philadelphia region. Together, we have now built two dental mobile vehicles, several dental clinics at health centers, and have included oral health and dental care as an integral part of several health care clinics in the Philadelphia region. Clearly, more work needs to be done, and I am proud to continue to lead the team that has developed and expanded Penn Dental’s community oral health outreach efforts.
Schools/degrees? PhD from University of Pennsylvania, EdM from Temple University, and BS from Columbia University
Q&A with Dr. Joan I. Gluch
Division Chief and Professor of Clinical Community Oral Health What drew your interest to your particular field and what do you enjoy most about it? When we treated some of the first HIV/AIDS patients at Thomas Jefferson University in the early 1980s, I was influenced by many of our patients’ complaints about their difficulties in accessing even basic dental services. This inequity violated my sense of fairness and justice and spurred my interest in community and public health to understand best practices in expanding access to oral health education and dental care. I enjoy the continual professional challenges of developing and implementing community health programs to equalize access to dental care, and I am happiest when I am able to teach and empower new dental professionals to work with patients not traditionally served by dentistry. What advice from a mentor have you carried with you in your career? Say yes, and don’t be afraid to volunteer for new assignments to expand your skills and interests beyond your expectations.
If you could have dinner with anyone who would it be? And why? Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, because I would like to hear their insights about their commitment to peace and social justice, especially in their work with the Carter Center since their time in the White House ended. I have read many of the Carters’ books and have lots of practical questions and theoretical issues that I would love to discuss with them. Hobbies? Reading, dance, and exercise classes, and spending time with our grandchildren Favorite vacation destination? Ocean City NJ, and traveling to visit our six children who live throughout the world Best book you’ve read recently? “Teeth” by Mary Otto. Subtitled, “The story of beauty, inequality and the struggle for oral health in America,” this book clearly showcases the differential access to dental care based on socioeconomic factors. My wish is that this book will provoke a new level of understanding and activism in consumers and professionals alike to advocate for greater funding and equity in national and state oral health policy. If you haven’t read it, I recommend it highly!
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LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD Q&A WITH DEAN DENIS KINANE AS WE LOOK BACK ON HIS TENURE
SERVING AT THE HELM of Penn Dental Medicine since July 2009, Morton Amsterdam Dean Denis Kinane shared with the Penn Dental Medicine community this summer that he will be stepping down from the deanship at the end of December to pursue new professional opportunities. In this leadership transition, Dr. Dana Graves, Vice Dean for Scholarship and Research, will serve as Interim Dean, effective January 1 and until a successor for Dean Kinane has been appointed. As Dean Kinane moves on, he leaves Penn Dental Medicine strong and well-positioned for the future. “It has been a tremendous honor and pleasure to serve this great institution and to work with the entire Penn Dental Medicine community and colleagues throughout Penn,” says Dean Kinane. Indeed, in collaboration with faculty, staff, students, and alumni there have been significant advances, focused on the shared goal of moving the School’s mission forward. On the pages that follow, we highlight some of the key initiatives implemented in the areas of education, research, and patient care since 2009. As we look back over the time of Dean Kinane’s tenure, the Penn Dental Medicine Journal also asked him to share some thoughts on dentistry and dental education going forward. What do you see as some top trends in dentistry now and into the future? While all areas of dentistry are advancing in quite a dramatic fashion right now, one area that stands out and crosses multiple disciplines is the major impact of digital technology. Digital work flow and CAD CAM are changing the way we practice now and into the future — from enhanced case planning to advanced esthetics. In similar ways, cone beam computed tomography has been an immense breakthrough in the last 10 years; it too is used across specialties and I foresee it becoming even more ubiquitous with new advances. In terms of clinical provision, I think access to care for underserved communities will continue to be a public health challenge. We will have to devise new ways and new personnel to deliver that care, and be supportive of innovative means of care provision. What areas do you see impacting dental education going forward? What we teach has to support current and future dental practice, and the Penn Dental curriculum does that. I think one area that cuts across education generally is the major change in the pedagogy. What we have been able to do here at Penn Dental Medicine
is flip the classrooms and create videos of most of the lectures, so students can view and review them at their own pace. I imagine that live lectures will still be important into the future, but think people will accept that in many cases students will be able to look at the recorded media rather than the live performance. Incorporating this pedagogical philosophy into our new curriculum has had tangible results, and we are already seeing even more remarkable performances for our students on national examinations. In addition, the whole explosion of digital media means students can share and access information more readily and this won’t stop after they graduate. Whether it is expert advice on diagnosis, treatment, or prevention, the exchange of information will be in real time. What will be very important in those scenarios is the ability to recognize quality, evidence-based resources — so critical thinking and discernment will become even more important, while the extent of information committed to memory may change. I think we will gradually accept that our ways of thinking in the future will be much more about asking the right questions, finding the best source of knowledge, and discerning quality; it will be much more interactive, with the knowledge
that we have this reservoir of information out there that can help us with decisions. We will still need to know the basics, the vocabulary and what the information means, but essentially the extent to which our memories will be silicon or neurobiological will be the question. As one looks to the future of dental research, are there any areas with particular potential for advancing patient care? As a world community in dentistry, we have made major advances in caries and periodontal disease, but much less so in oral cancer, and I think we can do a lot in this area. Historically, dentistry in the U.S. has somehow given the lead in oral cancer to otorhinolaryngology departments, but I foresee potential growth in an approach to oral cancer that is dentally led. Dentists are uniquely skilled to advance care in this area — whether it be in reconstruction, uncovering the etiology and pathogenesis of oral cancer, or in rehabilitating patients’ oral function and relief of pain following surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, particularly when the dentition and/ or salivary glands are compromised. In regard to your tenure as Dean, what single thing has been the highlight of this role? That is a tough question, yet our stellar students stand out as one of the very best parts of this position in the sense of seeing them develop from undergraduates to skilled dentists and being part of their career development. Sharing in the School’s rich history with the 100th anniversary of the Evans Building and seeing it transformed for the next generation of students has also been tremendously rewarding. All in all, it has been a very change-driven time for the School and the faculty, staff, and students, indeed everyone, has been incredible in supporting that process. Our success has been through allowing the excellence of the Penn Dental community to exert itself and shine through. Together, we have made changes across the board in research, teaching, clinical provision, and service and have been able to do it in a fiscally efficient manner with unprecedented support from our alumni and major donors. I thank Penn for this extraordinary experience.
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EDUCATION
Some highlights of academic initiatives carried out over the tenure of Morton Amsterdam Dean Denis Kinane.
GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT
In 2010, Dr. Syngcuk Kim was named to the newly created post of Associate Dean for Global Affairs to help advance Penn Dental Medicine’s global engagement. That year, the school was among a delegation to Beijing led by Penn President Amy Gutmann, part of another she led to Seoul in 2011, and also participated in the Penn Wharton China Center opening in 2015. Since 2010, the School has signed 30 memorandums of understanding, including 22 in Asia, 3 in South America, and 5 in Europe.
HONORS PROGRAMS
Designed to cultivate a leadership outlook in exceptional students who meet the academic requirements, the honors program was launched in 2010 in the areas of research, community health, and clinical dentistry, and has grown since then to include medically complex, radiological sciences, and oral and maxillofacial surgery honors as well. At the start of this 2017 academic year, there were 161 students pursuing one or more honors with their DMD.
ADVANCED SIMULATION Virtual reality advanced simulation units employing haptic technology were added to preclinical instruction in 2014.
INTERPROFESSIONAL LEARNING Building on its interprofessional educational opportunities with other Penn schools, Penn Dental Medicine added a MS in Bioengineering to its dual-degree options in 2011 and continued to expand the offerings with a JD in Law and an MBA in 2012, and a MS in Translational Research and a Master of Law in 2014 — bringing the total to 8 dual-degree options.
LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES
A Learning Technologies Team was created in 2014 to integrate online resources into the curriculum — from recorded lectures/tutorials and online testing to gamification and course iBooks (currently there are 52 course iBooks). Since 2015, all DMD students receive iPads and are required to bring them to class as blended learning continues to transform the way courses are taught and students learn. Also since 2015, two Massive Open Online Courses have been developed through the online platform Coursera.
EXPANDED PEDIATRICS In 2014, the pediatric residency program doubled the number of residents accepted each year to 4 and the clinic expanded as well with a new open bay, adding 6 chairs. 10 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU
EDUCATION NEW CURRICULUM A new curriculum was implemented with the start of the 2015 academic year for first-year students. It reflects an emphasis on the integration of scientific information; enhanced small-group, case-based learning; and more clinical rotations throughout the first two years. Major improvements in national exams are already being realized.
SIMULATION CLINIC
The new preclinical simulation clinic, also part of the Evans Building Centennial Renaissance project, opened in August 2016 in the lower concourse of the Evans Building. The high-tech facility features 90 workstations, each outfitted with a simulation unit and a monitor for instructional videos and streaming of live demonstrations.
REIMAGINED LIBRARY
The reimagined library, part of the $37 million Evans Building Centennial Renaissance project that transformed all four levels of this historic structure, opened in March 2016, occupying space on the 2nd and 3rd floors. With a focus on digital resources, the main reading room on the 2nd floor is in the library’s original location when the building opened in 1915.
CHEUNG AUDITORIUM
The former B-60 in the lower concourse of the Evans Building — one of the most heavily used academic spaces in the School — underwent a complete renovation, opening in January 2017. With a leadership gift by Dr. William Cheung (D’81, GD’82) to make the renovation possible, alumni can still name a seat in the space at www.dental.upenn.edu/takeaseat.
STUDENT-CENTERED LOWER CONCOURSE
Eight small group study rooms, 4 seminar rooms, a student lounge, and the Offices of Student Life and Academic Affairs are among the new spaces in the renovated lower concourse of the Evans Building, completed in January 2017. Part of the Evans Building Centennial Renaissance, it created an area fully devoted to student services and support.
NEW PROSTHODONTICS PROGRAM In July 2017, a new advanced specialty program in prosthodontics welcomed its first class of residents.
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RESEARCH
Some highlights of research-related initiatives advanced over the tenure of Morton Amsterdam Dean Denis Kinane.
FACULTY RECRUITMENT
SCHOLARSHIP
Since 2009, the depth of the School’s research enterprise has been bolstered by a focus on recruiting research faculty across the basic and clinical sciences, including:
The number of fully published articles by the School’s full-time, standing faculty increased from a total of 62 articles in 2009 to a total of 160 in 2016.
Dr. Claire Mitchell Dept. of Anatomy & Cell Biology (in 2009)
Dr. Dana Graves Dept. of Periodontics (in 2010); he was also named to the newly created post of Vice Dean for Research and Scholarship in 2013.
Dr. George Hajishengallis Dept. of Microbiology (in 2012)
Dr. Betty Hajishengallis Div. of Pediatric Dentistry (in 2012)
DSCD PROGRAM
Dr. Anh Le Dept. of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery/ Pharmacology (in 2012)
Dr. Henry Daniell Dept. of Biochemistry (in 2013)
Dr. Hyun (Michel) Koo Dept. of Orthodontics, Divs. of Community Oral Health & Pediatrics (in 2013)
Dr. Songtao Shi Dept. of Anatomy & Cell Biology (in 2014)
With the goal of preparing students for a research-focused academic career, the School launched a DScD program in 2011. Presently, there are 15 students in the program; a major success in “growing” new faculty, 3 recent DScD graduates (all women) have joined the School’s faculty.
PATENTS
Dr. Shuying (Sheri) Yang Dr. Rabie Shanti Dept. of Anatomy & Cell Dept. of Oral & Biology (in 2016) Maxillofacial Surgery (in 2016)
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Dr. Ricardo Teles Dept. of Periodontics (in 2017)
Dr. Flavia Teles Dept. of Microbiology (in 2017)
Since 2012, 21 provisional patents were filed by Penn Dental Medicine faculty and 13 US patents issued.
RESEARCH AADR TRAVEL AWARDS
RESEARCH SYMPOSIA
The School brought together leading researchers and clinicians, hosting 13 major research and clinical symposia at Penn since 2012, including: • Penn Esthetics Symposium (2012 and 2015) • 5th International Congress of Adhesive Dentistry (2013) • Penn Periodontal Conference (2013, 2015 and 2017 [see 2017 highlights, page 38]) • ARONJ: An Update (2014) • Endodontic Retreatment: Surgical and Non-Surgical Management (2014) • World of Oral Medicine (2015) • TMJ A to Z (2015) • Penn Week of Orthodontics (2016) • Just Bond It! (2017, see highlights, page 40) • Penn Stem Cell and Regenerative Dentistry Conference (2017, see highlights, page 44)
This new initiative to build opportunities for students and junior researchers to present their research on a national/ international stage launched in 2014, sending students/junior researchers to the annual AADR meeting each year since.
PENN CHINA RESEARCH & ENGAGEMENT FUND (CREF) AWARD Penn Dental Medicine was among the inaugural recipients of a CREF grant from Penn in 2015 to support three high-level research symposia and a conference on the delivery of dental care in China at Penn Wharton China Center in Beijing. The first symposium, on the topic of bone biology, was held in 2016, and second, on biofilm, took place in September 2017 (see page 5).
NEW MSOB TRACK An evidence-based learning track for the Master of Science in Oral Biology (MSOB) was introduced in 2015, providing a nonlaboratory-based research option for earning a MSOB.
RESEARCH DAY LAUNCHED
In 2016, Research Day launched to bring together the School community annually to spotlight both faculty and student research in one event (see highlights of Research Day 2017, page 37).
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PATIENT CARE
Some highlights of patient care initiatives carried out over the tenure of Morton Amsterdam Dean Denis Kinane.
PREVENTIVE CARE PROGRAM
In 2009, the Div. of Community Oral Health piloted its first dental sealant program with one West Philadelphia school, and today has expanded to provide educational and preventive care services to complement the comprehensive dental care provided on the PennSmiles bus to serve 14,000 children in 24 schools this past year.
CENTRAL PATIENT REGISTRATION Streamlining patient management, a central patient registration area was created in 2010.
ADVANCED DENTAL CARE CLINIC
Designed to manage advanced cases in restorative and esthetic dentistry, the William W. M. Cheung Advanced Dental Care Clinic opened in 2010. This new 15-chair clinic has been the home of the DMD clinical honors program since its opening, and since July 2017, residents in the new prosthodontics program also see patients here.
GOING DIGITAL
Digital radiography was introduced within the School’s clinics in 2010, the same year the School’s CAD/CAM Ceramic Center expanded to accommodate a growing inventory of state-ofthe-art equipment. Soon after, patient records became fully electronic; and now all DMD students gain experience using intraoral scanners as the School continues toward complete digital work flow.
LIFE CENTER In collaboration with Penn’s School of Nursing, Penn Dental Medicine opened a dental clinic at the LIFE Center in 2011, serving the needs of geriatric patients and expanding students’ clinical experiences with elder, medically complex individuals. Third- and fourth-year students rotate through the clinic.
SAYRE HEALTH CENTER CLINIC
The School opened a clinic within Penn Medicine’s Sayre Health Clinic in 2011, providing comprehensive dental care alongside doctors and nurses in this West Philadelphia clinic. Second-, third- and fourthyear students rotate through the clinic.
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PATIENT CARE PENNSMILES
In 2013, the PennSmiles mobile dental vehicle marked 10 years of bringing comprehensive dental care to children in West and Southwest Philadelphia, and the program expanded with a second bus this fall (see story, page 3). Presently, the PennSmiles program works with 24 schools within approximately 24-square-miles of Penn.
SYNGCUK KIM ENDODONTIC CLINIC
EDWARD & SHIRLEY SHILS CLINIC
With the opening of this new clinic in 2013, the School opened the doors to one of the most high-tech clinical settings for endodontic instruction and patient care.
Part of the Evans Building Centennial Renaissance project, the Edward & Shirley Shils Clinic opened in September 2016. This new 57-chair general restorative teaching clinic is situated in the southwest section of the first floor of the Evans Building.
ORTHO CLINIC EXPANSION Completed in June 2017 with alumni support of the Penn Ortho Centennial Campaign, a reconfiguration of the clinic space added four new treatment areas. Other changes included the remodeling of the waiting area and improved digital capabilities.
PENN DENTAL FAMILY PRACTICE
The University City location of the Penn Dental Family Practice joined Penn Medicine University City at 3737 Market Street in 2015, adding dentistry to the multitude of health care specialties within this outpatient facility. The three Family Practice offices provide dental care for the majority of Penn employees and students.
MAIN CLINIC RENOVATION & SCHATTNER PAVILION
Made possible by a $15M gift from the late Dr. Robert Schattner (D’48), the School’s Main Clinic (to become the Robert I. Schattner Clinic) is undergoing a complete renovation for an improved patient and student experience; the transformed space will be completed by the close of December 2017. And with a projected completion date of June 2018, the Schattner Pavilion will enhance the connection of all three buildings that make up Penn Dental Medicine, facilitating interaction of faculty and staff as well as patients and visitors.
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FOSTERING INTERDISCIPLINARY, PATIENT-CENTERED CARE
INCORPORATING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH, AND INTEGRATED CARE, THE DEPT. OF ORAL & MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY IS MAKING PATIENTS WHOLE AGAIN
ABOVE: Pre-operative and post-operative 3D-stereolithographic models of a patient with a benign tumor of the right mandible. Faculty of the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery/Pharmacology use such models for patient education in advance of a surgery, as well as for pre-surgical treatment planning and as an adjunct during surgery to aid in decision-making.
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ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL surgeons, by the very nature of their specialty, often work with colleagues across many disciplines to achieve optimal outcomes for patients. Think about it — a patient being treated for a tumor in her jaw might require a team that includes radiation and medical oncologists, pathologists, oral medicine specialists, prosthodontists, endodontists, speech therapists, dieticians and social workers, just to name some of those who may be involved in this patient’s care. The importance of this interdisciplinary, collaborative approach is evident in the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery/ Pharmacology at Penn Dental Medicine, where many faculty members have both dental and medical degrees and hold joint appointments at Penn Dental Medicine and Penn Medicine to further facilitate a high
level of interaction with other specialists. In fact, this year marks a milestone exemplary of these interprofessional ties: the 25th year of establishing a Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) (see sidebar, p. 19). Now, under the leadership of Chair Dr. Anh Le, Norman Vine Endowed Professor of Oral Rehabilitation, the School’s Department of Oral & Maxillofacial/Pharmacology is carrying out an ambitious plan to incorporate the latest research, technology, and integrated initiatives in academics, research, and clinical care, Dr. Le says, “expanding each component to elevate and grow the department and to provide a world-class clinical experience to our patients at Penn.” On the clinical side, one major way Dr. Le is fostering this approach is through the development of “centers” or clusters of patient
care in specialized areas. She explains that the goal is to provide safer, more precise, personalized therapies that will result in faster function recovery, improved esthetics and health, and overall, a better quality of life. In the last few years, Dr. Le has established three such centers: one focused on temporomandibular joint disorders, headed by Dr. Eric Granquist, Assistant Professor of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery/Pharmacology; another on orthognathic and corrective surgery, led by Dr. Lee Carrasco, Clinical Associate Professor of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery/Pharmacology; and a third center addressing trauma and reconstructive surgery, headed by Dr. Neeraj Panchal and Dr. Steven Wang, both Instructors of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery/Pharmacology. Now, the newest center for patient care is targeting oral and dental rehabilitation for head and neck cancer patients, anchored by the expertise of the department’s newest members — oral maxillofacial surgeon Dr. Rabie Shanti, who specializes in tumor resection and reconstruction, and maxillofacial prosthodontist Dr. Brian Chang, whose work includes restoring missing teeth, facial tissue, and eye sockets for patients impacted by these cancers. This new center, Dr. Le says, “will provide comprehensive patient care with a multidisciplinary, highly experienced team of dentists and surgeons to work on preservation, maintenance, and restoration of oral health for tumor resection.”
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY TO AID SURGICAL PRECISION These clinical efforts are further supported by a departmental focus on utilizing the most advanced technology available, including state-of-the-art 3D printing and digital scanning and incorporating digital tools to exactingly plan and carry out these complex surgical procedures with the greatest degree of precision and efficiency. In collaboration with several Penn Medicine departments, Dr. Le notes that they hope to bring 3D printing and digital scanning capabilities on site in 2018; presently, while these technologies are used in patient care within the department, the 3D printing and scanning are contracted with an external lab.
By using virtual surgery planning, Dr. Shanti says, “I can get on a computer with images of the patient, design the surgery, simulate it, and identify where I’m going to make the cuts, how the tumor is going to come out, and how I’m going to rebuild the jaw.” This technology allows for the fabrication of customized materials — cutting guides and plates specific to each patient. “It not only helps increase the precision and accuracy of the surgery,” he says, “but it also minimizes the time we spend in the operating room.” One recent patient was a 59-year-old with an ameloblastoma that involved three quarters of her upper jaw and her entire hard palate, as well as the sinuses and inner nose. “Removing large tumors of the maxilla and palate requires consideration of the nose, eye socket, sinuses, and the skull base,” Dr. Shanti says. “Therefore, this technology allows me to consider every millimeter of the surgery in preparing for where I am going to make my bony cuts in order to remove the tumor safely and without compromising clearance of the tumor.”
ABOVE: Dr. Rabie Shanti (left)and Dr. Brian Chang (right) are leading the Department’s oral and dental rehabilitation center for head and neck cancer patients. LEFT: Dr. Lee Carrasco, GD’02, (left) heads the Department’s patient care centered on orthognathic and corrective surgery, with Dr. Eric Granquist, M’07, GD’10, RES’10, (right) focuses on temporomandibular joint disorders.
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INTERDISCIPLINARYCARE During the same operation, the patient had her upper jaw defect reconstructed with bone, muscle, and skin tissue from her forearm. Within a week, she had left the hospital, was eating fairly normally, and moving toward having a denture fabricated with the long-term goal of having dental implants. Although relatively rare — only one case in two million people — ameloblastomas are the most common benign tumors of the jaw and Dr. Shanti sees a significant number of cases. “We know very little about this tumor,” he says. Thus, developing better options to treat the destruction caused by these benign tumors, which don’t respond to chemotherapy and often require major surgery to remove and rebuild the jaw, is of particular interest to him. And in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery lab, Dr. Shanti is working to better understand what drives ameloblastomas. His long-term goal is to develop non-surgical treatment options and to design new structures through tissue engineering that will more effectively replace the tissues his patients lose during surgery, whether due to tumors, trauma, or other medical conditions. He’s aiming to find a better option — for instance, by helping patients regrow their own tissue rather than harvesting part of a patient’s own body for reconstruction.
“[This technology] not only helps increase the precision and accuracy of the surgery, but it also minimizes the time we spend in the operating room.” — DR. RABIE SHANTI
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ABOVE: 3D images from virtual surgical planning (VSP) sessions, showing the planning of a mandibular tumor resection while also incorporating fibula free flap reconstruction.
“I think we’re on the cusp with tissue engineering and using engineered stem cell-based constructs to reconstruct tissues of the head and neck,” he says. “I think that’s going to be a really significant advancement in reconstructive surgery that I hope to be a part of.” Dr. Shanti, assistant professor at both Penn Dental Medicine and the Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at Penn Medicine, has brought deep interdisciplinary expertise to Penn. He attended dental school at Harvard University, spending two years as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute research scholar working in an orthopedics laboratory at the NIH’s National Institute for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, where he focused on tissue engineering and designing new materials to regrow muscle and bone.
He then pursued his MD and residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Rutgers University, followed by a two-year fellowship at Louisiana State University, where he gained considerable experience in microvascular reconstruction surgery — taking tissues and blood vessels from one part of the body and connecting them as living tissue in another part of the body. The opportunity to work in a comprehensive and collaborative clinical and research environment that is patient-focused brought him to Penn in 2016. “There is no area of medicine as multidisciplinary as caring for a patient with oral cancer,” Dr. Shanti says. “In one patient, 15 specialists can be involved, and we go over each case together,” he notes. “For a patient with oral cancer, the diagnosis is already overwhelming, and we provide a patient-centered rather than practitioner-centered approach.”
PROVIDING PROSTHETIC RECONSTRUCTION FOR PATIENTS Co-leading this new center is Dr. Chang, associate professor and Director of Maxillofacial Prosthodontics, who has joint appointments in both the Dept. of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery/Pharmacology and Dept. of Preventive and Restorative Sciences at Penn Dental Medicine. He also holds an appointment at Penn Medicine. Since coming to Penn earlier this year, Dr. Chang has been teaching in Penn Dental Medicine’s new residency program in prosthodontics and sees patients at the Clinical Practice of the University of Pennsylvania Dept. of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at HUP. Spanning these roles, his responsibilities include the care of medically compromised patients who need prosthetic reconstruction due to disease or trauma, organization of the maxillofacial prosthodontic clinic, resident education, and research. He also consults as part of the head and neck cancer team and works with colleagues across a variety of medical and dental specialties. Prior to joining Penn, Dr. Chang was head of the Section of Maxillofacial Prosthodontics at the Cleveland Clinic and director of predoctoral prosthodontics at Harvard’s School of Dental Medicine. He did a residency in prosthodontics at Northwestern University and a fellowship in maxillofacial prosthodontics at Columbia University. His research interests include the clinical outcomes of dental implants for head and neck cancer patients and the application of novel 3D technologies for surgical and prosthetic reconstruction for patients with head or neck cancer or craniofacial anomalies. He also has a particular interest in curriculum development. “Research of head and neck cancer and craniofacial anomalies has been rapidly growing through the interactions between clinician-oncologists, basic scientists, speech and language pathologists and engineers,” Dr. Chang says. “I have also been working on outcome assessments of quality of life and physiologic functions, such as speech, deglutition, and swallowing, for patients with head and neck cancer or craniofacial anomalies.”
25 Years within HUP
THIS YEAR MARKS a milestone exemplary of the interprofessional ties of the School’s Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery/Pharmacology — the 25th anniversary of establishing a Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP). In 1992, Dr. Peter Quinn, then Chair of Penn Dental Medicine’s Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Pharmacology, was also named Chair of the newly created Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Hospital Dentistry at HUP. This independent departmental status facilitated the growth and integration of the oral and maxillofacial surgery and oral medicine faculty across Penn Medicine. It paved the way for an “ambitious renovation and expansion of the program,” Dr. Quinn says, further shoring its reputation as a “premier program for education, research, and patient care.” Dr. Quinn, who remained Chair of the department until 2008, is presently Schoenleber Professor of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery/Pharmacology; Vice Dean for Professional Services, Perelman School of Medicine; and Senior Vice President for the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Growth was evident with the number of full-time Department faculty increasing from four in 1994 to 15 today. The Department at HUP was located within the hospital’s White Building until 2012, when it moved to its current home within the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine. ABOVE: Dr. Anh Le, Chair, Dept. of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery/Pharmacology, with Dr. Peter Quinn, Schoenleber Professor, who was Chair when an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Department was first established at HUP 25 years ago.
Establishing the department at HUP reflected a general trend of addressing more complex medical cases in a hospital setting, facilitating collaboration with other specialists. “We are a very interprofessional group,” Dr. Quinn says of oral surgeons. “Most of us have medical and dental degrees; we straddle two professions and have always had a presence in both the dental school and hospital.” A highlight during this time was Dr. Quinn’s work on the Zimmer-Biomet Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Replacement System, which received FDA clearance in 2005 and is still the only FDA-approved stock prosthesis in the U.S. “It took six years to develop, followed by a 10-year clinical trial,” he says. “You need to be in a place like Penn, that can draw enough patients to power the study and has the research infrastructure” to bring about such advances. Now, with the help of computer-guided surgery and 3D-printing technology Dr. Quinn expects more opportunity to create custom TMJ prostheses for patients. But, he predicts that future advances in the field are likely to come from the innovative research being done in the Department today under the leadership of the current Chair, Dr. Anh Le. “There has been an explosion both in basic science and on the translational side in the last 25 years,” Dr. Quinn says. Rather than looking at ways to make better prostheses, he says, leading-edge research is focused on engineering a patient’s own tissue to genetically replace what they lose. “That’s the next frontier,” he says.
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INTERDISCIPLINARYCARE
Department Faculty Chairman Anh D. Le, DDS, PhD, Chair and Norman Vine Endowed Professor of Oral Rehabilitation; Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery/Pharmacology
Full-Time Faculty Lee R. Carrasco, DDS, MD, Clinical Associate Professor Brian Myung Chang, DDS, FACP, FAAMP, Associate Professor of Clinical Restorative Dentistry; Associate Professor of Clinical Oral Surgery and Pharmacology; Director, Maxillofacial Prosthodontics Brian Ford, DMD, MD, Instructor
NEW RESEARCH-FOCUSED RESIDENCY OPTION In addition to establishing these clinical centers of expertise, the department also recently received approval to expand the department’s residency program, directed by Dr. Helen Giannakopoulos, Associate Professor (above, left). There are currently three residents per year in the six-year, dual-degree Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/MD program, who receive a medical degree from Penn Medicine, a two-year certificate in general surgery and certificate in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Starting next year, a fourth resident will be added along with the option for residents to additionally pursue a Doctor of Science degree, taking about two years longer to complete this research-focused degree. The intention Dr. Le says, “is to teach future generations of surgeons who can integrate more evidence-based, innovative scientific findings into their practice.”
“The intention is to teach future generations of surgeons who can integrate more evidence-based, innovative scientific findings into their practice.”
In the realm of research, among the areas of particular focus within the department is regenerative medicine. Since coming to Penn Dental Medicine in 2012 from the University of Southern California’s Ostrow School of Dentistry, Dr. Le has continued her research on mesenchymal stem cells from adult oral gingival tissues (also known as GMSC), and how they might aid in wound healing and regenerating of lost tissues from either trauma or pathologies. She is also studying their potential for use in nerve and tissue regeneration, which could help, for instance, a patient who has had partial tongue removal due to cancer or injury. “The Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery lab is focused on translational/clinical research in regenerative medicine of the orofacial structure. An active project is to develop a neural construct using GMSCs, looking at nerve regeneration, nerve injury pathology, trauma, and tumor resection,” says Dr. Le. Although she says clinical human trials are at least a decade away, this research holds promise for head and neck cancer patients in need of reconstructive surgery following tumor resection with resulting nerve injury. These promising areas of research, along with new initiatives in education and clinical care, are all intended to support the department’s overarching goal, Dr. Le says, of providing a “comprehensive and integrated approach to delivering the highest quality and personalized care to patients.”
— DR. ANH LE — By Debbie Goldberg
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Helen Giannakopoulos, DDS, MD, Associate Professor; Director, Postdoctoral Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Program Eric J. Granquist, DMD, MD, Assistant Professor Barry H. Hendler, DDS, MD, Associate Professor Elliot V. Hersh, DMD, MS, PhD, Professor Neeraj Panchal, DDS, MD, MA, Instructor Peter D. Quinn, DMD, MD, Schoenleber Professor; Vice Dean for Professional Services, Perelman School of Medicine; Senior Vice President for CPUP, University of Pennsylvania Health System Rabie Shanti, DMD, MD, Assistant Professor David C. Stanton, DMD, MD, FACS, Associate Professor Steven Wang, DMD, MD, MPH, Instructor
Part-Time Faculty Alexandre Balaci, DMD, Clinical Associate Sung-Kiang Chuang, DMD, MD, DMSc, Clinical Professor Bruce J. Cutilli, DMD, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor Douglas Ditty, DMD, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor Brad Hersh, DMD, Clinical Associate Anna Kornbrot, DMD, Clinical Assistant Professor Dominic Poyle Lu, DDS, Clinical Professor John W. Mooney, DDS, Clinical Associate Professor Christopher Perrie, DDS, MD, Clinical Associate Donald G. Rebhun, DMD, Clinical Assistant Professor James Salman, DMD, Clinical Associate David W. Wedell, DDS, Clinical Assistant Professor
FACULTYPERSPECTIVE VIEWS ON DENTAL TOPICS & TRENDS
Cone Beam Computed Tomography: A Paradigm Shift in Dental Imaging A CURSORY GLANCE of the literature in PubMed will reveal just over 4,000 articles that are directly or indirectly connected to cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Witnessing the birth and ascent of CBCT and its adaptation in the practice of Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology was exciting. In 1998, an article published by Mozzo and co-workers1 in the journal European Radiology laid the foundation for the new revolution in 3D imaging, as the authors explained how this volumetric CT machine would be useful for dental imaging. For decades, dentistry depended upon a flattened 2D image with no depth. CBCT, a low-dose, high resolution digital imaging technology provided the imaging for the other two planes. True to the article, CBCT became very relevant; a third dimension is often needed for diagnosis. CBCT imaging can be utilized in all aspects of dental care for precise treatment planning and better prognosis for our patients. This is especially true in specialties like periodontics, endodontics, pedodontics and orthodontics. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons, prosthodontists, and oral medicine specialists traditionally used multidetector CT (MDCT) or multi-slice CT (MSCT) as they needed technology that would show soft tissue enhancement and be covered under medical insurances. The introduction of the CBCT added significant value to their treatment planning because of its lower dose of radiation.
CBCT is a new standard for pre-implant imaging and treatment planning for implants, including the engineering of surgical stents, which aid in implant placement2. Designing can be completed digitally using the CBCT volume (dicom file format) with a proprietary software and can be saved into special file formats (.stl) that can be used for 3D printing and laboratory manufacturing of surgical stents. The same technology can be utilized for printing stereolithographic models that are used in orthognathic or tumor-related mock jaw surgeries. Large CBCT Fields of View (FOV) are acquired with resolutions ranging from 200-400 µ meters (microns). In specialties like endodontics or periodontics, small volume CBCT imaging using pixel sizes as small as 60-70 µ meters can be utilized to view PDL space, furcation defects, root anatomy, fractures, and complex pulp pathways that would otherwise be hard to assess using 2D imaging alone. Children and adolescents need a CT with lowered dose, and therefore, CBCT would be their choice of imaging modality. The FOVs can be tailored to suit the imaging needs in pedodontics, simultaneously reducing the effective doses [E] (table 1), as collectively, we have an obligation to our patients to reduce the dose as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA)3. (continued on page 35)
Table 1: Showing common head and neck radiographic procedures and their equivalent approximate doses and equivalent number of days of background radiation Radiographic procedure
Radiation dose in Micro Sieverts (µ Sv)
Equivalent days of natural background radiation (average per person in the US = 3100 µSv/yr or 8.4 µSv /day)
1PA
<1.5
0.2
FMX (18 images)
~27
3.2
PAN
2.7 – 24.3
2.8 computed with highest possible dose
Cephalometric radiograph
<6
0.7
CBCT craniofacial
30-1073
127 computed with highest possible dose
CBCT dento-alveolar
11-674
80 computed with highest possible dose
MSCT craniofacial
280-1410
167 computed with highest possible dose
Contributed By: Dr. Mel Mupparapu, D'96 Department of Oral Medicine
2017 LINDBACK AWARDEE The University of Pennsylvania recognized Dr. Mel Mupparapu for his excellence in teaching as a recipient of Penn’s 2017 Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Awards for Distinguished Teaching. Penn presents eight Lindback awards each year, divided evenly between health-related disciplines and all other departments and divisions of Penn. Award winners are determined by nominations and recommendations of faculty and students. Dr. Mupparapu has held the position of Professor since 2012 and has served as Program Director of the Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology Fellowship since 2014. Dr. Mupparapu lectures within the graduate dental education and predoctoral DMD programs.
Sources: www. SEDENTEXCT.eu; hps.org/documents/background_radiation_fact_sheet.pdf
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ACADEMICUPDATE
DEPARTMENT/FACULTY NEWS & SCHOLARSHIP
ANATOMY & CELL BIOLOGY SELECTED PUBLICATIONS A selection of recently published work by department researchers (indicated in bold).
Workman AD, Carey RM, Chen B, Saunders CJ, Marambaud P, Mitchell CH, Tordoff MG, Lee RJ, Cohen NA. CALHM1-Mediated ATP Release and Ciliary Beat Frequency Modulation in Nasal Epithelial Cells. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1). DOI: 10.1038/s41598–017–07221–9.
Albalawi F, Lu W, Beckel JM, Lim JC, McCaughey SA, Mitchell CH. The P2X7 receptor primes IL-1β and the NLRP3 inflammasome in astrocytes exposed to mechanical strain. Front Cell Neurosci. 2017;11. DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2017.00227. Liu Z, Yuan X, Fernandes G, Dziak R, Ionita CN, Li C, Wang C, Yang S. The combination of nano-calcium sulfate/platelet rich plasma gel scaffold with BMP2 gene-modified mesenchymal stem cells promotes bone regeneration in rat critical-sized calvarial defects. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2017;8(1):122. DOI: 10.1186/s13287-017–0574–6. Lu W, Albalawi F, Beckel JM, Lim JC, Laties AM, Mitchell CH. The P2X7 receptor links mechanical strain to cytokine IL–6 up-regulation and release in neurons and astrocytes. J Neurochem. 2017;141(3): 436–48. DOI: 10.1111/jnc.13998. Luo Z, Liu Y, Liu Y, Chen H, Shi S, Liu Y. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of alcohol-induced osteopenia. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2017:1–11. DOI: 10.1007/s00018– 017–2585–y. Stowell C, Burgoyne CF, Tamm ER, Ethier CR, Dowling JE, Ellisman MH, Fisher S, Fortune B, Fruttiger M, Jakobs T, Lewis G, Masland RH, Mitchell CH, Morrison J, Sharma SC, Sigal I, Sofroniew M, Wang L, Wiggs J, Wu S. Biomechanical aspects of axonal damage in glaucoma: A brief review. Exp Eye Res. 2017;157:13–9. Epub 2017/02/23. DOI: 10.1016/j. exer.2017.02.005. Tamm ER, Ethier CR, Dowling JE, Downs C, Ellisman MH, Fisher S, Fortune B, Fruttiger M, Jakobs T, Lewis G, Masland RH, Mitchell CH, Morrison J, Sharma SC, Sigal I, Sofroniew M, Wang L, Wiggs J, Wu S. Biological aspects of axonal damage in glaucoma: A brief review. Exp Eye Res. 2017;157:5–12. DOI: 10.1016/j. exer.2017.02.006.
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STEM CELL CONFERENCE The Dept. of Anatomy & Cell Biology in collaboration with the Dept. of Endodontics organized the Penn Stem Cell & Regenerative Dentistry Conference, Oct. 20–21, 2017 (see story, page 44).
BIOCHEMISTRY SELECTED PUBLICATIONS A selection of recently published work by department researchers (indicated in bold). Frost LS, Dhingra A, Reyes-Reveles J, Boesze-Battaglia K. The Use of DQ-BSA to Monitor the Turnover of AutophagyAssociated Cargo. Methods Enzymol. 2017;587:43–54. Epub 2017/03/04. DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2016.09.052. Reyes-Reveles J, Dhingra A, Alexander D, Bragin A, Philp NJ, Boesze-Battaglia K. Phagocytosis-dependent ketogenesis in retinal pigment epithelium. J Biol Chem. 2017;292(19):8038–47. DOI: 10.1074/ jbc.M116.770784. Wang P, Zhang J, Sun L, Ma Y, Xu J, Liang S, Deng J, Tan J, Zhang Q, Tu L, Daniell H, Jin S, Zhang X. High efficient multisites genome editing in allotetraploid cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) using CRISPR/Cas9 system. Plant Biotechnol J. 2017. Epub 2017/05/13. DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12755.
Zhang B, Shanmugaraj B, Daniell H. Expression and functional evaluation of biopharmaceuticals made in plant chloroplasts. Curr Opin Chem Biol. 2017;38:17– 23. DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2017.02.007.
RECENT GRANT AWARDS Oral Tolerance for Hemophilia The current standard of care for the X-linked bleeding disorder hemophilia is intravenous infusion of recombinant factor VIII (FVIII, for hemophilia A). FVIII is expensive, requires frequent repeated IV injections, and is often targeted by antibody responses, thereby complicating/neutralizing therapy, creating immunotoxicities, and further increasing costs. The goals of this project are to: 1) Develop the next generation of edible transplastomic plants expressing FVIII antigen, ovalbumin, or IL-10 fused to different transmucosal carriers, using cutting-edge chloroplast genetic engineering tools. 2) Continue to define the mechanism of oral tolerance induction/immune regulation, in part through use of a model antigen. 3) Suppress inhibitor formation against FVIII in hemophilia A dogs and develop combination oral immune modulatory therapies. Funding Source: University of Florida, NIH Principal Investigator: Dr. Henry Daniell, Professor
ENDODONTICS NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS Dr. Bekir Karabucak, Chair, was one of six faculty invited from the U.S., United Kingdom, and South Africa to Kuwait University Dental School in May to evaluate the dental education and administer mid-term and final exams to dental students. The Penn Endo Global Symposium was held in Guadalajara, Mexico, Oct. 26–28, and there will be one in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 25–28, 2018 and in Buenos Aries, Argentina, May 24–26, 2018.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS A selection of recently published work by department researchers (indicated in bold). Schloss T, Sonntag D, Kohli MR, Setzer FC. A Comparison of 2- and 3-dimensional Healing Assessment after Endodontic Surgery Using Cone-beam Computed Tomographic Volumes or Periapical Radiographs. J Endod. 2017;43(7):1072–9. DOI: 10.1016/j.joen.2017.02.007. Setzer FC, Hinckley N, Kohli MR, Karabucak B. A Survey of Cone-beam Computed Tomographic Use among Endodontic Practitioners in the United States. J Endod. 2017;43(5):699–704. DOI: 10.1016/j. joen.2016.12.021.
MICROBIOLOGY
NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS Dr. Flavia Teles has joined the Dept. of Microbiology as an Associate Professor; her appointment was effective August 15, coming to Penn Dental Medicine from the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry. Her research interests focus on building a better understanding of how microorganisms contribute to the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases and the effects of periodontal treatments on the local microbiome. Tetsuhiro Kajikawa, from the lab of Dr. George Hajishengallis, won a research award in the 10th International Workshop on Complement Therapeutics, held in Greece in June, for his poster presentation “Complement and Periodontitis: The Role of the Classical Pathway.” (continued after the survey on page 23)
Alumni Communications & Engagement Survey
Making Connections: we want to hear from you
Thank You for Your Feedback Please take a few minutes now to complete our alumni communications and engagement survey on the adjoining page. Simply tear it from the fold of the magazine and return in the postage-paid envelope enclosed. You’ll have the chance to win a set of personalized Penn Dental Medicine scrubs for taking the time to send us your feedback — be sure to include your name and full address when completing the survey to be eligible for that drawing. We look forward to hearing from you.
TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY ONLINE, VISIT WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU/SURVEY We want to hear from you on an ongoing basis — contact us at alumni@dental.upenn.edu or 215-898-8951.
resources to stay & get connected
Are you looking for a former classmate? Do you want to get your practice in front of potential patients? Do you need to hire a new associate? Want to keep up with news for the school? Remember there are a number of easy online resources to help you get connected.
quakernet
QuakerNet is Penn’s secured alumni directory, where you can keep your contact information current as well as search for fellow classmates and peers. Visit www.myquakernet.com/dental.
careers
Career Opportunities is an online resource for those beginning a job search and a place to submit a posting if you are seeking a new employee or looking to sell your practice. Visit www.dental.upenn. edu/careers.
find a penn dentist
Find a Penn Dentist, located prominently on the Penn Dental Medicine web site, allows visitors to the site to search a directory of Penn Dental Medicine alumni practices by city/ state, zip code, or specialty. Register at www.dental.upenn.edu/map.
social media
Join “Penn Dental Medicine” on Facebook or follow “PennDentalMed” on Twitter and Instagram. You can also connect to “Penn Dental Medicine Alumni” on LinkedIn (a private group of alumni and current students).
< Tear along fold
penn dental medicine communications & engagement survey We are asking for just a few moments of your time to complete the brief survey below. Your feedback will help us communicate news and information that is of interest to you in a format that best suits your lifestyle and preferences. If you prefer, you can also complete this survey online at www.dental.upenn.edu/survey Responses received by January 1, 2018 will be eligible to win personalized Penn Dental Medicine scrubs. To be eligible for the drawing, please include your name, address, email, and phone number below. Responses to the survey will be kept confidential.
Name__________________________________________ Address_____________________________________________________________________ Email_________________________________________________________________ Phone#______________________________________________ 1. What is your relationship to Penn Dental Medicine? Alumni – graduation year(s)_____________________________________________________ Other (please specify) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What is your age?
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3. How often do you read the Penn Dental Medicine Journal?
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4. Would you prefer to receive the Penn Dental Medicine Journal... In print
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Comments _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Please rate your interest in the following content topics within the Penn Dental Medicine Journal: Alumni News/Profiles
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What other topics are of interest to you ________________________________________________________________________ 6. Please indicate your agreement with this statement: “The Penn Dental Medicine Journal strengthens my connection to the dental school.” Strongly Agree
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7. The electronic alumni newsletter, News@PennDental, was launched earlier this year as an additional means of sharing news from the School. Do you recall receiving it?
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If you have not received the newsletter or would like to correct/confirm your preferred email, please do so here: ____________________________
Continued on reverse side >
Communications & Engagement Survey continued 8. Please comment on the frequency of Penn Dental Medicineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s communication with you: Not enough
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Comments _______________________________________________________________________
9. How else are you involved with Penn Dental Medicine (check all that apply)? Attended a recent event
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10. There are a variety of ways to become engaged with Penn Dental Medicine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; please check those that are of most interest to you: Teaching opportunities
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If you have provided your name and contact information, please check here if you would like to be contacted about the opportunities you selected. 11. What kind of CE programs from Penn Dental Medicine interest you? (check all that apply and rate interest) Online
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Comments_____________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. When do you prefer to attend CE courses?
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Comments__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13. Rate your interest in the following CE program topics: Restorative/Prosthodontics
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Other _________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you have any additional feedback regarding the Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s communications or alumni engagement opportunities, please share here: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you for participating in our survey. A postage-paid envelope is included in the fold of the magazine for your convenience. We welcome your feedback on an ongoing basis; please do not hesitate to send us comments or suggestions anytime and on any topic to alumni@dental.upenn.edu.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Sanz-Martin I, Doolittle-Hall J, Teles RP, Patel M, Belibasakis GN, Hammerle CH, Jung RE, Teles FRF (Co-author in Dept. Periodontics). Exploring the microbiome of healthy and diseased peri-implant sites using Illumina Sequencing. Journal of clinical periodontology. 2017. Epub 2017/08/03. DOI: 10.1111/jcpe.12788.
A selection of recently published work by department researchers (indicated in bold). Aneja KK, Yuan Y. Reactivation and lytic replication of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus: An update. Front Microbiol. 2017;8(APR):613. DOI: 10.3389/ fmicb.2017.00613. Cairns TM, Ditto NT, Lou H, Brooks BD, Atanasiu D, Eisenberg RJ, Cohen GH. Global sensing of the antigenic structure of herpes simplex virus gD using highthroughput array-based SPR imaging. PLoS Pathog. 2017;13(6):e1006430. Epub 2017/06/15. DOI: 10.1371/journal. ppat.1006430. Chung KJ, Chatzigeorgiou A, Economopoulou M, Garcia-Martin R, Alexaki VI, Mitroulis I, Nati M, Gebler J, Ziemssen T, Goelz SE, Phieler J, Lim JH, Karalis KP, Papayannopoulou T, Blüher M, Hajishengallis G, Chavakis T. A self-sustained loop of inflammation-driven inhibition of beige adipogenesis in obesity. Nat Immunol. 2017;18(6):654–64. DOI: 10.1038/ni.3728. Furquim CP, Soares GMS, Ribeiro LL, Azcarate-Peril MA, Butz N, Roach J, Moss K, Bonfim C, Torres-Pereira CC, Teles FRF. The Salivary Microbiome and Oral Cancer Risk: A Pilot Study in Fanconi Anemia. J Dent Res. 2017;96(3):292–9. DOI: 10.1177/0022034516678169. Hajishengallis G, Korostoff JM (Co-author in Dept. of Periodontics). Revisiting the Page & Schroeder model: the good, the bad and the unknowns in the periodontal host response 40 years later. Periodontology 2000. 2017;75(1):116–51. Epub 2017/08/02. DOI: 10.1111/prd.12181. Klotzsche-von Ameln A, Cremer S, Hoffmann J, Schuster P, Khedr S, Korovina I, Troullinaki M, Neuwirth A, Sprott D, Chatzigeorgiou A, Economopoulou M, Orlandi A, Hain A, Zeiher AM, Deussen A, Hajishengallis G, Dimmeler S, Chavakis T, Chavakis E. Endogenous developmental endothelial locus-1 limits ischaemia-related angiogenesis by blocking inflammation. Thromb Haemost. 2017;117(6):1150–63. DOI: 10.1160/TH16–05–0354. Kourtzelis I, Mitroulis I, von Renesse J, Hajishengallis G, Chavakis T. From leukocyte recruitment to resolution of inflammation: the cardinal role of integrins. J Leukoc Biol. 2017. Epub 2017/03/16. DOI: 10.1189/jlb.3MR0117–024R.
BONE MARROW STEM CELLS
Work from the lab of Dr. George Hajishengallis found a protein that helps bone marrow stem cells spring into action to make new blood cells. The protein, Del-1, plays a role following bone marrow transplants, making it a potential target for improving those procedures. See following publication: Mitroulis I, Chen LS, Singh RP, Kourtzelis I, Economopoulou M, Kajikawa T, Troullinaki M, Ziogas A, Ruppova K, Hosur K, Maekawa T, Wang B, Subramanian P, Tonn T, Verginis P, von Bonin M, Wobus M, Bornhauser M, Grinenko T, Di Scala M, Hidalgo A, Wielockx B, Hajishengallis G, Chavakis T. Secreted protein Del-1 regulates myelopoiesis in the hematopoietic stem cell niche. J Clin Invest. 2017. Epub 2017/08/29. DOI: 10.1172/jci92571.
Moutsopoulos NM, Zerbe CS, Wild T, Dutzan N, Brenchley L, DiPasquale G, Uzel G, Axelrod KC, Lisco A, Notarangelo LD, Hajishengallis G, Notarangelo LD, Holland SM. Interleukin-12 and interleukin-23 blockade in leukocyte adhesion deficiency type 1. New Engl J Med. 2017;376(12):1141–6. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1612197. Olsen I, Lambris JD, Hajishengallis G. Porphyromonas gingivalis disturbs hostcommensal homeostasis by changing complement function. Journal of oral microbiology. 2017;9(1):1340085. Epub 2017/07/28. DOI: 10.1080/20002297.2017.1340085.
Subramanian P, Prucnal M, Gercken B, Economopoulou M, Hajishengallis G, Chavakis T. Endothelial cell-specific overexpression of developmental endothelial locus-1 does not influence atherosclerosis development in ApoE-/- mice. Thromb Haemost. 2017;117(10). Epub 2017/08/11. DOI: 10.1160/th17-03-0160. Zhong C, Xu M, Wang Y, Xu J, Yuan Y. An APE1 inhibitor reveals critical roles of the redox function of APE1 in KSHV replication and pathogenic phenotypes. PLoS Pathog. 2017;13(4):e1006289. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006289.
A New Model of Regenerative Wound Healing via Inflammation-Modulating Biomaterial The potential to regain bone and attachment via drug modulation of a regenerative response would represent an ideal advance in periodontal therapy. This study will test the hypothesis that modulating the HIF-1α environment via an injectable HIF-1α agonist drug/hydrogel construct can lead to significant bone regeneration. This will be tested in the context of bacterially-induced, immune-mediated periodontal disease in mice, a validated model of human periodontal disease. Funding Source: Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, NIH Principal Investigator: Dr. George Hajishengallis, Professor
ORAL MEDICINE NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS
RECENT GRANT AWARDS Advanced Design of Tumor Targeted, Neutralization Resistant oHSV Vectors This study will focus on targeting metastatic cancer tumors with a new weapon: herpes. Viruses have been used to treat tumors before by causing the body to attack foreign invaders, but these viruses can fall short when the body creates antibodies to destroy the virus. Dr. Gary Cohen and a colleague from the University of Pittsburgh will work to create a breakthrough herpes virus that specifically targets tumors and is highly-resistant to antibodies. This would help treat patients’ tumors more effectively and safely than existing treatments. Funding Source: Spirit Award, NIH Principal Investigator: Dr. Gary Cohen, Professor Development of a Novel Antiviral to Treat/Prevent Acyclovir Resistance in Human Ocular Herpes Keratitis The goal of this Phase I STTR is to initiate the development of an antiviral drug that can be used alone or in combination with ACV in order to diminish the chances of generating viral resistant mutants in recurrent treatment of human ocular herpes keratitis. Dr. Robert Ricciardi’s lab has discovered a potent lead that blocks HSV-1 infection and his studies on FHV-1 also provide a foundation to potentially use the feline natural model for a future SBIR Phase II study. Funding Source: Fox Chase Chemical Diversity Center, NIH Principal Investigator: Dr. Robert Ricciardi, Professor and Chair
Dr. Eric Stoopler (D’99, GD’02), Associate Professor of Oral Medicine, received the Basic Science Award from the Penn Dental Medicine Class of 2017 — presented for excellence in teaching within the basic sciences.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS A selection of recently published work by department researchers (indicated in bold). Graham DM, Graham MJ, Mupparapu M. Use of redundant arrays of inexpensive disks in orthodontic practice. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2017;151(4):816– 20. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2016.10.022. Lalla RV, Long-Simpson L, Hodges JS, Treister N, Sollecito T, Schmidt B, Patton LL, Brennan MT. Clinical registry of dental outcomes in head and neck cancer patients (OraRad): Rationale, methods, and recruitment considerations. BMC Oral Health. 2017;17(1):59. DOI: 10.1186/s12903017–0344–y. Lalla RV, Treister N, Sollecito T, Schmidt B, Patton L, Mohammadi K, Hodges J, Brennan M. Oral complications at 6 months after radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. Oral Dis. 2017. DOI: 10.1111/odi.12710. Singer SR, Mupparapu M. Implantrelated neuropathic pain: Prevention is the key. J Orofac Sci. 2017;9(1):1–2. DOI: 10.4103/jofs.jofs_22_17.
PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2017 23
ACADEMICUPDATE Stoopler ET. The American Academy of Oral Medicine Clinical Practice Statement: Medication-induced oral reactions. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2017. DOI: 10.1016/j.oooo.2017.05.510.
Hendley TM, Hersh EV, Moore PA, Stahl B, Saraghi M. Treatment of opioid overdose: A brief review of naloxone pharmacology and delivery. Gen Dent. 2017;65(3):18–21.
Stoopler ET, Homeida L, Sollecito TP. Oral lesions associated with Fanconi anemia. Rev Bras Hematol Hemoterapia. 2017;39(2):175–6. DOI: 10.1016/j. bjhh.2017.03.003.
Hersh EV, Lindemeyer R, Berg JH, Casamassimo PS, Chin J, Marberger A, Lin BP, Hutcheson MC, Moore PA, Group PS (Co-author in Div. of Pediatric Dentistry). Phase Four, Randomized, Double-Blinded, Controlled Trial of Phentolamine Mesylate in Two- to Fiveyear-old Dental Patients. Pediatr Dent. 2017;39(1):39–45. Epub 2017/03/16.
Stoopler ET, Ojeda D, Alawi F (Co-author in Dept. of Pathology). Asymptomatic Pigmented Lesions of the Gingiva. JAMA Dermatol. 2017. Epub 2017/06/09. DOI: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.1614.
ORAL SURGERY/ PHARMACOLOGY NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS Dr. Brian Ford (D’09, M’12, GD’15), Instructor, received the Earle Bank Hoyt Award from the Penn Dental Medicine Class of 2017 — presented for excellence in teaching to a faculty member who is a Penn Dental Medicine graduate. He and Dr. Neeraj Panchal were also the 2017 recipients of the Dr. Joseph W. Foote Mentoring Award for their work in mentoring residents. Dr. Rabie Shanti and Dr. Steven Wang (D’09, M’12, GD’15) were recipients of the 2017 Dr. John W. Mooney Teaching Award. As part of the resident graduation dinner in June, the Department marked the 25th anniversary of its Department at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (see related story, page 19)
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS A selection of recently published work by department researchers (indicated in bold). Granquist EJ, Quinn PJ. Massive Hemorrhage. In: Bouloux GF, editor. Complications of Temporomandibular Joint Surgery: Springer; 2017. p. 99–110. Hamedi-Sangsari A, Chinipardaz Z, Carrasco L. Following Surgically Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion, Do Tooth-Borne or Bone-Borne Appliances Provide More Skeletal Expansion and Dental Expansion? J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2017. DOI: 10.1016/j.joms.2017.04.019.
24 WWW.DENTAL.UPENN.EDU
Hersh EV, Saraghi M, Lowstetter J, Moore PA, Aminoshariae A. Fluconazolewarfarin interaction: A case report with deadly consequences. Australas Med J. 2017;10(6):544–9. DOI: 10.21767/ AMJ.2017.3049. Hersh EV, Saraghi M, Moore PA. Two Recent Advances in Local Anesthesia: Intranasal Tetracaine/Oxymetazoline and Liposomal Bupivacaine. Curr Oral Health Rep. 2017;4(3):189–96. DOI: 10.1007/ s40496–017–0144–0.
Kufta K, Melean LP, Grady MS, Panchal N. Massive Middle Cerebral Artery Infarction After Surgically Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion: A Case Report. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2017;75(7):1529.e1-.e8. DOI: 10.1016/j.joms.2017.03.036. Noh W., Kim E., Panchal N. Mortality from an Aspiration of Dental Crown During Extraction. Gerodontology. 2017 September. DOI: 10.1111/ger.12288 Posnick JC, Tiwana PS, Panchal N. Treacher Collins Syndrome: Evaluation and Treatment. In: Fonseca R, editor. Oral and maxillofacial surgery. 3rd ed: Saunders; 2017. p. 703–37. Quinn PJ, Granquist EJ. Stock Prostheses for Total Reconstruction of the Temporomandibular Joint. In: Mercuri LG, editor. Temporomandibular Joint Total Joint Replacement - TMJ TJR: Springer; 2016. p. 69–90. Saraghi M, Hersh EV. Intranasal tetracaine and oxymetazoline spray for maxillary local anesthesia without injections. Gen Dent. 2017;65(2):16–9.
Inverso G, Zuniga JR, Panchal N. Benchmarking: an effective tool to demystify the academic career. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2017. Epub Aug 12, 2017. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.joms.2017.07.177.
Tiwana PS, Turvey TA, Ruiz RL, Costello BJ, Panchal N. Cleft Orthognathic Surgery. In: Fonseca R, editor. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 3rd ed: Saunders; 2017. p. 596–608.
Jiang C, Zhang Q, Shanti RM, Shi S, Chang TH, Carrasco L, Alawi F, Le AD (Co-author in Dept. of Pathology). Mesenchymal Stromal Cell-Derived Interleukin-6 Promotes EpithelialMesenchymal Transition and Acquisition of Epithelial Stem-Like Cell Properties in Ameloblastoma Epithelial Cells. Stem Cells. 2017. DOI: 10.1002/stem.2666.
Xu QL, Furuhashi A, Zhang QZ, Jiang CM, Chang TH, Le AD. Induction of Salivary Gland-Like Cells from Dental Follicle Epithelial Cells. J Dent Res. 2017: 22034517711146. Epub 2017/05/26. DOI: 10.1177/0022034517711146.
Kufta K, Kang S, Alawi F, Moran A, Panchal N (Co-authors in Dept. of Pathology). Ameloblastic Fibro-Odontoma of the Maxilla in a Pierre-Robin Sequence Patient. Fetal Pediatr Pathol. 2017:1–7. DOI: 10.1080/15513815.2017.1324547.
ORTHODONTICS
RECENT GRANT AWARDS A double-blind, cross-over, incomplete factorial study to assess the local anesthetic efficacy and safety of CTY-5339 Anesthetic Spray (CTY5339A), Stage 2: Double-blind Active Comparator Phase The purpose of this study is to see if one spray of CTY5339-A to the gums above the top front teeth produces longer numbness or better numbness than one spray of benzocaine alone. Funding Source: Cetylite Principal Investigator: Dr. Elliot Hersh, Professor
NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS Dr. Chun-Hsi Chung (D'86, GD'92), Chauncey M. F. Egel Endowed Chair, is now President of the American Board of Orthodontics. His installation was held in conjunction with the 2017 Annual Session of the AAO. The renovations and additions to the Brainerd F. Swain Orthodontic Clinic were completed in June; the changes include four new treatment operatories, a remodeled waiting area, and improved digital capabilities. Dr. Nipul K. Tanna (D’90, GD’10, MS’11), was named Director of the Postdoctoral Periodontics/Orthodontics Program. Dr. Tanna has been a member of the faculty since 1992 and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Orthodontics since 2013. He received his postdoctoral training at Penn Dental Medicine in the Orthodontics/Periodontics program in 2010 and is Board Certified in both specialties.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS A selection of recently published work by department researchers (indicated in bold). Alkhatib R, Chung CH. Buccolingual inclination of first molars in untreated adults: A CBCT study. Angle Orthod. 2017; 87(4):598–602. Epub 2017/04/05. DOI: 10.2319/110116–786.1. Chung CH, Tadlock LP, Barone N, Pangrazio-Kulbersh V, Sabott DG, Foley PF, Trulove TS, Park JH, Dugoni SA. Common errors observed at the American Board of Orthodontics clinical examination. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2017;152(2):139–42. DOI: 10.1016/j. ajodo.2017.05.012.
RECENT GRANT AWARDS
Ellepola K, Liu Y, Cao T, Koo H, Seneviratne CJ. Bacterial GtfB Augments Candida albicans Accumulation in CrossKingdom Biofilms. J Dent Res. 2017: 22034517714414. Epub 2017/06/13. DOI: 10.1177/0022034517714414. Glazier VE, Murante T, Murante D, Koselny K, Liu Y, Kim D, Koo H, Krysan DJ. Genetic analysis of the Candida albicans biofilm transcription factor network using simple and complex haploinsufficiency. PLoS genetics. 2017;13(8):e1006948. Epub 2017/08/10. DOI: 10.1371/journal. pgen.1006948. He J, Kim D, Zhou X, Ahn SJ, Burne RA, Richards VP, Koo H. RNA-Seq Reveals Enhanced Sugar Metabolism in Streptococcus mutans Co-cultured with Candida albicans within Mixed-Species Biofilms. Front Microbiol. 2017;8:1036. Epub 2017/06/24. DOI: 10.3389/ fmicb.2017.01036. Noronha VT, Sousa FA, Souza Filho AG, Silva CA, Cunha FA, Koo H, Fechine PBA, Paula AJ. Influence of Surface Silanization on the Physicochemical Stability of Silver Nanocoatings: A Large Length Scale Assessment. J Phys Chem C. 2017;121(21):11300–11. DOI: 10.1021/acs. jpcc.7b00706. Sayania B, Merchant M, Josephs P, Chung CH. Changes in the buccolingual inclination of first molars with growth in untreated subjects: A longitudinal study. Angle Orthod. 2017. Epub 2017/05/10. DOI: 10.2319/120716–878.1. Xiao J, Hara AT, Kim D, Zero DT, Koo H, Hwang G. Biofilm three-dimensional architecture influences in situ pH distribution pattern on the human enamel surface. Int J Oral Sci. 2017;9(2):74–9. DOI: 10.1038/ijos.2017.8. Note: H Koo has joint appointments in Div. of Pediatric Dentistry and Div. of Community Oral Health
YEAST-BACTERIA INTERACTION
A recent study from the lab of Dr. Hyun Koo has shown that blocking yeast-bacteria interaction may point to a therapeutic strategy for early childhood caries. See following publication: Hwang G, Liu Y, Kim D, Li Y, Krysan DJ, Koo H. Candida albicans mannans mediate Streptococcus mutans exoenzyme GtfB binding to modulate cross-kingdom biofilm development in vivo. PLoS Pathog. 2017;13(6):e1006407. Epub 2017/06/16. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006407.
PATHOLOGY SELECTED PUBLICATIONS A selection of recently published work by department researchers (indicated in bold). Ali H. Emerging Roles for MAS-Related G Protein-Coupled Receptor-X2 in Host Defense Peptide, Opioid, and Neuropeptide-Mediated Inflammatory Reactions. Adv Immunol. 2017. DOI: 10.1016/ bs.ai.2017.06.002. Erickson MA, Jude J, Zhao H, Rhea EM, Salameh TS, Jester W, Pu S, Harrowitz J, Nguyen N, Banks WA, Panettieri RA, Jr., Jordan-Sciutto KL. Serum amyloid A: an ozone-induced circulating factor with potentially important functions in the lungbrain axis. Faseb J. 2017. Epub 2017/05/24. DOI: 10.1096/fj.201600857RRR.
Bacteria and Lymphocyte Suppression in Periodontitis The goal of the study is to determine the underlying mechanism by which a bacterial derived toxin, the cytolethal distending toxin (Cdt), acts to inhibit cell growth and induce cell death and thereby perturb host defenses. These studies will lead to a more detailed understanding of the toxin and provide: (1) important insight into the pathogenesis of disease caused by Cdt-producing bacteria and (2) a rationale on which therapeutic intervention may be developed to prevent or limit disease. Funding Source: NIH Principal Investigator: Dr. Bruce Shenker, Professor
PERIODONTICS NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS Dr. Ricardo Teles has joined the School’s faculty as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Periodontics. His appointment was effective August 15, coming from University of North Carolina School of Dentistry (see story, page 2). Periodontics resident and DScD candidate Dr. Kang Ko (D'15, GD'18) was awarded a Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08) from the NIDCR — the first Penn Dental DScD candidate to receive a K08 grant (see “Recent Grant Awards”, page 26). The Dept. of Periodontics presented a symposium titled “Implant Dentistry in the Digital Age” in collaboration with Fudon University, held Sept. 18 in Shanghai, China. Dr. Yu-Cheng Chang, GD’15, GD’16, Clinical Instructor of Periodontics, was among the 2017 recipients of the AAP Awards for Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring in Periodontics.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS Gupta K, Idahosa C, Roy S, Lee D, Subramanian H, Dhingra A, BoeszeBattaglia K, Korostoff J, Ali H (Coauthors in Depts. of Oral Medicine, Biochemistry, and Periodontics). Differential regulation of Mas-related G protein coupled receptor X2-mediated mast cell degranulation by antimicrobial host defense peptides and P. gingivalis LPS. Infection and immunity. 2017. Epub 2017/07/12. DOI: 10.1128/iai.00246–17.
A selection of recently published work by department researchers (indicated in bold). Canullo L, Genova T, Mandracci P, Mussano F, Abundo R, Fiorellini JP. Morphometric Changes Induced by Cold Argon Plasma Treatment on Osteoblasts Grown on Different Dental Implant Surfaces. Int J Periodontics Restorative Dent. 2017;37(4):541–8. Epub 2017/06/14. DOI: 10.11607/prd.2916.
Canullo L, Tallarico M, Penarrocha M, Corrente G, Fiorellini J, Penarrocha D. Plasma of Argon Cleaning Treatment on Implant Abutments in Periodontally Healthy Patients: Six Years Postloading Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Int J Periodontics Restorative Dent. 2017;37(5):683–90. Epub 2017/08/18. DOI: 10.11607/prd.3079. Corrêa JD, Calderaro DC, Ferreira GA, Mendonça SMS, Fernandes GR, Xiao E, Teixeira AL, Leys EJ, Graves DT, Silva TA. Subgingival microbiota dysbiosis in systemic lupus erythematosus: Association with periodontal status. Microbiome. 2017; 5(1):34. DOI: 10.1186/s40168–017-0252-z. Kinane DF. A Building with a Provenance: The Thomas W. Evans Building at Penn Dental Medicine. J Hist Dent. 2017;65(1):7–15. Kinane DF, Stathopoulou PG, Papapanou PN. Periodontal diseases. Nat Rev Disease Prim. 2017;3. DOI: 10.1038/nrdp.2017.38. Lee EA. Subperiosteal minimally invasive aesthetic ridge augmentation technique (SMART): A new standard for bone reconstruction of the jaws. Int J Periodontics Restorative Dent. 2017;37(2):164–73. DOI: 10.11607/prd.3171.
DIABETES & ORAL MICROBIOME
A study from the lab of Dr. Dana Graves has shown that the oral microbiome is affected by diabetes, and the change was associated with increased inflammation and bone loss. See the following publication: Xiao E, Mattos M, Vieira GHA, Chen S, Correa JD, Wu Y, Albiero ML, Bittinger K, Graves DT. Diabetes Enhances IL-17 Expression and Alters the Oral Microbiome to Increase Its Pathogenicity. Cell host & microbe. 2017;22(1):120–8. e4. Epub 2017/07/14. DOI: 10.1016/j. chom.2017.06.014.
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ACADEMICUPDATE Levine M, Lohinai Z, Teles RP. Low biofilm lysine content in refractory chronic periodontitis. J Periodontol. 2017;88(2):181-9. DOI: 10.1902/jop.2016.160302.
PREVENTIVE & RESTORATIVE SCIENCES
Wu Y, Westwater C, Xiao E, Correa JD, Xiao W, Graves DT. Establishment of oral bacterial communities in germ free mice and the influence of recipient age. Molecular oral microbiology. 2017. Epub 2017/08/05. DOI: 10.1111/omi.12194. Zhang C, Lim J, Liu J, Ponugoti B, Alsadun S, Tian C, Vafa R, Graves DT. FOXO1 expression in keratinocytes promotes connective tissue healing. Sci Rep. 2017;7:42834. DOI: 10.1038/srep42834.
RECENT GRANT AWARDS The role of NF-kB in Mesenchymal Stem Cells during Diabetic Wound Healing This study will investigate how diabetes affects mesenchymal stem cells that are important for hard and soft tissue healing. It will test if diabetes activates an inflammatory protein, NF-kB, and mediates the negative effects in these stem cells. The studies may provide a novel therapeutic approach to target this protein to improve the function of the stem cells in the treatment of non-healing diabetic wounds. Funding Source: NIH Principal Investigator: Dr. Kang Ko, DScD candidate
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A selection of recently published work by department researchers (indicated in bold).
LIBRARY
Blatz MB. IAAD Honorary Members. The journal of adhesive dentistry. 2017;19(3):277. Epub 2017/07/04. DOI: 10.3290/j.jad.a38571.
Lim JC, Ko KI, Mattos M, Fang M, Zhang C, Feinberg D, Sindi H, Li S, Alblowi J, Kayal RA, Einhorn TA, Gerstenfeld LC, Graves DT. TNFα contributes to diabetes impaired angiogenesis in fracture healing. Bone. 2017;99:26–38. DOI: 10.1016/j. bone.2017.02.014. Marchesan JT, Jiao Y, Moss K, Divaris K, Seaman W, Webster-Cyriaque J, Zhang S, Yu N, Song C, Bencharit S, Teles R, Offenbacher S. Common Polymorphisms in IFI16 and AIM2 Genes Are Associated With Periodontal Disease. J Periodontol. 2017;88(7):663–72. Epub 2017/04/08. DOI: 10.1902/jop.2017.160553.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Boldt J, Vuck A, Horvath S. Possibilities of digital workflows for single-tooth implant restorations. Implantologie. 2017;25(2):147–61.
NEWS/ACHIEVEMENTS Dr. Markus Blatz, Professor and Chair, Dept.of Preventive & Restorative Sciences, has been recognized for his leadership in esthetic dentistry by both the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry (AAED) and the European Academy of Esthetic Dentistry (EAED). Dr. Blatz was among those clinicians and educators inducted as a 2017 associate member of the AAED. And, he was honored by the EAED as the John McLean Honorary Speaker for 2017. The EAED awards this honor once a year to an internationally acclaimed leader in memory of Dr. John McLean, considered the father of modern ceramics and glass-ionomer cement. Dr. Joy Bockstein Abt (D’94), Clinical Assistant Professor of Restorative Dentistry, received The Robert E. DeRevere Award from the Penn Dental Medicine Class of 2017 — presented for excellence in preclinical teaching by a part-time faculty member. Marianne Contino, a dental hygienist instructor in the predoctoral clinic, received the Joseph L. T. Appleton Award from the Penn Dental Medicine Class of 2017 — presented to a part-time faculty/staff member for excellence in clinical teaching. Art Kofman, C.D.T. Quality Control Coordinator and the Office of Laboratory Affairs Supervisor, received the Senior Outstanding Teaching Award from the Penn Dental Medicine Class of 2017 — presented to a faculty/staff member who has gone beyond the scope of his/her responsibilities to significantly impact the class’s education.
Miyajima H, Ozer F, Imazato S, Mante FK. Surface characteristics of bioactive Ti fabricated by chemical treatment for cartilaginous-integration. Mater Sci Eng C. 2017;78:495–502. DOI: 10.1016/j. msec.2017.03.250. Division of Community Oral Health
RECENT NEW GRANT AWARDS Expanding Pediatric Training in Predoctoral Dental Education This project builds on existing efforts at Penn Dental Medicine to expand predoctoral education in both pediatric dentistry and community health to address persistent health disparities and difficulties in accessing oral health care in the medically underserved communities in West Philadelphia. The overall goal is to expand the knowledge, skills, and experiences of students in providing dental care with children birth to age 5. Funding Source: Health Resources and Services Administration, NIH Principal Investigator: Dr. Joan Gluch, Professor and Div. Chief
Librarian Pat Heller Retires After nearly 28 years of services as the Penn Dental School Librarian, Pat Heller retired in August 2017. Throughout her time with the School, students, staff, faculty, and alumni benefited greatly from her research skills and knowledge and the Penn Dental Medicine community wishes her all the best in her well-deserved retirement.
CORRECTION:
In the Spring 2017 issue of the Penn Dental Medicine Journal, a listing of the Top 2016 New Grant Awards in the Basic Science Departments omitted the following grant; it was the third-highest new grant award for 2016. Neutrophil Homeostasis And Periodontitis: Novel Concepts And Treatments Principal Investigator: Dr. George Hajishengallis, Dept. of Microbiology (NIDCR/NIH/ DHHS-LAD, $2,012,500)
ALUMNIHIGHLIGHTS
PROFILES, GATHERINGS & ENGAGEMENT
ROLE MODELS FOR LIFELONG LEARNING
Alumni profile: Scott De Rossi, D’95, GD’97
A new Dean draws on lessons learned at Penn Dental Medicine FOR ALUMNUS DR. SCOTT De Rossi, D’95, GD’97, a former Penn Dental Medicine faculty member and administrator, lessons about oral medicine and interpersonal relationships learned while a student here have been key to an illustrious career path leading to the Deanship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry. Dr. De Rossi was born and raised in Acushnet, Mass., the son of public educators who exemplified the value and rewards of a career in teaching. As a student at Providence College in Rhode Island, he met a retired oral surgeon who introduced him to the concepts of oral medicine. Recognizing both education and oral medicine as disciplines he wanted to pursue, he applied to the School of Dental Medicine, where he earned a DMD in 1995 and completed his oral medicine residency in 1997. “I chose Penn because it is the preeminent oral medicine program in the world,” he says. “I knew a degree from Penn Dental Medicine would provide me with the skills
and knowledge to be successful. It’s a place that focuses not just on educating dentists, but on educating the field’s future leaders.” While a student here, Dr. De Rossi was one of four in his class selected for the hospital track program, through which he interacted with students and faculty at the Medical College of Pennsylvania (now Drexel University School of Medicine), gaining medical perspectives that helped to shape his philosophy on the role of oral medicine in health. “The word ‘dentist,’ when translated from French, essentially means ‘toothist,” he says. “But dentists are so much more than that. Oral health professionals feel an obligation to focus far beyond the mouth and teeth alone — we are physicians of the entire oral and maxillofacial region. In oral medicine, we explore the interface between medicine and dentistry and its crucial role in overall health.”
As a student and a resident, Dr. De Rossi was particularly influenced by faculty members Dr. Michael Glick, GD’88, (now, Professor of Oral Diagnostic Sciences at University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine), Dr. Thomas Sollecito, D’89, GD’91, (presently, Professor and Chair of Oral Medicine at Penn Dental Medicine), and Dr. Martin Greenberg, D’68, (now, Professor Emeritus of Oral Medicine). “These men were instrumental in shaping my career,” he says. “They were role models in the importance of lifelong learning and continual improvement to a successful career in dentistry.” After completing his residency, Dr. De Rossi spent a year at the School’s faculty practice as a staff dentist, then joined the faculty of the Department of Oral Medicine, where he was Assistant Professor of Oral Medicine until 2007. During his years at Penn Dental Medicine, he also held important administrative roles, including Director of the Oral Medicine Residency Program, Director of the Division of Graduate Dental Education, Assistant Dean of Admissions, and Chair of the Faculty Senate.
“I knew a degree from Penn Dental Medicine would provide me with the skills and knowledge to be successful.” — SCOTT DE ROSSI (D’95, GD’97)
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ALUMNIHIGHLIGHTS In 2007, Dr. De Rossi left Penn for a position at Augusta University in Georgia, where he chaired a new department at the dental school — Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences. “It was an opportunity to build a department from the ground up, shaping the programs and curriculum with the knowledge I had gained at Penn,” he says. While at Augusta University, he became Director of the Section of Oral Medicine and the Clinical Center for Oral Medicine, as well as Vicechair elect of the Faculty Senate.
AT UNC, A RICH TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE In October of 2016, Dr. De Rossi was offered the position of Dean at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Dentistry, a public institution that draws more than 80 percent of its students from in state. He began his post as Dean in January 2017. Since relocating to Chapel Hill, Dr. De Rossi’s family, including his wife, Katharine, D’96, GD’98, GED’98
(whom he met at Penn Dental Medicine and who now specializes in oral medicine and geriatric dentistry in UNC’s faculty practice), and their daughters (Sofia, 15, and Evie, 13) have fallen in love with the area — and the school. “UNC has a rich tradition of excellence,” he says, “The School of Dentistry is integrated into a top-tier university, and draws hard-working students and forward-thinking faculty. It’s a very diverse learning environment with an amazing network of influential, engaged, and generous alumni.” His favorite aspect of being Dean, he says, is interacting with the warm and talented people he encounters each day, from staff to students to faculty, all of whom help make the school a special place.
as a student and a faculty member there,” he says. “Dean Fonseca created an open and friendly culture in which he had a personal relationship with his students as well as his faculty.” Using his former dean as a model, Dr. De Rossi is already working toward his goals: to build an atmosphere of transparency, collaboration, and trust; to increase faculty development and recruiting of excellent faculty; to revolutionize the curriculum; and to create new high-impact programs. In achieving these goals, he aims to make UNC School of Dentistry one of the preeminent dental schools in the world. “I am here to make a difference in the way dentistry is practiced, and to transform dentistry for better health,” he says.
A MODEL FOR A SUCCESSFUL DEANSHIP “Part of who I am and how I see my role as Dean was shaped by Raymond Fonseca, the Dean of Penn Dental throughout my years
WILL POWER. Gifts from alumni and friends have supported the mission of Penn Dental Medicine since it was founded. You can continue the tradition by considering a gift to the School through your estate. Planning a bequest can be an easy yet powerful way to provide resources for Penn Dental’s highest priorities: faculty and student support, research, and service. JUST A FEW SENTENCES ARE ALL THAT IS NEEDED. You can make a bequest by including Penn Dental Medicine as the beneficiary of your estate. It’s that easy. A bequest can be made in the form of a specific gift of cash or property, or a percentage of the remainder of your estate. Contact us for suggested language.
To learn more, contact: Elizabeth Ketterlinus Penn Dental Medicine 240 S. 40th Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 215.898.3328 ekett@upenn.edu www.giving.upenn.edu/giftplanning
DEN ad draft revised 9.5.17.indd 1
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9/5/2017 11:15:35 AM
Q&A with Dr. Eric Spieler (D’84)
New Penn Dental Medicine Alumni Society Executive Board President “We are at a unique place and time at Penn Dental Medicine.” says Dr. Eric Spieler (D'84), the recently elected President of the Alumni Society Executive Board. “So much has changed at the School. In addition to all the renovations, there’s been a tremendous improvement in the culture. There is a strong sense of community and support among students, faculty, and alumni, and I look forward to helping that continue to grow.” As he takes on this alumni leadership post, Dr. Spieler succeeds Dr. Lee DurstRoisman (D’83), who served as President since 2013. He credits Dr. Durst-Roisman and the School’s current alumni relations staff for making great strides in alumni engagement over the past four years. Dr. Durst-Roisman recruited both Dr. Spieler and his wife, Dr. Hope Berman (C’77, D’83), to the Executive Board in 2014 and 2013, respectively, and they have been actively involved since. “Lee reconnected us to the School. It’s been exciting and rewarding to be part of the Alumni Board. I want to help get the word out to even more alumni that they need to come back to the School and see for themselves all the positive things going on here. It is markedly
different from when we were students,” notes Dr. Spieler, who presently runs a multispecialty practice with his wife in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. Dr. Spieler entered private practice with Dr. Berman when he graduated in 1984, and they have been in practice together in the Philadelphia region ever since. While also maintaining their private practice, Spieler founded the company Bioware, Inc. in 1992, inventing, patenting, and marketing a unique toothbrush. Their Alert Toothbrush, which would light up when users applied too much pressure while brushing, sold nationally via home-shopping network QVC. Dr. Spieler later channeled his entrepreneurial background to create and teach a course titled “The Inventive Dentist” through Penn Dental Medicine’s Selectives Program, which focused on how to take an idea and develop and market the invention. We talked with Dr. Spieler shortly after he began his term as Alumni Society Executive Board President in July to ask him about his new role.
ABOVE: Dr. Eric Spieler, D’84, and his wife, Dr. Hope Berman, C’77, D’83, are among the alumni to name a seat in the William W. M. Cheung Auditorium (former B-60); do the same at www.dental.upenn.edu/takeaseat.
What are your key goals for the Alumni Executive Committee? I want to build on the momentum Lee started as President. Her efforts helped inspire more and more alumni to re-engage with the School community and each other. The Executive Board is now extremely excited about the bright future of Penn Dental Medicine. There are many can-do people on our Board, and I think their passion has motivated more alumni to get involved. In fact, last year’s alumni reunion was our most successful yet in terms of attendance. I want to continue to develop the Alumni Board to make the connections with alumni even stronger. For example, we have surveyed the attitude of students during their time at Penn Dental Medicine, and we are responding proactively to improve the dental school experience. We want to make sure that our students have a positive experience during their time at Penn Dental. Why do you feel it is important for alumni to stay connected to the School and each other? We love dentistry and we know we received a stellar education here — so what better place than at Penn Dental to reunite? Plus, I think once you get involved you see the many benefits
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ALUMNIHIGHLIGHTS and rewards of connecting with other alumni, faculty, and the current students. The students are so smart and charming; they have been handpicked to be our future leaders in dentistry. What are some of the rewards of alumni involvement? The School now offers several cutting-edge continuing education classes throughout the year that are completely free for alumni. These classes are not only a valuable resource, they’re also a great way to reconnect with friends and meet new colleagues. The School supplies food and drink and time before and after the CE to reconnect. I also encourage alums to give back through teaching and mentorship. I hope to be teaching CAD CAM dentistry at the School this year. I’ve learned so much through my teaching here, both from students and peers. Nurturing our junior colleagues and building a supportive community creates opportunities and a feeling of great satisfaction for us all. How is Penn Dental Medicine growing today? Being more involved with the Alumni Society has given me a front row seat for many of the amazing changes happening. We have had a substantial renovation and upgrade of the Evans Building over that past two years, and currently, the Main Clinic is under renovation. You can feel a strong sense of community throughout the building. This is a very special time because our facilities are top notch, our faculty is stellar, and Penn Dental Medicine’s reputation around the world is among the elite. I think people will look back 25 years from now and say, “Wow, look at what happened then; it was truly a renaissance.” We have to thank Dean Denis Kinane for his vision and leadership in elevating Penn Dental Medicine. On a personal note, what are some of your interests outside of dentistry? I enjoy oil painting, which I’ve done for the last eight or nine years, and I’ve shared my work in several shows. Right now, with a close friend, we’re in the midst of building a wooden sailboat from scratch.
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FY17 Giving & Engagement By the Numbers TOTAL GIVING
$9.22M
TOTAL GIFT COMMITMENTS TO PENN DENTAL MEDICINE IN FY17
11% of alumni made a gift in FY17 47% of all FY17 donors have been consecutive donors for 3 or more years
CAPITAL & ENDOWED GIVING (RESTRICTED)
$8.81M
RAISED TOWARD CAPITAL & ENDOWED INITIATIVES IN FY17
ENGAGEMENT
ANNUAL GIVING (UNRESTRICTED)
1,277
$460K
ATTENDED A PENN DENTAL MEDICINE EVENT IN FY17
842 alumni have added their practices to Find a Penn Dentist 250 downloads of the Evans360 virtual reality app
GIFTS RAISED TOWARD UNRESTRICTED ANNUAL FUNDS IN FY17
1115 annual giving donors (14% were young alumni, classes 2002-2016) 102 Benjamin Franklin Society members
MAKING CONNECTIONS: WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Alumni Communications & Engagement Survey Please take a minute to complete the enclosed survey (bound in the center of this issue) to help us plan alumni programs and communications that meet your interests. A postage-paid envelope is also enclosed. Complete the survey online at www.dental.upenn.edu/survey
ALUMNI WEEKEND 2017 Penn Dental Medicine welcomed back alumni May 12–13 for Alumni Weekend 2017 — the reunion years for classes ending in “2” or “7”. Save the date for Alumni Weekend 2018, May 11–12!
PENN ENDO, LEADING THE WAY FOR 70 YEARS In April, Penn Dental Medicine headed to New Orleans for the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Endodontists (AAE). Alumni from around the world gathered for a special reception celebrating 70 years since the first class graduated under Dr. Louis I. Grossman. Almost 200 alumni attended.
AAOM ALUMNI RECEPTION Penn Dental Medicine enjoyed making new, and strengthening existing connections with alumni at the American Academy of Oral Medicine (AAOM) Annual Conference in Orlando this past April.
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ALUMNIHIGHLIGHTS AAP ALUMNI RECEPTION A Boston alumni reception was held in conjunction with this year’s American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) Meeting in September. Over 80 alumni joined Penn Dental Medicine in welcoming Dr. Ricardo Teles as the new Chair of the Department of Periodontics.
SENIOR FAREWELL 2017 The School held its annual Senior Farewell dinner for the Class of 2017 on May 9. We enjoyed celebrating the Class’s accomplishments, and welcoming them into the Penn Dental Medicine Alumni Society.
SAN FRANCISCO ALUMNI RECEPTION Penn Dental Medicine alumni in the San Francisco area gathered at Wharton San Francisco for a night of networking and fun.
The recipients of the annual faculty awards.
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The 2017 Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) inductees with fellow members.
CLASSNOTES
NEWS FROM FELLOW ALUMNI
1960s
1970s
Robert B. Summers (C’61, D’65, GD’67) was presented with an Alumni Award of Merit at this year’s Evans Centennial Renaissance Celebration during Alumni Weekend 2017.
Debra More Williams (DH’72) is finally returning to the U.S., after 15 years in Prince Edward Island, Canada. She has spent most of her time there in the hospitality business, owning and operating resorts in the area. Soon, she will be joining her daughter in Silver Spring, MD.
Joseph ‘Buz’ Hanley (D’67, GD’69) and his wife Pat had two children while at Penn Dental Medicine, Chip and Michael. Dr. Hanley completed an oral surgery residency, and then served in the U.S. Army Dental Corps. Private practice in Hyattsville, MD, and Bristol, CT, followed, and as an active reservist, he was recalled to active duty in 1991. After the military, he and Pat moved to the Berkshires. Dr. Hanley was on the teaching staff of the Berkshire Medical Center dental residency program for several years. He then took a part-time position as the oral surgeon with the Veterans Administration in Northampton, MA, but retired in 2011. Now, he and his wife enjoy traveling, spending time with family, and seeing old friends.
Elliott K. Gutman (D’73) recently celebrated the marriage of his last child, Caryn, a CPA, who wed Jonathan Cohen, a lawyer from Montreal. Joining in the celebration was his wife Breinie of 41 years, his three other children, their spouses, and numerous grandchildren. Dr. Gutman is still practicing dentistry full time. Listening to the advice of his office manager, Maria Pimentel, who has been with him for 32 years, he acquired an additional practice. Dr. Gutman feels his Penn Dental Medicine education instilled him with values that prepared him for a life of service to family, staff, patients, and community.
1980s After completing his residency, Barry Setzer (GD’77) served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force Dental Corps. He is a fellow of the International College of Dentists, American College of Dentists, Pierre Fauchard Academy, Academy of Dentistry International, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. He received the FDA Foundation Humanitarian Award and the Sally D. Ott Memorial Award for outstanding work in the Northeast District Dental Association. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Ellen; daughter, Dena; son-in-law, Jason; and grandson, Adam Shepard ‘Shep’ Rosen. Adam Stabholz (GD’78) was presented with the Thomas Evans Achievement Award at this year’s Evans Centennial Renaissance Celebration during Alumni Weekend 2017.
Lisa Rife Guenst (DH’83) and his company ToothShower launched on KickStarter.com with an oral home care suite for your shower. Find out more at www.toothshower.com. Penn Dental Medicine joins Robert Brody (C’80, D’84) in celebrating the news that Great Expressions Dental Centers was named the “Fastest Growing Company of the Year” by the American Business Awards. Dr. Brody is affiliated with the Miami branch of this booming organization. Donna Galante (D’84, GD’86) was named “Invisalign’s Educator of the Year” for 2016. In addition to traveling the world training doctors to use Invisalign, she also maintains a private practice in Carmichael, CA.
Harold Baumgarten (D’77, GD’82) was presented with an Alumni Award of Merit at this year’s Evans Centennial Renaissance Celebration during Alumni Weekend 2017. After dental school, Arlene Dannenberg Bowes (D’77) joined USPHS and rose to the rank of Captain by the time President Obama disbanded the Inactive Reserves. After active duty, she worked in several private offices, and did short tours of duty on Indian reservations and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She has been teaching part-time at Penn Dental Medicine for over 20 years. She is married to a marine engineer turned industrial hygienist. Together, they have two grown children. Now, she is swimming almost as often as she did in dental school, and enjoys hiking, kayaking, and racing sailboats on the Chesapeake Bay.
Ann E. Eshenaur Spolarich (DH’82, GED’99) is the recent co-editor of a new textbook, Prevention Across the Lifespan: A Review of Evidence-Based Interventions for Common Oral Conditions. Many schools are already adopting the text for their curriculum.
Members of the Class of 1978 had an unofficial reunion in June 2016 to spend an evening together and to pay tribute to their classmate, Gail Yarnell, who had, sadly, passed away two months earlier. Attending the dinner were (left to right) Andrew Greenstein, Ken Weiss, Larry Amsterdam, Neal Slutsky, Harvey Nash, Dan Fried, Dennis Warshawsky, Allan Horowitz, Sid Chonowski, Larry Erich, and Artie Dean. On June 9, Saul Pressner (D’79) was a featured speaker on WBAI/NYC radio’s “Take Charge of Your Health” show, speaking on the topic of Biomimetic Dentistry. Dr. Pressner is currently the President of the Academy of Biomimetic Dentistry (www.aobmd.org) and a member of the Penn Dental Medicine Dean’s Council.
As a Fellow of the International Team for Implantology (ITI), Robert A. Levine (GD’84) was invited to present his paper 10 Keys for Successful Esthetic-Zone Single Immediate Implants at the ITI World Symposium in Basel, Switzerland. Over 5,000 professionals were in attendance, making this conference one of the “largest dental implant meetings ever held.” Dr. Levine and his family of dentists also maintain a non-profit called the Growing Smiles Foundation, where they focus on providing dental care to orphans in Peru.
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CLASSNOTES DID YOU MAKE THE HONOR ROLL? FIND OUT IN THE 2017 ALUMNI GIVING REPORT
Alisa Kauffman (D’85) was featured on the cover of the May/June 2017 issue of the Pennsylvania Gazette for her unique dental practice. Dr. Kauffman travels to the homes of elderly patients who are incapable of traveling to the dentist. Her mobile practice, Geriatric House Call Dentistry, was also recently featured in The Washington Post. Jean Dragani Spitofsky (D’87) is a proud Penn parent to Nina Spitofsky, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences.
1990s Luis J. Fujimoto (D’90, GD’93) was elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Association of Dental Boards Foundation, Chicago, IL. He is in the private practice of Comprehensive Dentistry with Advanced Services in Implants and Oral Rehabilitation in New York, NY. Bernard Costello (D’94, M’97, GD’00, RES’00) has been named Interim Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, effective February 1, 2018. At the present time, Dr. Costello is a Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at the University.
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The Dean’s Council welcomes Tony Saito (D’95) as a new member, representing the New England region and pediatric dentistry. Dr. Saito is a past president and current member of the Massachusetts Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and is also a member of the Massachusetts Dental Society, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and the American Dental Association. He has frequently shared his knowledge of pediatric dentistry with PDM residents and DMD students interested in the specialty as a possible career. This past June, he held a Q&A session with current pediatric residents and predoctoral students in the Penn Pediatric Society to give his insight on “life after residency.” Rose Wadenya (D’97) runs a busy pediatric dentistry practice in Havertown, PA. She is also the author of a variety of children’s books about teeth. They can be found at www.rosewadenyabooks.com.
View the report at www.dental.upenn.edu/report
Find a Penn Dentist Find a Penn Dentist offers a unique and interactive platform for potential patients – or fellow colleagues – to search for practices in their area or by specialty. Add your practice at www.dental.upenn.edu/map and follow the instructions under “Attention Alumni” or contact us at 215-898-8951.
2010s Steven Lin (D’15) was featured in the May/June 2017 issue of the Pennsylvania Gazette for his unique dental practice working with the federal Indian Health Service to provide dental care and education to indigenous Alaskans in extremely remote areas. In January, he plans to bring his mobile dentistry expertise to New York City, where he will join Alisa Kauffman (D’83) as a partner in her mobile practice, Geriatric House Call Dentistry.
Share Your News 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 Development and Alumni Relations 240 South 40th Street Philadelphia, PA 19104–6030
INMEMORIAM
REMEMBERING MEMBERS OF THE PENN DENTAL MEDICINE COMMUNITY
Ann Miller Jaggard (DH’41) Houston, TX; June 19, 2017
Marjorie Naame Cook (DH’51) Longport, NJ; August 20, 2017
Richard A. Gordon (D’61) The Villages, FL; April 18, 2017
Carl W. Gardiner, Jr. (D’68) Jupiter, FL; March 17, 2017
Robert Litowitz (D’43) Miami, FL; January 14, 2017
Nancy Coles Conover (DH’52) Morristown, NJ; March 22, 2017
Charles Paul Mirabile (D’61) Delray Beach, FL; February 9, 2017
Jeffrey J. Brown (D’70) Georgetown, DE; December 4, 2016
Edward H. Ziegler, Jr. (D’43) Providence, RI; July 10, 2017
C. Peter Chaconas (D’53) Silver Spring, MD; February 13, 2017
John Cuozzo (D’62) Norfolk, VA; March 23, 2017
Berkey S. Clark (D’71) Ocean City, NJ; February 25, 2017
Jane Dickson McKee (DH’45) Frederick, MD; November 29, 2016
Helen Lucas Price (DH’53) Portland, OR; January 1, 2017
George D. Harff (D’58, GD’62) Albany, NY; June 21, 2017
Edwina Summerfield (DH’72) Phoenixville, PA; May 25, 2017
Eleanor L. Nystrom (DH’46) Indiana, PA; August 16, 2017
Sally H. Dupler (DH’57) Naples, FL; October 14, 2016
William B. Humphrey (D’62) Bluffton, SC; May 14, 2017
Ira D. Rappaport (D’74) Lancaster, PA; April 10, 2017
Irene Lesko Sinanis (DH’47) Trumbull, CT; May 17, 2017
William Moore (D’57) West Chester, PA; January 1, 2017
Allen R. Savage (D’63) North Brunswick, NJ; June 12, 2016
Maury L. Glickman (D’75) Bridgeton, NJ; April 27, 2017
Bernard Evans (GD’48) Merion Station, PA; December 6, 2016
John S. Parianos (D’59) Peabody, MA; April 2, 2017
Helen Clement Adelson (DH’65) Boca Raton, FL; August 22, 2016
Anthony J. Ciotti (D’77) Virginia Beach, VA; July 1, 2016
Gladys S. Cavanaugh (DH’49) Phoenix, AZ; April 12, 2016
Judith Satin Hollm (DH’55) Bloomfield, CT; April 14, 2017
Stewart V. Haggerty (C’54, D’65) Devon, PA; June 20, 2015
Nelson Wood (D’82) Hyannis, MA; May 6, 2017
Franklyn D. Church (D’49) Chapel Hill, NC; August 29, 2016
Thomas J. Garrett (D’58) Naples, FL; March 7, 2017
Alan R. Meyer (D’66) Glenmont, NY; August 19, 2017
Jeffrey P. Ruff (D’83) New City, NY; April 11, 2017
Edward R. Esposito (D’50) Sarasota, FL; January 22, 2017
Austra J. Miezis (D’58) Philadelphia, PA; January 6, 2017
Michael J. Collins (D’67) Fort Myers, FL; November 26, 2014
Yi Zuo (D’00, GD’01) Philadelphia, PA; September 1, 2017
Kenneth K. Kline (GD’51) Wheeling, WV; February 10, 2017
Edgar F. Geigel (D’60) Austin, TX; April 9, 2017
E. A. Kolbjornsen (D’67) Minneapolis, MN; January 19, 2017
Gayathri S. Konchady (D’14) Acworth, GA; March 10, 2017
FACULTYPERSPECTIVE, CONT. (continued from page 21) Switching to CBCT technology from MDCT /MSCT resulted in shorter scan time, selective beam limitation, greater image accuracy, reduced patient dose, user-friendly interactive display models, multiplanar reformation (including panoramic reconstructions), 3D volume rendering, and simulated cephalometric and skull views (via “Ray Sum” or “Ray Casting”) to name a few4. The most fascinating part of CBCT technology is its ability to procure datasets that are isotropic in nature, as the acquisition of basis images in this technology depend on the pixel size of the detector rather than the acquisition of groups of rows with sequential translational motion leading to
columnar images where heights differ from the width and depth dimensions (Anisotropic)4. In other words, CBCT images are less prone to distortions and remain anatomically accurate in all viewing planes. CBCT volumes also have their share of artifacts, but these can be minimized if the acquisition protocols are properly followed and patient motion is minimized. Metallic restorations that lead to beam-hardening artifacts are a common issue, so researchers are developing algorithms to reduce them to an acceptable level for interpretation. Overall, CBCT imaging is a technology that is here to stay.
REFERENCES 1. Mozzo P, Procacci C, Tacconi A, Martini PT, Andreis IA. A new volumetric CT machine for dental imaging based on the cone-beam technique; preliminary results. Eur Radiol 1998; 8: 1558–1564. 2. Mupparapu M, Nadeau C. Oral and Maxillofacial Imaging. Dent Clin North Am. 2016; 60: 1–37. 3. Mupparapu M, Singer SR. Dose reduction and cone beam CY: perception is reality. Quintessence Int 2011; 42: 279. 4. Scarfe WC, Farman AG. What is cone beam CT and how does it work? Dent Clin North Am 2008; 52:707–730.
PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2017 35
2017/2018CALENDAR UPCOMING EVENTS & PROGRAMS
NOVEMBER
FEBRUARY
APRIL
MAY
NOVEMBER 4, 2017
FEBRUARY 12, 2018
APRIL 1–4, 2018
MAY 4–8, 2018
HOMECOMING WEEKEND 2017: What Can Teeth Tell Us? Life & Death in Early Colonial Jamestown Penn Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Miami Alumni Reception Il Gabbiano Miami, FL
CDE: Penn Endo Global Symposium Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
American Association of Orthodontics (AAO) Alumni Reception Washington, DC
APRIL 7, 2018 FEBRUARY 13, 2018
Tours of the Evans Collection Penn Dental Medicine NOVEMBER 17–18, 2017 CDE: Nitrous Oxide/Oxygen Analgesia Certification Penn Dental Medicine NOVEMBER 27, 2017 Greater NY Dental Meeting Alumni Reception The Penn Club NYC, New York, NY Greater NY Young Alumni After-Party Stout Midtown, New York, NY
DECEMBER DECEMBER 7, 2017 Alumni Lecture Series CDE: Systemic Antibiotics to Treat Periodontal Diseases: Do We Have a Cure? Penn Dental Medicine
JANUARY
Naples Alumni Reception Quail Creek Country Club, Naples, FL FEBRUARY 27, 2018 Alumni Lecture Series CDE: Update on Diagnosis and Management of Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer Penn Dental Medicine FEBRUARY 28, 2018 Academy of Osseointegration Conference Reception Los Angeles, CA
MARCH MARCH 7, 2018 Valley Forge Dental Conference Alumni Reception King of Prussia, PA MARCH 8–11, 2018 CDE: Penn Dental Alumni Ski Trip Breckenridge, Colorado Contact Maren Gaughan, gaughan@upenn.edu for information
JANUARY 26, 2018
MARCH 21, 2018
Yankee Dental Alumni Reception West Boston Waterfront Boston, MA
American Association for Dental Research (AADR) Reception Fort Lauderdale, FL
JANUARY 29, 2018 CDE: Periodontics Master Clinician Lecture with Prof. Giulio Rasperini Penn Dental Medicine
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Oral Cancer Walk Penn Dental Medicine APRIL 10–14, 2018 American Academy of Oral Medicine (AAOM) Alumni Reception San Antonio, TX
MAY 8, 2018 Senior Farewell The Bellevue, Philadelphia, PA MAY 10, 2018 Research Day 2018 Penn Dental Medicine
APRIL 25–28, 2018
MAY 11–12, 2018
American Association of Endodontics (AAE) Alumni Reception Denver, CO
Alumni Weekend 2018 Penn Dental Medicine MAY 14, 2018 Commencement Penn Dental Medicine
Learn More... Visit www.dental.upenn.edu/events or call 215–898–8951 for information on alumni events. Visit www.dental.upenn.edu/cde or call 215–573–6841 for information on continuing dental education programs.
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RESEARCH REVIEW: HIGHLIGHTS FROM PENN DENTAL MEDICINE 2017 RESEARCH CONFERENCES
ONCE AGAIN, we are pleased to present this special research supplement to the Penn Dental Medicine Journal. In it are highlights from four research meetings held by Penn Dental Medicine since the start of 2017, events that brought together leading researchers and clinicians from across the country and around the world. In June of this year, Penn Dental Medicine hosted two conferences — the Penn Periodontal Conference 2017 and the 2nd Biennial Meeting of the International Academy for Adhesive Dentistry. The inaugural Penn Stem Cell and Regenerative Dentistry Conference just recently took place this October; and this past May, our faculty and students gathered to share their work through the School’s annual Research Day — a program that demonstrated the great depth of research activities within the Penn Dental Medicine community. Creating such forums that facilitate the exchange of ideas among investigators and help build new collaborations is a vital part of the School’s mission and important to our ongoing research growth and leadership. Whether building multidisciplinary collaborations between our own basic and clinical science departments, among colleagues from the other Penn schools, or with other universities and institutions here and abroad, it is this integration of knowledge that advances the science and practice of dental medicine and other fields as well. The impact of the School’s research and scholarship is far reaching with diverse applications. Within 2016, 160 research articles were published by Penn Dental Medicine’s standing faculty members, while the depth the School’s research continued to grow through faculty recruitment. New standing faculty members joined the departments of Anatomy & Cell Biology and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in 2016 and the departments of Periodontics and Microbiology to date in 2017. The new recruits considerably expand Penn Dental Medicine research in the bone field as well as research in clinical microbiology related to periodontal disease and cancer. The latter is an emerging research area that links microbial infection with the behavior of cancers. We are also building upon the academic programs that promote research — from our DScD and MSOB degree programs for postdoctoral students to our research honors, summer research program, and dual-degree opportunity in translational research for our DMD students. In addition, this year we continued to enable students and young investigators to present their work on an international stage through the School’s AADR/IADR Travel Grant Award program, with 10 DMD students and six postdoctoral and junior investigators attending the 2017 IADR/AADR/ CADR General Session & Exhibition. Indeed, Penn Dental Medicine is continuing to build on its position as an international leader in the generation of new knowledge and treatment modalities in oral health and beyond.
Since the start of 2017, four research meetings have been held at Penn Dental Medicine, bringing together researchers and clinicians from across the country & around the world.
Dana Graves, DDS, DMSc Vice Dean for Research and Scholarship; Professor, Department of Periodontics; Director, DScD Program
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RESEARCHREVIEW
Penn Periodontal Conference 2017 PENN DENTAL MEDICINE presented the third biennial Penn Periodontal Conference, June 25 – 30, drawing more than 200 attendees and providing a forum to exchange the latest research in the field of periodontics. Penn Dental Medicine launched the first Penn Periodontal Conference in 2013 to not only bring together leading researchers in their respective fields of study but also to encourage the development of junior researchers working with them — that dual focus has continued to be a primary goal of the conference. “We were honored to present this event and have the participation of a veritable who’s who in periodontal and oral biology research,” says Dr. Denis Kinane, Morton Amsterdam Dean of Penn Dental Medicine and Professor of Periodontics and Pathology. “It is inspiring to expose ‘up and coming’ researchers to such leaders in the field. The level of the science and the audience participation was highly impressive.”
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The program speakers represented 28 universities within the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. The conference launched with an evening of presentations by junior researchers and the three-day scientific program featured a series of speakers each day addressing topics within the areas of regeneration and 3D printing, bone formation, microbiology, and host response. There was also a session on research updates and a day focusing on special topics in periodontics. Highlights also included two keynote addresses — “Genetic and Translational Approaches to Cardiovascular Risk,” presented by Dr. Daniel J. Rader of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; and “Novel Topical Drug Delivery Approach to Enhance Oral Health,” presented by Dr. Henry Daniel, Professor, Department of Biochemistry, from Penn Dental Medicine. The program was structured to encourage interaction among participants, and a poster presentation session was an
integral part of the conference, providing the opportunity for participating researchers to share their work and talk one-on-one with each other. “I was very impressed by the lively discussions and the exchange of information. Several new and established concepts were examined that led to interesting conversations” notes Dr. Dana Graves, Vice Dean for Research and Scholarship and Professor, Department of Periodontics, who organized and hosted the event with Dean Kinane. “We welcomed postdoctoral researchers and PhD students along with highly accomplished researchers; such a forum is of critical importance to advances in our discipline and to career development.” The next Penn Periodontal Conference is anticipated to be held in 2019.
PENN PERIO 2017 PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTS We asked several speakers of the Penn Periodontal Conference 2017 to share some key highlights from their presentations.
Luiz Bertassoni, DDS, PhD, Division of Biomaterials and Biomechanics, School of Dentistry Center for Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine Oregon Health and Science University Your topic? My presentation addressed recent developments on the engineering of bone scaffolds that are 3D printed with long blood vessels homogeneously distributed inside them. We hope this will allow for reconstruction of large craniofacial defects. Your major finding? The major finding was that although calcium phosphate (CaP) scaffolds are great for new bone formation, they may slow down formation of blood vessels. Still, long, hollow, and functional blood capillaries can be 3D printed together with osteogenic CaP scaffolds for efficient vascularized bone regeneration. The clinical importance? Large bone defects in craniofacial reconstruction or implant therapy are difficult to heal and regenerate, primarily due to lack of vascular supply in the existing scaffold materials. With the technologies that we have been developing, we hope to overcome these barriers by 3D printing patient-specific osteogenic scaffolds together with the vasculature, thereby eliminating many of the existing problems in bone regeneration.
David Scott, PhD, University of Louisville School of Dentistry Your topic? Marijuana, oral bacteria, and periodontal disease Your major finding? Cannabis use predisposes individuals to destructive periodontal diseases. The underlying mechanisms may include phytocannabinoid-related microbial toxicity that could promote dysbiosis (a microbial imbalance) and a suppressed innate response to periodontal pathogens. The clinical importance? Oral health care professionals should contemplate the implications of marijuana consumption when considering patient education, prevention, and treatment.
Jerry (Jian Q.) Feng, MD, PHD Assistant Dean for Research, Professor and Vice Chair Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M College of Dentistry Your topic? Critical roles of periodontal ligament (PDL) cells in alveolar bone formation Your major finding? Our major findings are three-fold. First, PDL is the major bone cell resource for alveolar bone formation, which has much higher bone mineralization rates than from other bone cell sources, such as periosteum and bone marrow cells. Secondly, osteocytes, instead of osteoblasts, are the key cells in bone mineralization and there are severe defects in osteocytes obtained from periodontitis patients. And third, blocking sost, a potent inhibitor molecule released from osteocytes, restores the bone loss and PDL damages in periodontitis animal models in vivo. The clinical importance? In the future, anti-sost monoclonal antibodies can be used in restorations of bone losses and PDL defects in patients with severe periodontitis.
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RESEARCHREVIEW 2nd Biennial Meeting of the IAAD
PENN DENTAL MEDICINE brought together leading international researchers and clinicians in the field of adhesive dentistry as hosts of the 2nd Biennial Meeting of the International Academy for Adhesive Dentistry (IAAD), held June 16–17. This two-day event, titled “Just bond it!,” was developed under the leadership of Dr. Markus Blatz, Professor and Chair of Preventive & Restorative Sciences at Penn Dental Medicine, and the current IAAD President. “Dental adhesion, in simplified terms, “bonding”, along with new digital and CAD/ CAM technologies, has literally transformed restorative dentistry. It allows us to be less invasive and apply the most esthetic materials, many of which rely on proper bonding techniques to function in the oral cavity,” says Dr. Blatz. “The IAAD is an international platform for connecting relevant research with excellent clinical care in adhesive dentistry. This philosophy was the main driver for the meeting.” The “Just bond it!” program featured a roster of international speakers on a variety of topics within adhesive dentistry, poster sessions on current research, and a corporate scientific forum. In addition, there was an IAAD-sponsored consensus conference on the topic of restoration of endodontically treated teeth. Concurrently, a pre-conference hands-on course was presented by Dr. Simone Deliperi (Sardinia, Italy) on anterior and posterior composite-resin restorations. “This hands-on course gave participants an opportunity to learn sophisticated techniques directly from one of the great masters,” notes Dr. Blatz. It was held in the School’s new state-of-the-art preclinical simulation laboratory. The main program, which stretched over two days, was structured to showcase the wide field of adhesive dentistry from micro-invasive bonding techniques to dental laboratory protocols for indirect bonded restorations.
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The poster sessions were an integral part of the meeting, with 29 poster presentations in the categories of students, junior researchers, and clinician faculty. First through third place awards were presented in each category (see page 41 for highlights of top awardees in each). Abstracts of all the posters presented are available at the IAAD web site, www.adhesivedentistry.org. Abstracts and outcomes of the consensus conference on the restoration of endodontically treated teeth will also be featured in an upcoming special issue of the Journal of Adhesive Dentistry.
The next IAAD meeting will be held in 2019 in Bologna, Italy. “Penn Dental Medicine faculty will again play a lead role in the organization of this event, and in turn, in the progression of modern-day dental concepts and techniques around the world,” says Dr. Blatz.
IAAD RESEARCH AWARD HIGHLIGHTS The research poster presentations at the IAAD meeting were judged in three award categories; following are highlights of the studies that took first place in each.
Presidential IAAD Student Scientist Award 1st Place Influence of a Novel Self-Priming Etchant on Bond-Strength to Glass-Ceramics Haifa Alsobiyl, Abdulrahman Alshabib, Neimar Sartori, Sillas Duarte, Jin-Ho Phark Ostrow School of Dentistry of University of Southern California This presentation reported on a laboratory study that evaluated the influence of a novel self-priming ceramic etchant on micro-tensile bond strength (ÎźTBS) to leucite reinforced glass-ceramic and lithium-disilicate reinforced glass-ceramic. CAD/CAM samples were fabricated from lithium disilicate reinforced glass-ceramic (IPS e.max CAD, Ivoclar Vivadent) and leucite reinforced glass-ceramic (IPS Empress CAD, Ivoclar Vivadent). Different surface treatment methods and materials were employed to test bond strength of dual cure resin cement (RelyX Ultimate, 3M ESPE) after treatment with a novel self-priming etchant to these materials before and after 6 months of water storage. Bond strength values varied from 0 to almost 50 MPs based on the type of pretreatment applied. The major finding was that long-term efficacy of a novel self-priming ceramic primer is highly variable among the two ceramic materials tested and dependent on the ceramicsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; composition and structural arrangement. Since these materials are used in private practice, understanding the performance of different ceramic primers and bonding agents is of fundamental importance.
Fusayama IAAD Junior Scientist Award 1st Place Bioactive Rechargeable Dental Adhesive Based on Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles to Inhibit Demineralization Mary Anne Sampaio De Meloa, Xianju Xieb, Dan Xingc, Michael D. Weira, Mark Reynoldsa, Yuxing Baib, Hockin Xua a University of Maryland School of Dentisty b Capital Medical University School of Stomatology, Beijing c China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing, China Bioactive dental adhesives are attractive biomaterials for various applications in dentistry, for example, in orthodontics to inhibit white-spot lesions (WSL) in enamel. This presentation reported on a study of a novel rechargeable dental adhesive containing nanoparticles of amorphous calcium phosphate that allow calcium and phosphate ion release, recharge, and durable re-release capabilities to enhance tooth structure remineralization and inhibit demineralization. The novel adhesive had substantial Ca and P ion release, recharge and long-term re-release, while possessing good bond strength to enamel, suitable for orthodontic use to inhibit enamel demineralization and WSL. These findings are quite important and with high clinical relevance as the novel rechargeable adhesives are promising for orthodontics, crown cements, cavity liners, varnishes and composites, and other preventive and restorative applications.
IAAD Clinician Award 1st Place Direct Flowable Restorations Utilizing Injection Technique: The Digital Approach Saro Atam, Markus B. Blatz, Eva Anadioti, Julian Conejo University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine This presentation described the clinical application of a composite injection to create direct composite veneers as definitive restorations. An innovative approach of combining digital technology and injection technique was used to treat malpositioned lateral incisors. After obtaining medical and dental history, clinical examination, diagnostic intraoral scanning with Cerec (Sirona) and photographs were obtained to provide data for diagnosis and treatment planning, which included four anterior composite veneers on teeth #7,8,9, and 10. A 3D printed model was fabricated after digital smile design analysis and digital wax-up. A clear vinyl polysiloxane material was used to create the transparent injection matrix. After minimal tooth preparation, etching, and bonding, flowable resin composite was injected through the transparent matrix and light-cured with the matrix in place. Each tooth was bonded separately and, after excess removal, refined and polished. The direct flowable composite technique is minimally invasive, time-efficient, and cost-effective. When combined with digital technology, the results are predictable and the process is more efficient than when combined with conventional techniques. TOP, RIGHT: (left to right) Incoming IAAD president Dr. Lorenzo Breschi, current president Dr. Markus Blatz, and past president Dr. Jean-Francois Roulet.
PENN DENTAL MEDICINE JOURNAL | FALL 2017 41
RESEARCHREVIEW
Research Day 2017 Celebrates Faculty, Student Research PENN DENTAL MEDICINE brought faculty and students together to share their research activities with one another and spotlight the depth of the School’s research enterprise at Research Day 2017, held May 11 at the School. This was the second year for a combined student and faculty research event, designed to showcase the research being conducted throughout the Penn Dental Medicine community. “Penn Dental Medicine Research Day now embraces all aspects and levels of research activities in the School, highlighting the great work of our faculty, junior researchers, and students,” says Dr. Hyun (Michel) Koo, Chair of Penn Dental Medicine Research Day 2017. “It provides a forum for us all to learn more about each other’s work.” The day’s program included seven faculty presentations and two invited keynote speakers, along with a poster session what include 122 posters representing student as well as faculty/junior investigator projects. Presenting faculty highlighted recently published research in both the basic and clinical sciences. Topics ranged from findings on the impact of diabetes on the oral microbiome (by Dr. Dana Graves, Dept. of Periodontics) and the role of the yeast-bacteria interaction in early childhood caries biofilm (by Dr. Geelsu Hwang, Dept. of Orthodontics) to a study on a receptor protein that may provide new approaches to inflammatory diseases (by Dr. Hydar Ali, Dept. of Pathology) and another on linking mechanical strain to neuroinflammation (by Dr. Claire Mitchell, Dept. of Anatomy & Cell Biology).
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In other faculty presentations, Dr. Henry Daniell, Dept. of Biochemistry, talked on his work using a novel drug delivery approach, sharing that biopharmaceuticals can be delivered topically in chewing gum. The chewing gum, he explained, is impregnated with enzymes and antimicrobial peptides that are produced in plant cells to disrupt biofilms that form on teeth. In addition, Dr. Shuying (Sheri) Yang, Dept. of Anatomy & Cell Biology, discussed the discovery in her lab of a new bone protein (regulator of G protein signaling protein 12) that plays a key role in osteoporosis and inflammation-caused bone loss; and Dr. Chider Chen, also in the Dept. of Anatomy & Cell Biology, reported on findings that mesenchymal stem cell therapy can effectively rescue osteopenia and skin fibrosis in systemic sclerosis. The day’s keynote lecturers included Dr. Kam W. Leong, Samuel Y. Sheng Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University, speaking on the topic of “Bioengineering of Direct Cellular Reprogramming,” and Dr. Martha Somerman, Director of the NIH’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, presenting the Joseph L. Rabinowitz Memorial Lecture on “NIDCR: Leading Advances in Oral Health Research and Innovation.” “I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Penn Dental Medicine Research Day, which provided an opportunity for me to engage with faculty at the school and the broader campus,” says Dr. Somerman. “The quality of research presented by the students was impressive, as is the vision set forth for the school by the leadership team.”
A strong representation of the current research throughout the School was featured in the poster presentations, which along with 44 faculty/junior researcher posters, included 78 student projects from the Summer Research Program, the School’s honors programs, the Bridging the Gaps community-internship program, and other independent student research. A faculty panel judged the student posters, presenting the Vernon Brightman Research Society Awards in first through third-place (see page 43). In addition, student and postdoctoral/ young investigator research was also recognized with the awarding of the 2017 AADR Travel Grants; this year 10 DMD students and 12 individuals representing Master of Science in Oral Biology and Doctor of Science in Dentistry residents and junior investigators received Travel Grant awards. The AADR Travel Grant program was launched by Penn
Dental Medicine in 2014 to build opportunities to advance ongoing research and leadership among students and junior researchers; this year’s recipients will attend and be encouraged to present their work at the 2108 AADR/ CADR Annual Meeting to be held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in March 21-24, 2018. The 2017 Joseph and Josephine Rabinowitz Award for Excellence in Research was also presented to faculty (see page 43). An event like Research Day can help advance research within the School in a number of ways, notes Dr. Dana Graves, Vice Dean for Research and Scholarship. “Research Day is a wonderful opportunity for researchers from different disciplines to share what they are doing and learn from each other,” says Dr. Graves. “It allows students, basic research faculty, and clinical faculty to appreciate the accomplishments of each. It’s a great day of exchange.”
Research Day 2018 will be held Thursday, May 10, leading into Alumni Weekend 2018, May 11–12. “We encourage alumni to join us,” adds Dr. Koo. “It is a unique opportunity to interact with faculty and students and hear about the research at Penn Dental.”
RABINOWITZ AWARD The Joseph and Josephine Rabinowitz Award for Excellence in Research is presented annually to Penn Dental Medicine investigators. The endowed award was established by the Rabinowitz family in 2002 to support and encourage independent research. This year’s award recipients, presented at Research Day 2017 include:
VERNON BRIGHTMAN SOCIETY RESEARCH AWARDS Following are highlights of the student research projects that received the Vernon Brightman Society Research Awards at Research Day 2017. CBCT Assessment of Pubertal Growth Using Staging Methods in Orthodontics Hassan M. Khan (D’18) was awarded first place for this study, conducted with preceptor Dr. Mel Mupparapu, Dept. of Oral Medicine Assessment of pubertal and skeletal growth can play a pivotal role in assisting in timely orthodontic treatment. In his study, Hassan looked at three potential growth/development biomarkers to compare their reliability and validity. The study examined the spheno-occipital synchondrosis, mandibular third molars, and cervical vertebrae using the 5-stage method, Demirjian method, and Cervical Vertebral Maturation Staging (CVMS) methods for prediction of pubertal growth using CBCT data sets. They found that the CVMS correlated most closely with pubertal growth and appears to be the best way to determine skeletal growth. Changes in RPE Peroxisome Lipid Metabolism in Response to Light Onset Jennifer A. Caughey (D’19) was awarded second place for this study, conducted with preceptors Dr. Kathleen Boesze-Battaglia and Lauren Daniel, Dept. of Biochemistry Jennifer’s research project was focused on evaluating the peroxisomal metabolism of cells found within the Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) — a supportive layer of epithelium that faces the retina within the eye. It was found that there is a diurnal regulation of this metabolic pathway based on an increase in peroxisome function in the morning when compared to the afternoon. RPE cells are vital for healthy eye function, and a better understanding of this metabolic pathway can help assist in the treatment of degenerative eye diseases.
A Content Analytic Approach to Assessing Triggers of Dental Anxiety Hallie Klein (D’19) was awarded third place for this study, conducted with preceptor Dr. Joan Gluch, Div. of Community Oral Health In her research project, Hallie developed the Dental Anxiety Triggers Scale (DATS) based on reports from Penn Dental Medicine patients and found it to be an equally good measure of dental anxiety as the most widely used dental anxiety scale, the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale. However, the DATS has the advantage of being rooted in real patient experiences, not researcher intuitions. Because the DATS provides more concrete examples of triggers, it may be useful for dental practitioners who want to be sensitive to their patients’ anxiety.
OTHER STUDENT AWARDS 2018 AADR Dentsply Sirona SCADA: Selected on Research Day to represent Penn Dental Medicine in the 2018 AADR Dentsply Sirona Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research (SCADA) program was Abby Syverson (D’19) for her research honors project titled “Lineage Specific NF-KB Inhibition in MSCs Resolves Lymphocyte Trafficking in Diabetic Fractures,” conducted with preceptor Dr. Dana Graves, Dept. of Periodontics. She will present her research at the 2018 AADR/CADR Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla, March 21–24, 2018
Dr. Sunday Akintoye, Associate Professor, Dept. of Oral Medicine Radiation therapy for head and neck cancers can lead to the complication of jaw osteoradionecrosis. Dr. Akintoye’s lab will explore the application of mesenchymal stem cells and osteoanabolic therapy for prevention and remediation of osteoradionecrosis. Dr. Bei Zhang, Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Biochemistry Dr. Zhang will work on a project that focuses of the expression of human coagulation factors in edible plant chloroplasts for treatment of life-threatening bleeding disorders and evaluation of post-translational modifications. This approach offers noninvasive drug delivery and eliminates the immunogenic side effects of clotting actors currently used in the clinic.
Radiology Honors: Students in the radiological sciences honors program also were recognized with awards for their joint projects — 1st place: Thomas Yoo (D’18) and Minou Luo (D’18); 2nd place: Heliya Ziai (D’17), Aaron Ivanhoe (D’17), Jon Shue (C’17) and Corey Toscano (D’17); and 3rd place: Sara Gholam (D’17) and JV Cracke (D’17).
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RESEARCHREVIEW
Penn Stem Cell and Regenerative Dentistry Conference AT PRESS TIME for this issue of the Penn Dental Medicine Journal, Penn Dental Medicine was about to host the inaugural Penn Stem Cell and Regenerative Dentistry Conference. Held October 20 – 21, the event brought together researchers and clinicians at the forefront of investigating dental stem cells and stem cell-based therapies. The two-day program featured the stateof-the-art in dental stem cell research and the potential translational clinical applications. Along with Penn Dental Medicine faculty who are actively engaged in stem cell research, the program of speakers represented 10 other universities from across the country as well the United Kingdom and China. A poster session and junior investigator presentations supplemented the program.
“Dental stem cell application represents the future of bio-dental therapies.” — DR. SONGTAO SHI
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Topics addressed by Penn Dental Medicine faculty highlighted key aspects of their ongoing research, including the following: • peripheral nerve regeneration with orofacial stem cells by Dr. Anh Le (Dept. of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery), • bone regeneration by Dr. Shuying (Sheri) Yang (Dept. of Anatomy & Cell Biology), • regenerative endodontic procedures by Dr. Su-min Lee (Dept. of Endodontics) • dental stem cells in tissue regeneration by Dr. Songtao Shi (Dept. of Anatomy & Cell Biology). Dr. Songtao Shi, Chair and Professor, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology and one of the conference organizers, noted that dental stem cell-based therapies have been initiated in clinical trials, including for dental pulp and periodontal tissue regeneration. “Dental stem cell application represents the future of bio-dental therapies,” he says. Other presentations and discussions ranged from stem cell therapies for autoimmune diseases, to the use of stem cells to make dentin. The keynote address, titled “Overcoming Chromatin Barriers to Change Cell Fate,” was presented by Dr. Kenneth S. Zaret, Director of Penn’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IRM), which engages scientists, clinicians, and ethicists from medicine, engineering, veterinary sciences, dental medicine, and the arts and sciences. “We are using the principles learned from the natural processes to generate new cells and tissue fragments in the laboratory and to control tissue regeneration in the body,” he says of IRM’s goal overall. “Our work is aimed to model and study human diseases, to develop new diagnostics and medicines, and, ultimately, to replace damaged, aged, or diseased body parts.”
Organizing the conference from Penn Dental Medicine were Dr. Bekir Karabucak, Chair and Associate Professor of Endodontics; Dr. Syngcuk Kim, Louis I. Grossman Professor, Department of Endodontics; and Dr. Songtao Shi, Chair and Professor, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology.
PENN DENTAL MEDICINE ALUMNI SOCIETY 2017–2018 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Eric Spieler, D’84 President Robert E. Weiner, C’72, D’79 Vice-President Members-at-Large Pam Alberto, D’80 Seyar Baqi, D’14 Judith Zack Bendit, DH’81 Hope Berman, C’77, D’83 Larry Chacker, D’85 Stefani L. Cheung, C’08, D’11 Gail Spiegel Cohen, C’76, D’80 Keith Dunoff, D’84 Lee B. Durst-Roisman, D’83 Wesam El Shafee, D’12 Charlene Fenster, DH’75 Marshall J. Goldin, C’60, D’64 Alyssa Marlin Greenberger, D’02 Mark Guevarra, D’16, GD’18 Wendy Halpern, D’99, GD’02, GD’03 JV Kracke, D’17, GD’19 Daniel Kubikian, D’01, GD’04, GD’05 Bernard Kurek, D’73, WMP’03 Rachel Levarek, D’11 Jeff Li, D’12 Helen Mo, D’16 Mana Mozaffarian, D’06 Ronald Pross, D’74 Michael B. Rulnick, D’74, GD’76 Trevan Samp, D’14 Matt Sones, D’12 Joseph Spina, D’02 Ann Eshenaur Spolarich, DH’82 Steven Ureles, D’83 Gary Wegman, D’83 Michael Yasner, C’79, D’83, GD’84, GD’86 Former Dean D. Walter Cohen, C’47, D’50 Ex Officio Member Dr. Jaclyn M. Gleber, DH’74
BOARD OF OVERSEERS
PDMJ ADVISORY COMMITTEE
William W. M. Cheung, D’81, GD’82, Chair Nancy Baker, Esq. Stanley M. Bergman, PAR’02 Dirk Brunner Julie Charlestein Richard Copell, D’80, Campaign Co-Chair Matthew J. Doyle, PhD Patrik Eriksson Anne E. Klamar, MD Anne L. Koch, D’77, GD’93 Madeline Monaco, PHD, MS, Med Haruo Morita Vincent Mosimann Lewis E. Proffitt, D’73, WG’80 Alfred L. Spencer, Jr. David Tai-Man Shen, D’79, GD’81 David S. Tarica, D’83, Campaign Co-Chair Larry L. Turner, Esq. Umit Yigit, C’81, D’86 Robert Zou, WG’94
Beth Adams Director of Publications
Ex Officio Members Martin D. Levin, D’72, GD’74, Chair, Dean’s Council Eric Spieler, D’84, President, Alumni Society
DEAN’S COUNCIL Martin D. Levin, D’72, GD’74, Chair Robert Brody, C’80, D’84 Joseph Fiorellini, DMD, DMSc Howard P. Fraiman, D’91, GD’93, GD’94 Joseph E. Gian-Grasso, C’67, D’71 Elliot Hersh, DMD, MS, PhD Ronald T. Hwang, D’81 Brian Lee, D’00, GD’04 Saul M. Pressner, D’79 Howard Rosa, D’82 Louis Rossman, D’75, GD’77 Tony Saito, D’95 Gail E. Schupak, D’83 Tara Sexton, D’88 Robert M. Stern, D’87 Susan Stern, C’77, D’81 David Silver, D’85, GD’86, GD’88
Dr. Faizan Alawi Associate Professor of Pathology Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. Markus Blatz Professor of Restorative Dentistry Chair, Department of Preventive & Restorative Sciences Corky Cacas Director of Admissions Sarah Burton Flynn Director of Alumni Relations & Annual Giving 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 Senior Associate Dean of Development & Alumni Relations Dr. Robert Ricciardi Professor, Department of Microbiology Chair, Department of Microbiology Susan Schwartz Assistant Dean for Academic Services and Student Life Dr. Thomas Sollecito Professor of Oral Medicine Chair, Department of Oral Medicine
DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNI RELATIONS Elizabeth Ketterlinus, ekett@upenn.edu Senior Associate Dean of Development & Alumni Relations Maren Gaughan, gaughan@upenn.edu Associate Dean for Leadership Giving Sarah Burton Flynn sburton@upenn.edu Director of Annual Giving & Alumni Relations Lindsay Murphy, lhonzak@upenn.edu Assistant Director of Annual Giving Megan Connolly, megcon@upenn.edu Development Assistant Beth Adams, adamsnb@upenn.edu Director of Publications Office of Development & Alumni Relations 215–898–8951 Office of Continuing Education 215–573–6841
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