Meet the presenters and learn about the focus of their research.

Research Topics & Presenters

Presenter: Radhika Chigurupati, DMD, MS, Boston University, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, rchiguru@bu.edu

Background: To determine the Safety and Quality Improvement Protocols of Academic OMFS training programs in the United States

  • Compare the protocols in University-based and Hospital-based programs
  • Compare regional differences
  • Compare reporting mechanisms

Presenters: Issa Hanna, DDS, UTHealth Houston, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Issa.A.Hanna@uth.tmc.edu; Chi Viet, DDS, PhD, MD, Loma Linda University, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, cviet@llu.edu

Background:

Since the 1990s, the amount of prescribed opioids has begun growing. According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 130 people die every day due to opioid overdose. Many medical and surgical specialties have devised various methods to decrease opioid use with adequate pain control. In recent years, oral and maxillofacial surgery communities also have studied ways to decrease opioid use. However, there has not been a study that shows the progression of opioid prescribing patterns following dental extraction. The goal of the study is to assess the progress that oral and maxillofacial surgery has made in decreasing the number of opioids prescribed. To better analyze the trend, Loma Linda University Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department plans on collaborating with the University of Texas Houston Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department .

 

Presenter: Andrew Read-Fuller, DDS, MD, MS, FACS, Texas A&M University College of Dentistry, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, readfuller@tamu.edu

Background:

  • Individual judgment is used to determine the need for surgery in orbital fractures​
  • Definitive indications for surgery (e.g. entrapment, visible enophthalmos, late-stage diplopia) ​
  • Factors based on CT findings: fracture size, orbital volume change, tissue herniation​
  • Current methods lack validation and aren’t universally accepted; systems to standardize surgical intervention are impractical for surgeons ​
  • An AI-based system will be developed to localize/quantify orbital fractures, and link measurements to the risk of developing future complications​
  • This approach will resemble the decision-making process of an OMS by combining fracture characteristics with demographic data (age, ethnicity, etc.)​

Presenter: Katherine Theken, PharmD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery/ Pharmacology, ktheken@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Background:

  • NSAIDs are effective in managing pain in most patients undergoing third molar extraction, but some patients will require supplemental opioids.
  • We would like to identify biomarker(s) of analgesic response to NSAIDs to limit unnecessary opioid prescriptions, but also ensure that patients who require supplemental opioids for pain relief receive them.
  • We have recently completed enrollment for a study in N=86 healthy adults (age 18-37) and would like to validate our findings and expand to a broader population