Penn Dental Medicine Students Showcase Research at AADOCR Annual Meeting
Philadelphia — Penn Dental Medicine students and faculty showcased research from the School at the 2022 American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR)/Canadian Association for Dental Research Annual Meeting & Exhibition, held both virtually and in person in Atlanta at the end of March. Over 20 student researchers were included in the scientific program with their faculty mentors, highlighting a diversity of projects across disciplines. Penn Dental Medicine students also successfully competed for various awards and fellowships.
“Penn Dental Medicine continues to shine on the international stage,” says Dr. Esra Sahingur, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Student Research. “Interdisciplinary research that reaches across schools, across fields of study, and across the globe is the foundation for an ecosystem of innovation at PDM. It is wonderful to see our students generating new knowledge in the field of dentistry.”
AADOCR Student Research Fellowship
Benjamin Shelling
Benjamin Shelling (D’24) was awarded the AADOCR Student Research Fellowship which encourages dental students living in the United States to consider careers in oral health. The Fellowships are supported by the American Academy of Periodontology, Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals, P&G Professional Oral Health, Crest + Oral-B, Dentsply Sirona, GlaxoSmithKline, and AADOCR Group Chapters, Sections, and members. Shelling has been working with Dr. Sahingur’s research team within the Department of Periodontics since starting dental school in 2020. During the summer of 2021, he participated in the Summer Research program. He was awarded this fellowship to extend the recently published work from the team on how quercetin, a flavonoid, mitigates periodontal inflammation, reduces bone loss, and promotes a symbiotic oral microbiome through its effect on NF-κB/A20 axis.
“We are currently collaborating with the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biomedical Engineering to develop an effective nanoscale drug delivery system to deliver natural compounds locally into the periodontium,” says Shelling. “We expect nanoparticle delivery method to increase the drug concentration and efficacy in the periodontium which will be a significant development for clinical translation.”
AADOCR Student Research Day Award
Matthew Rose
Matthew Rose (D’22) was awarded the AADOCR Student Research Day Award for his project, An Epidemiologic Survey of 3,247 Traumatic Maxillofacial Injuries: A Retrospective Analysis. Funded by the AADOCR, the award is designed to recognize the best presentation at an academic institution’s research day competition. Rose in active within the Penn Dental Medicine community, having spent the past four years serving as a Student Council Representative and Ethics and Professional Board Member.
AADOCR Bloc Travel Grant
Steven Fredeen
Alisa Lee
Anwar Radwan
In addition, Anwar Radwan (D’24), Alisa Eunyoung Lee (D’22), and Steven Fredeen (D’25) participated in the meeting as recipients of AADOCR Bloc Travel Grants. The AADCOR Program Committee and AADOCR groups reviewed abstracts submitted by individuals applying for travel grant funds, and the AADOCR Program Committee make final decisions based on: originality of research design, innovations in technique, and scientific merit.
Student Presentations (students indicated in bold)
Among the study abstracts presented by students at the 2022 AAADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting were the following:
Banson Camille, Xia-Juan X, Jiang M, Mooney E.C., Sahingur S.E. Quercetin Diminishes Periodontal Inflammation Through Its Effect on NF-κB/A20 AXIS. .
Cimba Michael, Day Saxon, Rose Matthew, Giannakopoulos Helen, Ford Brian. Clinical Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Program: A Retrospective Study.
Fredeen Steven, Reddy Niyati, Vardhaman Sonaj, Dhital Sukirti, Kim Jeongho, Wolff Mark, Zhang Yu. Direct Experimental Measurements and VFEM Validations of Residual Stresses in PVZ and PVLD Crowns.
Li Jiahui, Ghannam Mousa, Alhossan Abdulaziz, Ballard Shawn, Chang Shaohua, Ho Man Ching, Gabinskiy Marta, Graves Dana, Scott Hensley, Hershkowitz David, Jordan-Sciutto Kelly, Liu Yuan, Mayer Joshua, Meurice Claire, Mouminah Alaa, Prah Jude, Secreto Stacey, Shi Xinglong, Shuster Michelle, Qali Mohammad, Troisi Elizabeth, Urbina Rosa, Van Breeman Erin, Yablonski Jana, Corby Patricia. The Seroepidemiology of SARS-COV-2 in Dental Practitioners: A Prospective Study.
Lee Alisa, Choi James, Shi Shihong, Zhang Qunzhou, Le Anh. Dental Pulp Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Enhance Jawbone Regeneration.
Lim Chek Hai, Vardhaman Sonaj, Reddy Niyati, Zhang Yu. Effect of Sintering Parameters on Physical Properties of Dental Zirconia.
Miao Yilan, Arthur Rodrigo, Negrini Thais, Koo Hyun. Effect of Dietary Sugars on Cross-Kingdom Interactions in Saliva and Biofilm Formation.
Motiwala Faizan, Shi Shihong, Shanti Rabie, Zhang Qunzhou, Le Anh. GMSCs encapsulated in 3D hydrogels possess dual immunomodulatory and pro-axonal functions.
Patel Ramani Rishi, Ozer Fusun. Effect of experimental musselbiomimetic primer on Zirconia bond strength under wet and dry conditions.
Radwan Anwar, Xu Xuejing, Vardhaman Sonaj, Zhang Yu. Damage Tolerance of Novel TwoStep Sintered High-Strength and High-Translucency Zirconia.
Rose Matthew, Cimba Michael, Day Saxon, Bhatt Poolak, Ford Brian. An Epidemiologic Survey of 3,427 Traumatic Maxillofacial Injuries.
Sourvanos Dennis, Lander Bradley, Sarmiento Hector, Corby Patricia, Fiorellini Joseph. Review and Dosing Analysis of Photobiomodulation to Improve Implant Stability.
Xu Xuejing (Tracy), Kaizer Marina, Vardhaman Sonaj, Zhang Yu. Load bearing capacity of surface modified dental ceramics.
Penn Dental Medicine offers postgraduate training in all the dental specialty programs. In addition, the School’s advanced graduate degree programs include Master of Science in Oral Biology, Master of Advanced Dental Studies, Master of Oral Health Sciences for both DMD track students and non-U.S.-trained dentists and Doctor of Science in Dentistry degrees.