Dental Education News: January 2021
Highlights
University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine Launches Pipeline Program to Increase Diversity in Dentistry

To increase enrollment of underrepresented students, the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine has launched Destination Dental School, an initiative that aims to remove barriers to careers in dentistry for students of color. Destination Dental School is open nationwide to all underrepresented undergraduate students interested in a career in dentistry, and will provide participants with hands-on simulation activities and research projects, access to mentorship from UB dental students and faculty, dental school application assistance, and networking opportunities with local dentistry leaders. Read more.
NYU College of Dentistry: World Health Organization Redesignates NYU Dentistry as WHO Collaborating Center for Quality Improvement and Evidence-Based Dentistry

NYU Dentistry’s Department Epidemiology & Health Promotion has been redesignated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the WHO Collaborating Center for Quality Improvement and Evidence-based Dentistry through December 2024. It is one of only 10 Collaborating Centers on oral health in the world and the only one in the Americas. WHO Collaborating Centers are designated by the WHO Director-General as part of a network of centers worldwide that implement concrete activities at the national, regional, and global levels in support of the strategic plans specific to WHO areas of work. Read more.
Education & Training
Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine’s Digital Dentistry Club Brings Hands-on Practice to the Virtual Realm

Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine (SDM) has long been at the forefront of technological advancements in oral health. Whether it's being among the first in the nation to implement a digital dentistry curriculum or establishing a state-of-the-art Center for Implant and Digital Technology, the dental school’s goal remains the same: to lead the way in advanced care by starting with the education of our students. So, it’s no surprise that the SDM’s digital dentistry study group, Club CAD, got creative despite COVID-19 guidelines limiting their ability to gather in-person for extracurricular instruction. Read more.
Touro College of Dental Medicine at New York Medical College: No Lab? No Problem: Touro College of Dental Medicine’s Simulation Lab Goes Virtual

“Do not put anything in your sink or you'll clog the drain, and your mom will kill you!” “Don’t take impressions on your little brother...you don't have a license and you'll go to jail.” These are just a few of the humorous (but essential) instructions Golda Erdfarb, D.D.S, Associate Professor of Dental Medicine at Touro College of Dental Medicine (TCDM), has provided her students with as they take impressions, learn about occlusion and perform a host of other lab procedures all from the comfort and safety of their homes. Read more.
Columbia University College of Dental Medicine Dentists Team up With Zimmer Biomet for Educational Implant Therapy Program

On Nov. 6, seven faculty members from the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) traveled to Parsippany, NJ, to lead a daylong educational event about implant therapy. The program, hosted by the Zimmer Biomet Institute, had more than 500 virtual participants and 30 in-person attendees. Headlining the event—titled “Controversies and Innovations: Immediate Therapy and Management of Esthetic Failure Cases”—was Dennis Tarnow, DDS, clinical professor of dental medicine at CUMC and an internationally recognized expert in implant dentistry. Dr. Tarnow delivered multiple lectures over the course of the program on topics such as the timing of implant placement and how to manage cases where implants fail to meet a patient’s aesthetic standards. Read more.
Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine Students Recognized by Hispanic Dental Association for Oral Health Education Video

Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine’s chapter of the Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA) was recognized at the Hispanic Dental Association’s Virtual 2020 Annual Conference for its creation of an oral health education video. The chapter received the Honorable Mention Award for its submission as well as a $1,000 grant to put toward the development of more virtual programming and expansion of their organization. Read more.
Research
NYU College of Dentistry: NYU Dentistry COVID-19 Diagnostic App Receives Award in HHS Design-a-Thon

A COVID-19 diagnostic tool created by researchers at NYU Dentistry has earned first place in the People’s Choice Award in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) COVID-19 At-Anywhere Diagnostics Design-a-Thon. The winning NYU technology is a mobile app to help clinicians determine which patients with COVID-19 are likely to have severe cases, connecting lab tests and other biomarkers with a patient’s electronic health record and bringing them to a clinician’s fingertips. Read more.
University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine: Gum Disease-Causing Bacteria Borrow Growth Molecules From Neighbors to Thrive

The human body is filled with friendly bacteria. However, some of these microorganisms, such as Veillonella parvula, may be too nice. These peaceful bacteria engage in a one-sided relationship with pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis, helping the germ multiply and cause gum disease, according to a new University at Buffalo-led study. The research sought to understand how P. gingivalis colonizes the mouth. The pathogen is unable to produce its own growth molecules until it achieves a large population in the oral microbiome (the community of microorganisms that live on and inside the body). Read more.
NYU College of Dentistry, Columbia, and Takeda Form Research Alliance for Gastrointestinal and Liver Disorders

New York University, Columbia University, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) have formed a collaborative research alliance to begin and advance gastroenterology research programs, with the goal of developing new therapies for patients with gastrointestinal and liver disorders. Under the five-year agreement, Takeda will provide seed funding for pilot and feasibility studies at NYU and Columbia; successful projects will be eligible to apply for additional funding for larger studies. Read more.