Dental Education News: October 2021
Highlights
NYU College of Dentistry: International Effort Co-led by NYU Dentistry’s Dr. Habib Benzian Prompts Addition of Dental Category to the WHO List of Essential Medicines

After many years, an international effort to add a dental category to the WHO (World Health Organization) List of Essential Medicines has succeeded in adding fluoride toothpaste, silver diamine fluoride (SDF), and glass ionomer cement to its list of essential medications for adults and children, effective October 1, 2021. Read more.
University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine to Offer Free Care to WNY Vets in Honor of Veterans Day

The University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine will host the sixth Dentistry Smiles on Veterans, an annual program that welcomes local veterans to receive a day of free dental screenings, cleanings, extractions, restorations and denture repairs. Read more.
Research
University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine: Dental Care: The Best, Worst and Unproven Tools to Care for Your Teeth, According to a University at Buffalo Study

Do probiotics prevent gum disease? Is flossing necessary? Many patients are unable to confidently answer these questions and more due to the abundance of conflicting medical information. However, new research led by the University at Buffalo aims to separate fact from fiction in determining which oral hygiene tools actually prevent gum disease. Read more.
Faculty & Grants
Eastman Institute For Oral Health, University of Rochester Faculty Recognized and Promoted

Assistant Professor Abdul Basir Barmak, M.D., Ed.D., has been named assistant director of the Master’s Program, where he will work closely with Eastman Institute for Oral Health Professor and Master’s Program Director Dr. Jack Caton, in the successful program’s continuous development. Dr. Barmak, who has been integral to the rapidly growing EIOH Master’s program, brings a unique expertise that residents greatly benefit from. Read more.
NYU College of Dentistry: Dr. Caroline Sawicki Awarded NIH/NIDCR K23 Grant to Study Oral Cancer Pain

Dr. Caroline Sawicki, a second-year pediatric dentistry postgraduate student and postdoctoral fellow at NYU Dentistry, has received a Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23). This NIH/NIDCR funded grant provides support for the career development of exceptional clinician-scientists who have made a commitment to patient-oriented research, and who have the potential to develop into productive, clinical investigators. Read more.
More News
NYU College of Dentistry: Pivoting: Global Health Nexus, 2021

A message from the dean: For the past year and a half, as COVID-19 swept across the globe, NYU Dentistry, along with communities in every country of the world, had our lives upended. In March 2020, in order to check the spread of the coronavirus, NYU Dentistry suspended all on-site education and in-person patient care. This was followed a few days later by the University’s move to remote education exclusively and by New York State mandating suspension of all dental care, with the exception of urgent care. Read more.
Eastman Institute For Oral Health, University of Rochester: Dental Public Health Program Granted CODA Accreditation Renewal

The Commission on Dental Accreditation, the sole agency to accredit post-secondary level dental education programs and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, granted accreditation renewal for Eastman Institute for Oral Health’s Dental Public Health Residency Program, without any reporting requirements. The approval came following a thorough site visit and adds to EIOH’s perfect score of accreditation without reporting requirements in all of its 10 residency programs. Read more.