News: Dentistry @ the URMC

Eastman Dental Center staff member Carletta Carter, of Rochester, has been named the 2007 Dental Assistant of the Year, a national award sponsored by Colgate.

Carter is the dental assisting supervisor for Eastman Dental’s Community Dentistry and Oral Health Disease Prevention, where she divides her time as the practice manager for the Downtown Clinic in the Sibley’s Tower Building on Main Street, and supervising the department’s dental assistants and dental assisting students.

Carter is a certified and licensed dental assistant, allowing her to perform additional clinical and educational services and oral health presentations.

Carter’s commitment to oral health described in the multiple nominations stood out among the other 200 nominations Colgate received. She completed her clinical training at Eastman Dental Center nearly 30 years ago, and has worked in community dentistry ever since. She is active in American Dental Assistants Association and Dental Assisting National Board, and is president of the Rochester Dental Assisting Society.

“Each day, it’s my goal to work toward the mission of education, patient care and community service,” Carter said, who also has a certificate in counseling and teaching. “I want to empower patients to understand the importance of quality dental care and to actively participate in their own care.”

Carter receives a $5,000 cash award, along with an all-expenses-paid visit to Colgate’s research facility and the Dental Assisting Summit conference, where she’ll be presented a trophy. She will also be featured in an article in the April issue of Inside Dental Assisting magazine.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, overweight children have fewer cavities and healthier teeth compared to their normal weight peers, according to a study published in this month’s issue of Community Dentistry & Oral Epidemiology.

Surprised researchers at the Eastman Dental Center, part of the University of Rochester Medical Center, conducted a secondary analysis of nearly 18,000 children who participated in two separate National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES III and NHANES 99-02).

The study found no differences in rates of caries (tooth decay) among children ages 2-5 in all weight ranges, while children ages 6-18 who were considered overweight and at risk for becoming overweight showed a decreased risk of caries compared to their normal weight peers.

“We expected to find more oral disease in overweight children of all ages, given the similar causal factors that are generally associated with obesity and caries, said Eastman Dental Center’s Dorota Kopycka-Kedzierawski, DDS, MPH, the lead author. “Our findings raise more questions than answers. For example, are overweight children eating foods higher in fat rather than cavity-causing sugars? Are their diets similar to normal weight peers but lead more sedentary lifestyles? Research to analyze both diet and lifestyle is needed to better understand the results.”

The study defined overweight children as being at the 95th or higher percentile for their age and sex; children at the 85th or higher percentile and less than 95th percentile for their age and sex were defined as at risk for becoming overweight.

See also:
ScienceDaily April 3, 2008

Fred Hagen, research assistant professor of biochemistry and biophysics, was interviewed about a study he conducted, that identified all of the unique proteins found in human saliva glands: “This is potentially a large field that has many clinical implications in the area of disease diagnostics”, said Hagen. 

Read more about Hagen’s research at MSNBC, New Scientist,  Reuters,  Globe and Mail Canada, among many other publications.

Eastman Dental Center’s SMILEmobile program has been featured on Rochester’s R-News.  The article incluces comments from EDC’s Janice Glen and Dr. Desiree Laracuente.

The article, and link to the video, maybe be accessed here.

The Eastman Dental Center was recently featured in  WHAM News 13’s story Dental Care for Kids—Still a Nightmare for Some.

Lisa Lord, a dental operations supervisor for General Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, received a Board Excellence Award for Dentistry for consistently displaying a high degree of integrity, responsibility and ambition during her 26 years of service to this department. She is certified as an anesthesia assistant and dental assistant. As a manager, she exhibits creativity and resourcefulness to help make the department more efficient.

Dentistry at the University of Rochester is unique among academic health centers in the United States:  despite the absence of an undergraduate dental school, we have internationally recognized dental residency programs, vibrant oral biology research that is in the top tier of NIH rankings, and robust clinical services in all dental specialties with a strong community orientation.  Read Dentistry’s 2007-2012 stragegic plan here.

A class of chemicals in red wine grapes may significantly reduce the ability of bacteria to cause cavities.

The recent study examined the make-up of polyphenols in red wine grape varieties and their ability to interfere with Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), the bacteria that produces the substances most responsible for tooth decay.  The study was conducted by assistant professor of Dentistry, Dr. Hyun Koo, of the Eastman Department of Dentistry and Center for Oral Biology in collaboration with the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Cornell University.

Read the full release here.

“Benefits of Red Wine” also featured on News 10 Whec.com .

Eastman Dental Center, at the University of Rochester Medical Center, has landed a five-year, $532,000 grant to explore teledentistry, a novel approach that uses an intraoral camera to image teeth and tooth surfaces. The grant was awarded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, of the National Institutes of Health.

Recent studies by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that tooth decay in young children’s baby teeth is on the rise. Early Childhood Caries is often an acute and debilitating form of tooth decay that, when caught too late, can only be treated in the operating room

Over the next five years, more than 500 preschool children enrolled in six different inner city day care centers will be examined to determine if teledentistry is useful in identifying at-risk children before extensive treatment is needed. The children will receive an initial baseline exam, and then will be re-examined six and 12 months later.

Oral health problems are one of the leading causes of absenteeism from school – 52 million school hours are missed each year by children nationwide. Rochester has the highest rate of child poverty in New York, representing a significant challenge to improving overall health and well being.

“Intervention at an early age is critical,” said Dorota Kopycka-Kedzierawski, DDS, MPH, who is leading the research effort. “Teledentistry can help more children by preventing and detecting early childhood tooth decay.” This technology allows trained personnel to take and transfer digital pictures of a child’s mouth in day care or preschool so they can be reviewed by pediatric dentists remotely. Providers can then recommend next steps and treatment for the child that may have otherwise not happened for months or years.

This effort follows Eastman Dental Center’s successful pilot teledentistry initiative last year, where more than 40 percent of the 200 children ages 1 to 5 screened at inner-city daycare centers had cavities and 95 percent of whom had never seen a dentist.

“Many parents mistakenly think that because baby teeth will fall out, taking care of them isn’t important,” said Kopycka-Kedzierawski. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Baby teeth play an important role as placeholders for permanent teeth, and if they are removed too early, adult teeth may become overcrowded or misaligned. When there is decay in baby teeth, there is a better chance of decay occurring in adult teeth.”

A world leader in residency training and research initiatives, Eastman Dental Center each year treats thousands of Rochester-area patients by providing a full range of general and specialized dentistry including pediatrics, periodontology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and prosthodontics. Established in 1915, the Center is the only major post doctoral dental education, research and clinical institution in the U.S. within an academic medical center. The legacy of George Eastman continues to thrive with its extensive community outreach program helping underserved residents.

Also reported by WHEC TV, WXXI News, Rochester Business Journal, Democrat and Chronicle.

A three-year $1.5 million grant, Geriatric Training for Physicians, Dentists, and Behavioral and Mental Health Professionals, will provide geriatric training fellowships for physicians, dentists, and mental health professionals to improve access to quality care for older adults. The grant aims to increase the number of skilled clinicians who are also teachers and scholars, who will teach geriatric medicine, dentistry or behavioral/mental health to current and future health care professionals.Read more here.

New unit increases access for area’s needy children

On Friday, November 16, the Eastman Dental Center unveiled the new Ronald McDonald House Charities SMILEmobile, a dental office on wheels allowing the city’s children increased access to much needed dental care.

Until now, the Eastman Dental Center has had three SMILEmobiles serving preschoolers and elementary students by visiting 15 city schools. Thousands of the underserved and uninsured children need dental care because of decay and infection. On the SMILEmobiles, children receive cleanings, fluoride, sealants and other restorative services. The new Ronald McDonald House Charities SMILEmobile means that 2,400 additional students will now have access to care. Each SMILEmobile is staffed with a dentist, hygienist, dental assistant and administrative coordinator.

Rochester’s inner city has the highest child poverty rate in all of New York, and parts of the city have been declared as having a serious shortage of dentists by the federal government,” said Cyril Meyerowitz, DDS, director of the Eastman Dental Center. “Early intervention is critical—and the SMILEmobiles are a huge part of the solution. Without this effort, there would be more cost to the local health care system, more work and school hours lost and more children suffering.”

Oral health problems are one of the leading causes of absenteeism from school. Research shows links between poor oral health and diabetes, heart disease, and low birth weight.  Recent studies by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that tooth decay in young children’s baby teeth is on the rise. When there’s decay in baby teeth, there’s a better chance of decay occurring in adult teeth.

“Supporting the SMILEmobile program makes perfect sense for us,” said Elsa Steo, board president of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester, NY, which provided the lead gift for the unit. “Supporting the health and well being of Rochester area children is a wonderful expansion of who we are and what we do…we’re thrilled to be a part of this new SMILEmobile. It’s a win-win for everyone.

The second lead donor is the Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation, a long time supporter of the SMILEmobile program and a satellite clinic at the Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation Outreach Dental Center at School 17. Others include the Joan & Harold Feinbloom Supporting Foundation, the J.M. McDonald Foundation, the Mary S. Mulligan Charitable Trust and the Fred & Floy Willmott Foundation.

The SMILEmobile program began 40 years ago, when EDC and the County Dental Society jointly implemented the “Indigent Children’s Dental Health Care Program,” leading to the first dental mobile unit in New York. Today, the SMILEmobile program is a year-round initiative, serving city schools and rural community sites during the summer.

Patients who have their wisdom teeth pulled and do not take antibiotics before surgery are twice as likely to get an infection after the surgery than those who take a single dose of antibiotics shortly before surgery, says Eastman Dental Center researchersYan-Fang Ren, DDS, PhD, MPH and Hans Malmstrom, DDS.

Surgical extraction of impacted of wisdom teeth—or third molars—is the procedure carried out most commonly in oral surgery and general dental practices around the world,” said Ren. “Inflammation and infection associated with bacterial contamination are the most common complications after third molar surgery.” Because infection after surgery is usually accompanied by debilitating pain and functional impairment, clinicians have long sought effective ways to prevent complications after third molar surgery.

“Many clinical trials have been conducted in the past to investigate the controversial topic of using antibiotics before wisdom teeth surgery, but most of the published trials involved a sample size too small to support a conclusive outcome,” Ren explained. Through an extensive, meticulous process explained in the Journal, Ren and Malmstrom analyzed 20 published clinical trials involving nearly 3,000 patients.

The findings of this study may serve as a guideline for dentists and oral surgeons for prescribing antibiotics after wisdom teeth surgery. “We do not advocate a universal prescription of antibiotics for every third molar surgery,” Ren explained, “but for patients who have risks for postoperative infections, a single dose of antibiotics before surgery is probably more effective than taking several days of antibiotics after the surgery is completed.” Drs. Ren and Malmstrom hope that this study could help dentists be more purposeful when prescribing antibiotics and to avoid unnecessary antibiotic use.

A world leader in residency training and research initiatives, Eastman Dental Center each year treats thousands of Rochester-area patients by providing a full range of general and specialized dentistry including pediatrics, periodontology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and prosthodontics. Established in 1915, the Eastman Dental Center is the only major post doctoral dental education, research and clinical institution in the U.S. within an academic medical center. The legacy of George Eastman continues to thrive with its extensive community outreach program helping underserved residents.

Resources for Patients

EDC faculty member and Orthodontist Dr. Mike Spoon was recently interviewed on Channel 10 regarding the new I-cat imaging technology. Read more here.

Stephanos Kyrkanides, DDS, MS, PhD, chair of the Division of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics has additionally been appointed associate chair/director of research in the Eastman Department of Dentistry and the Eastman Dental Center effective August 1, 2007.

Dr. Kyrkanides received his dental degree in 1991 from the School of Dentistry, National University of Athens in Greece. He completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry program, a Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Fellowship and an Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics residency at the Eastman Dental Center. In 1999, Dr. Kyrkanides received a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in Neurobiology and Anatomy.

In this new role as associate chair/director of research, Dr. Kyrkanides will work to facilitate and stimulate research activity and collaboration in the Department and Center. Dr. Kyrkanides is a well-funded and active researcher and has extensive collaborations with investigators in the Medical Center. He will play a significant role in enhancing the translational research capabilities in Dentistry.

ST. LOUIS—Robert J. Bray, DDS, MS, an orthodontist with offices in Absecon, Somers Point, Marmora and Wildwood, N.J., has been elected secretary-treasurer of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO).  The announcement was made recently at the AAO’s 107th Annual Session in Seattle.

The AAO is the oldest and largest dental specialty organization in the world.  It is comprised of 15,500 members in the United States, Canada and abroad.  Founded in 1900, the AAO supports research and education leading to quality patient care and promotes increased public awareness of the need for and benefits of orthodontic treatment.

 ”I am honored to serve as AAO secretary-treasurer.  I hope my efforts will contribute to our members and the patients they serve,” Dr. Bray said”.

Dr. Bray is a 1973 graduate of the University , Baltimore College of Dental Surgery.  He received his certificate of orthodontics from the Eastman Dental Center and then received a master’s degree from the University of Rochester Medical Dental School in 1975.  Dr. Bray served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force as chief of orthodontics at Edwards Flight Test Center for two years.  He is in private practice with his partner, E. Gregg Pfund, DDS, MSD. 

Dr. Bray is active in orthodontic education.  He is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Orthodontics at ties as an outstanding alumnus from Eastman Dental Center, University of Rochester Medical Center, Dr. Bray has been invited to return to the department of orthodontics and present during their “Visiting Alumni Lecture Series.”  He has lectured extensively both nationally and internationally on the subjects of clinical practice, practice management, office design and the patient manager system. 

Dr. Bray is a diplomate of The American Board of Orthodontics and a fellow of both the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists.  He is vice chair of AAO Services, Inc., the for-profit subsidiary of the AAO.  Dr. Bray is a member of the North Atlantic Component of the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists.

Among his many community activities, Dr. Bray has served as a board member of the American Red Cross and past president of the Brigantine Board of Education.  He has also served on the executive board of the Boy Scouts of America.  Currently, Dr. Bray is a board member of in Somers Point and also serves on the advisory board of the College Preparatory School of Southern New Jersey.

Dr. Bray is a member of the American Dental Association, the American Dental Education Association, the New Jersey Dental Association and the Atlantic Cape May County Dental Society.  He has represented the Middle Atlantic Society of Orthodontists on the AAO Board of Trustees since 2000.

Orthodontists are uniquely qualified to correct improperly aligned teeth and jaws.  They are specialists in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental and facial irregularities.  The American Dental Association requires orthodontists to have at least two academic years of post-doctoral, advanced specialty training from an accredited orthodontic residency program, after graduation from dental school.

A national leader in promoting minority advancement in science and math, Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, III, is the keynote speaker at Eastman Dental Center’s graduation ceremony at 5:15 p.m., June 29, at the Arthur Kornberg Medical Research Building, in the Class of ’62 Auditorium. more…

The Center for Oral Biology within the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry has been awarded $4 million to expand its renowned training program for oral biologists and dentist-scientists. New, cross-disciplinary training programs will focus on the basic mechanisms that underlie oral diseases to help students prepare for careers within academia, government and industry.  more…

Carlo Ercoli, DDS, chairman of Prosthodontics, and Paul Romano, DDS, clinical associate professor of Periodontology at the University of Rochester Eastman Dental Center, will share the latest information on dental implants that can improve fit and increase quality of life (e.g. enjoyment of meals) via secure denture or fabricate fixed bridges.  more…

J. Daniel Subtelny honored with 2006 Brophy Distinguished Service Award - July 27, 2006

Digital Cameras and Internet Ease the Pain of Oral Disease - July 20, 2006

Caton Receives State Dental Association Award - July 06, 2006

Department of Dentistry Researchers Earn International Association of Dental Research Award - May 23, 2006

Work on Microbes Earns Honors for Two Dental Researchers - January 17, 2006

Oral Health Alliance strengthens efforts between Eastman Dental Center - January 13, 2006

Eastman Dental Center Foundation, Inc. Board News - January 13, 2006

Lee D. Pollan, DMD, MS, new vice president of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons - January 13, 2006

Give Thanks for the Cranberry, Say Dental Researchers - November 23, 2005

American Dental Education Association names Dr. Cyril Meyerowitz to the Commission for Change and Innovation in Dental Education - August 15, 2005

SMILEmobile Program wins New York State award - August 15, 2005

Dentist, Eastman Dental Center board president, avid golfer dies - August 15, 2005

New walkway will connect Eastman Dental Center to the Medical Center Garage - August 15, 2005

Local American Association of Dental Research Awards Given - June 11, 2005

Host Immune Response Linked to the High Risk of Periodontal Disease in Diabetics - June 01, 2005

Reaching out to underserved children in childcare - May 12, 2005

URMC’s Dentistry Residency Programs at Eastman Dental Center Receive Full Accreditation - April 12, 2005

Jack G. Caton to be recognized as a national leader by the American Academy of Periodontology - September 16, 2004

Interim Clinical Director of Outreach Programs Named - September 13, 2004

New Chair of Dentistry’s Division of Orthodontics and Craniofacial Orthopedics Appointed - September 13, 2004

Finding the Hole in the Defenses of Cavity-Creating Microbes - June 25, 2004

IADR/Unilever Hatton Award Winner - May/2004

Pediatric Craniofacial Team Provides Comprehensive Care - Spring 2004

Student takes 2nd place in prestigious Hatton Award Competition</a- April 2004

Community Dentistry dental assistant returns home from active duty</a- April/2004
Eastman Dental Center awarded funds to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in academic dentistry 3/31/2004

Orthodontist Given Alumni Affairs Award - February/2004

Dr. Todd Thierer Appointed Medical Director For Eastman Dental Center - February/2004

IADR/Unilever Hatton Award Winner - May 03, 2004

Dental Care: From Urgent to Routine - May 03, 2004

Eastman Dental Center Awarded ADEA Funds - May 03, 2004

Keeping America Running - May 03, 2004

Solving the Mystery of the Dancer Mice, and Cleft Lip Too - April 29, 2004

Dentistry Hosts American Dental Association (ADA) Student Research Conference  - 7/2003

Local American Association of Dental Research (AADR) Research Awards Given - 7/2003