Columbia University’s College of Dental Medicine recently received a $500,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to launch a program to bridge disparities in vulnerable populations and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. CDM knows from its own extensive clinic experience with pediatric patients, young adult patients and patients with special needs, that patients with special needs often have some of the biggest challenges accessing oral healthcare. Read more.

Despite calls for increased diversity of the oral health workforce, less than 12% of U.S. dentists are from underrepresented minority groups, according to the American Dental Association. The National Institutes of Health —which “recognizes that achieving diversity in the biomedical research workforce is critical to the full realization of our national research goals”—provides R25 grants to fund research education programs that aim to enhance the diversity of the biomedical and clinical research workforce. Read more.

On December 14, 2022, seven students in Touro College of Dental Medicine’s Advanced Standing International Dentist Program (IDP), which began this past July, participated in their white coat ceremony, a rite of passage for medical and dental students. During the ceremony, the students, who hail from five different countries, donned their white coats with the assistance of their faculty Clinical Practice Leaders, and recited the Touro College of Dental Medicine oath. Read more.

Thanks to a new grant, Eastman Institute for Oral Health at the University of Rochester Medical Center is teaming up with Rochester Institute of Technology to take a closer look at nutritional factors during pregnancy and in infancy that can negatively impact a baby’s oral health. Jin Xiao, DDS, PhD is an associate professor and perinatal oral health expert. For the last several years, Jin Xiao, DDS, PhD, associate professor at EIOH and perinatal oral health expert, has been studying the oral microbiome in early infancy (OMEI). Read more.

A team of University at Buffalo researchers has developed a new strontium-loaded scaffold that can be personalized to fit any size dental implant and could help improve healing and tissue attachment in patients. The success of dental implants is dependent on the growth and adhesion of soft tissues to the implant surface. Previous research by UB investigators found that strontium, a bone-seeking element that improves bone density and strength, also supports soft tissue function. Read more.

The National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded NYU Dentistry a $3.1 million grant to study the nexus of periodontitis and Alzheimer’s disease. “Alzheimer’s disease is a growing public health crisis, but we still have limited knowledge about how the disease develops. We’re trying to understand if and how periodontitis promotes the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s, which could offer clues on how to treat or prevent the disease,” said Xin Li, PhD, professor of molecular pathobiology at NYU Dentistry and the principal investigator on the new grant. Read more.

Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine (SDM) has been granted $120,769 by biotech company StellaLife® to study the efficacy and anti-plaque and anti-gingivitis properties of its new herbal-based VEGA® Oral Care Recovery Kit product. Georgios Romanos, DDS, PhD, professor in the Department of Periodontics, will serve as principal investigator for the study. Read more.

The New York City Council recently voted to approve a resolution which will allocate an additional $90,000 towards the Veterans Oral Care Access (VOCARE) program, a partnership between NYU Dentistry and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA’s) New York Harbor Healthcare System to provide comprehensive dental services to veterans in the New York City area who are not eligible to receive those services through the VA. Read more.

Edward Gottesman DDS ’01, PD Perio ’04 has been appointed president of the Northeastern Society of Periodontists (NESP). Dr. Gottesman, who practices periodontics in New York City and also serves on the clinical faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College, was elected into his new position this fall and will lead the organization through the end of 2023. Read more.

Ashu Sharma, professor of oral biology, has been appointed interim chair of the Department of Oral Biology in the School of Dental Medicine. He assumed the role on Jan. 1. Sharma succeeds Frank A. Scannapieco, who will return to his faculty role as SUNY Distinguished Professor of Oral Biology and associate dean for faculty and professional development. Read more.