Marcelo W.B. Araujo, an internationally recognized clinical researcher and epidemiologist who currently serves as chief science officer of the American Dental Association (ADA) and chief executive officer of the ADA Science & Research Institute (ADASRI), has been appointed dean of the School of Dental Medicine. The appointment, effective May 15, was announced by A. Scott Weber, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, and Allison Brashear, vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, after an extensive international search that yielded a pool of highly qualified candidates. Read more.

When I was a dental student, a 5-year-old child with special needs started coming to the clinic for dental care. I remember him as inquisitive but lacking the ability to focus or respond correctly to some verbal prompts. Three years later, he was still a patient when I returned to the school as a Touro University Special Needs Dental Care fellow. Read more.

The University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine’s Destination Dental School – a program that aims to remove barriers to careers in dentistry for students underrepresented in the profession – is seeking applicants for this summer’s program. The free, eight-week program provides participants with an understanding of the day-to-day life of a dentist and dental student, helps strengthen their dental school applications and develops their skills as researchers. Read more.

Loren Vinal was in pain due to a cracked tooth. But instead of booking an appointment, he got a dental ghosting. A note taped to the office door read: “Retired.” Loren was dismayed. After he had a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) heart pump implanted in 2018 by the cardiac team at the University of Rochester Medical Center, he better understood the importance of good oral health because of the strong link between oral and heart health. Read more.

Researchers at NYU College of Dentistry have developed a single score to describe the level of cytokines in the saliva, and this score is linked with the severity of clinical gum inflammation, according to a study published in the journal PLOS ONE. While more research is needed to test the “cytokine score,” it could hold promise for measuring how well a patient responds to treatment for gum disease, predicting gum disease recurrence, or detecting ongoing inflammation related to systemic diseases. Read more.

The inaugural symposium of the NYU Pain Research Center, held on March 7, 2023 at the NYU Kimmel Center, featured research presentations by prominent American and Canadian pain scientists. The NYU Pain Research Center (NYUPRC), located at the NYU College of Dentistry, was established in 2022 to marshal development of innovative pain research initiatives; much of this work will be directed at novel therapies and drug delivery systems for treating pain without the use of opioid medications. Read more.