Topics at a glance: Recognition, rejoicing, remembrance: DDS Senior Awards Banquet turns poignant with standing ovations    … Dr. Wong working on DoD initiative to help wounded soldiers  … UTDB students help out at health fair  … Tee Off for Teeth: DH'09 sponsoring golf tournament fundraiser  … Breakfast at UTDB launches United to Serve effort  … Carus Dental Scholarship Fund is born  … Grant to fund research on adult stem cells and dental pulp  … Dr. Paravina named to editorial boards, published in the leading dental journal  … Dental assistants’ journal features article by UTDB writers  … DDS student becomes U.S. citizen … Hungarian orthodontists visit UTDB

Recognition, rejoicing, remembrance

DDS Senior Awards Banquet turns poignant with standing ovations

In one of their last gatherings before graduation in May, the Class of 2008 assembled for the annual Senior Awards Banquet April 23 at the Edwin Hornberger Conference Center for a night of recognition, rejoicing and remembrance.

DDS Class President Melissa Lent gave opening comments, followed by an invocation by Associate Professor Lisa Thomas, D.D.S. and a welcome message from Dean Catherine M. Flaitz, D.D.S. During dinner, the nearly 200-person audience was treated to a PowerPoint presentation recounting the past four years.

Fifty individual awards were presented recognizing various achievements by members of the class, but in the words of the emcee, Associate Dean Phil Pierpont, D.D.S., the evening was "to honor the dedication, hard work and accomplishments of each and every one of our graduates in the UTDB Class of 2008." For the full list of award recipients, CLICK HERE. The recognition wasn't only for graduating seniors. Students rewarded Associate Professor James P. "Jay" Ferguson, D.D.S. and Endodontics Chair John R. Ludington, D.D.S. with standing ovations that will long be remembered by those in attendance.

Dr. Wong working on DoD initiative to help wounded soldiers

Mark Wong, D.D.S., right, associate professor and chairman of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the UT Dental Branch, and Antonios Mikos, director of Rice University's Center for Excellence in Tissue Engineering.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has announced that The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Rice University will be part of the search for innovative ways to quickly grow large volumes of bone tissue for craniofacial reconstruction for wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mark Wong, D.D.S., associate professor and chairman of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston, and Antonios Mikos, Rice's J.W. Cox Professor of Bioengineering and the director of Rice's Center for Excellence in Tissue Engineering, are partnering with a Wake Forest consortium to anchor the DoD research initiative in the Texas Medical Center. UT Houston and Rice will receive $2 million over the next five years through the Armed Forces Institute for Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM).

The research program is a broad, national effort which will function as a virtual institute to rapidly apply the latest techniques in regenerative medicine to the treatment of injured soldiers. DoD officials unveiled AFIRM in mid-April. AFIRM is made up of two civilian research consortia working with the U.S. Army Institute for Surgical Research at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. One civilian consortium is led by the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. The other is led by Rutgers University and the Cleveland Clinic.

For more information on this project, which has received wide media attention, visit the UTHSC-H news pages.

Tee Off for Teeth:

DH'09 sponsoring golf tournament fundraiser

The Dental Hygiene Class of 2009 is raising money for various class activities, including graduation and community outreach, by hosting the "Tee Off for Teeth" golf tournament fundraiser. The event starts at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, May 15 at the Wildcat Golf Course, 12000 Almeda Road, Houston.

You can help by being a sponsor, by playing, by buying a hole sign, or by donating an item to be used as a raffle prize or live auction item. Donations of small items (such as golf tees, golf balls, etc.) also are needed for goodie bags. Cash donations are welcome, too. The banner and sign deadline is Friday, May 2. You may download the registration form. For more information, contact Morgan Harris at morganjaneashley@gmail.com.

Breakfast at UTDB launches United to Serve effort

The Dental Branch was featured in this week's edition of News on the Go as the site of the United to Serve kickoff banquet April 19. The annual event brings volunteers from throughout the University of Texas system together for a morning of volunteering in the Texas Medical Center. To see the photos, visit the Leader Update Web site.

Carus Dental Scholarship Fund is born

Associate Dean Paula O'Neill, Ed.D., of the UT Dental Branch accepts the $10,000 donation that will establish the Carus Dental Scholarship Fund. The fund is comprised of a gift from American Dental Partners Foundation, parent of Carus Dental (formerly Longhorn Dental), and from UTDB alumni affiliated with Carus Dental. The Carus Dental Scholarship will be awarded to an exemplary third- or fourth-year dental student with high academic standing who demonstrates leadership skill and ethical behavior. While it will begin with a single scholarship presentation in September, the fund is expected to continue to grow with contributions from UTDB alumni and eventually will support multiple scholarships. Pictured from left with O'Neill are Carus-Texas President Ray Scott, D.D.S. of San Marcos; UTDB alumnus Howard Lufburrow, D.D.S. of Belton; and Paul Bates, D.D.S. of Houston.

Dr. Paravina named to editorial boards, published in the leading dental journal

Rade D. Paravina, D.D.S., Ph.D., assistant professor in Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials, has been appointed to the editorial boards of the Journal of Dentistry and the American Journal of Dentistry.

He is also first author of an article published in this month's Journal of Dental Research, the leading dental journal based on impact factor. The article, "Color Adjustment Potential of Resin Composites," also cites John M. Powers, Ph.D. as a contributing author. Powers is a professor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials.

The study's objective was to explore a new method for quantifying the color adjustment potential originating from physical translucency on a set of seven resin composites. Within the limitations of the study, a newly developed concept and equation have proved the existence of the physical component of color adjustment of translucent dental materials. Color adjustment potential was dependent on composite and shade. To see the abstract, visit http://jdr.iadrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/87/5/499.

DDS student Diaz
becomes U.S. citizen

Jaser Diaz, a third-year dental student, became a U.S. citizen April 2. Diaz is a native of Mexico and will hold dual citizenship in both countries. He said the naturalization process took about six months, helped along by the fact that he is of American Navajo descent. Currently assigned to the Orange Practice, Diaz plans to practice general dentistry in McAllen after graduation.

Dental assistants' journal features article by UTDB writers

The Spring 2008 edition of the journal, Inside Dental Assisting, features an article written by a staff member, a resident and a former employee of the UT Dental Branch. "What You Should Know About Patients with Diabetes" is the lead article. Authors are Certified Dental Assistant Elma Gallardo, Saadia Jamil, D.D.S., a resident in the Advanced Education for General Dentistry Program; and Kishore Shetty, D.D.S., former director of the Medically Complex Patient Clinic at the Dental Branch.

The article notes that "diabetes is increasing in prevalence in the United States, and it can have a significant impact on a patient's dental needs. The dental assistant is a vital component of the dental practice and needs to be well educated about diabetes, its symptoms, risks, oral manifestations and how to treat emergencies related to diabetes."

Hungarian
orthodontists
visit UTDB

An orthodontist and an orthodontic resident from Hungary have just completed a two-week visit to Houston to observe dental education and orthodontics procedures at the UT Dental Branch. Pictured from left are orthodontics resident Luca Cserna, orthodontist Monika Gerber and Associate Professor Chung Kau, B.D.S., Ph.D., of the UTDB Orthodontics Department. Among their takeaway observations: Hungarian orthodontists are more likely to use removable appliances at the beginning of treatment, while Americans prefer placing braces at a young age. In Hungary, orthodontists tend to use the Norwegian-developed Hasund system. During their visit to Houston, Cserna and Gerber visited Galveston, Space Center Houston and the museum district of Houston, where they were pleased to find Hungarian art on display. They encourage Americans to visit Hungary to observe European orthodontics methods.