Topics at a glance: UTDB students: Best of the best … Two new additions to UTDB Library, thanks to gift from alum …UT Student Regent Meijer visits UTDB campus

Dental student and class president Summer Ketron interviews classmates Syeda and Adrian Reyes for the next episode of UTDB V-flash, about the student experience at the school. Photo by Rhonda Moran.

UTDB students: Best of the best

So you think it’s hard to get into dental school? Maybe you’re right. Associate Dean for Student and Alumni Affairs Philip Pierpont, D.D.S., reports that The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston received 1,151 applications for the 84 slots in the dental freshman class, and 171 applications for 40 slots in the dental hygiene class.

Most of the dental freshmen will graduate in 2013 with doctorates, while the dental hygiene program will graduate its seniors in 2011, most with bachelor’s degrees.

Pierpont said the dental Class of 2013 is 56 percent male, 44 percent female. Nearly 23 percent are from historically under-represented minorities, and as a group, their mean GPA was 3.65. Of the 1,151 applicants, 747 were from Texas, he noted.

The dental hygiene Class of 2011 is 92.5 percent female, with just over 17 percent from historically under-represented minorities. Of the 171 applicants, Pierpont said 110 were seeking bachelor’s degrees, while 61 were interested in the certificate program. Preference is given to those seeking degrees, so of the 40 new students admitted, 38 are seeking degrees. The mean GPA of students accepted into the dental hygiene program was 3.27, he added.

Two new additions to UTDB Library, thanks to gift from alum

Dr. Richard Bebermeyer (left), chair of the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials, thanks Dr. Douglas Terry for donating two copies of "Aesthetic and Restorative Dentistry: Material Selection and Technique" to the UTDB library. Photo by Rhonda Moran.

University of Texas Dental Branch alumnus Douglas A. Terry, D.D.S. (UTDB ’78) has donated two copies of Aesthetic and Restorative Dentistry: Material Selection and Technique to the Dental Branch library for students at UTDB. He made the donation, he said, “in memory of my colleagues and friends, John McLean and Lloyd Miller, who pursued excellence in ethics and dentistry.”

The 770-page first edition features extensive, detailed color photographs and editorial contributions from dental experts around the world and is being translated into German, Italian, Russian and Japanese. Terry is lead author, along with Karl F. Leinfelder, D.D.S.; Willi Geller, master ceramist and dental technician; Alejandro James, D.D.S.; Markus B. Blatz, D.M.D., Ph.D.; Susana B. Paoloski, D.D.S.; certified dental technician Charles N. Maragos; Francisco Zarate, D.D.S.; and master dental technician Guiseppe Romeo. Cynthia Trajtenberg, D.D.S., is cited as a research associate.

The book builds on the concept that when it comes to improving aesthetics and longevity of a restoration, which biomaterial used is not as important as how it is used. The illustrations are detailed, plentiful and specific.

Richard Bebermeyer, D.D.S., chair of the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials, thanked Terry for the donation. “Aesthetic and Restorative Dentistry: Material Selection and Technique is a landmark publication,” Bebermeyer said. “Students, faculty members and alumni will enjoy learning from this impressive book. We congratulate Dr. Terry and his world-renowned colleagues, and thank them for their contributions to the profession — and to UTDB.”

Bebermeyer noted that Terry has an academic appointment in the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials, as does Trajtenberg, who is cited as a research associate in the book.

UT Student Regent Meijer
visits UTDB campus

Karim A. Meijer of Katy came to the Dental Branch campus Wednesday as part of a whirlwind tour of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He stopped by for a brief tour and a chance to learn about the school’s building project. Meijer is a fourth-year medical student at UT Southwestern Medical School and is a graduate of UT-Austin. In May, he was appointed to a one-year term as student regent by Gov. Rick Perry.

In photo at left, Karim A. Meijer (right) is pictured with Interim Dean John A. Valenza, D.D.S. Meijer is the student regent on The University of Texas System Board of Regents. Photo by Rhonda Moran.