Topics at a glance: UTDB Alumnus Richard Smith is 2008 Texas Dentist of the YearT … Dental hygiene students work at Fort Bend Health Fair … UTDB students deliver meals for seniors … UTDB group gets Biomedical Engineering Seed Grant … Auvenshine quoted in September edition of 'ADA News' … UTDB's Hurricane Ike Survivors share cake, storm experiences

UTDB alumnus Richard M. Smith, D.D.S. (center) of Amarillo is the 2008 Texas Dentist of the YearT. He is pictured with his wife, Jimmie Ruth, and last year's winner, Richard R. "Ron" Collins, D.D.S. of Houston.

UTDB Alumnus Richard Smith is 2008 Texas Dentist of the YearT

Richard M. Smith, D.D.S., of Amarillo has been named 2008 Texas Dentist of the YearT by the Texas Academy of General Dentistry. He is a 1972 graduate of The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston. Smith was one of only 19 dentists nominated for this year's award and was honored, alongside his colleagues, in a special ceremony at a Sept. 5 gala during the Texas Academy of General Dentistry's annual Lone Star Dental Conference in Austin. FULL STORY.

Dental hygiene students work at Fort Bend Health Fair

UT dental hygiene student Connie DeLeon works with a young patient at the Fort Bend Family Health Center's Back-to-School Fair.

The American Dental Hygienists' Association Student Dental Hygiene Association began the 2008-09 year by participating in the Fort Bend Family Health Center Back-to-School Fair. University of Texas Dental Branch alumna Tatiana Ramirez-McBride, R.D.H., is the hygiene coordinator at the clinic and organized the event. The volunteer dental hygienists and dental hygiene students saw 63 patients between the ages of 1 and 18. Margo Y. Melchor, R.D.H., and UTDB dental hygiene students Laura Dosch, Jessica Cabral, Jennifer Freeman, Connie DeLeon, Chriszelda Rojas, Judy To, Jodie To and Kim Le were present and provided preventative services such as oral hygiene instructions, prophylactic treatments, fluoride varnishes and sealants for the children. Thirty-five of the 63 patients had sealants placed. The team applied a total of 165 sealants.

UTDB students deliver meals for seniors

UT Dental Branch students (from left) Shieva Molavi, Kimchi Nguyen, Chris Mun, Eric Broberg, Laura Johnson, Robert Schudy, Chris Pedlar and Sunny Kim gathered Sept. 19 to unload and deliver meals to seniors in southwest Houston.

First- and second-year dental students from The University of Texas Dental Branch delivered meals to senior citizens Sept. 19 in cooperation with the Harris County Office of Emergency Management. Second-year dental student Robert Schudy organized the volunteers, who also included Laura Johnson, Anisha Murarka, Clark Damon, Shieva Molavi, Chris Mun, Sayaka Kondo, Chris Pedlar, Sunny Kim, Kimchi Nguyen, Eric Broberg and Evan Cettie. Johnson said the volunteers worked in pairs along specified routes in southwest Houston, delivering meals to people on a list provided by the Jewish Community Center. She noted that the area "looked terrible from debris, and was still without electricity" days after Hurricane Ike.

UTDB group gets Biomedical Engineering Seed Grant

The UT Health Science Center Office of Biotechnology has awarded a Biomedical Engineering Seed Grant of $33,500 over 12 months to support a proposal titled, "The Development of a New Nano-Composite Biomaterial." The project will be a collaboration between researchers at the UT Dental Branch and TDA Research in Golden, Colo. The Dental Branch researchers will include Associate Professor William Tate, D.D.S.; research associate Tiean Zhou, Ph.D.; Instructor Francesco Contu, Ph.D.; and Professor S. Ray Taylor, Ph.D., director of the Houston Biomaterials Research Center. "We're trying to develop a new class of materials that have very high and water-stable fracture toughness with adjustable hardness," Taylor said. "This material will initially be developed for use as a dental composite and then possibly to other areas of technology." The Office of Biotechnology Seed Grant Program is an institution-wide initiative to support early stage projects that have a clearly defined path to the commercial marketplace. The award begins this month.

Auvenshine quoted in September edition of 'ADA News'

UT Dental Branch Advisory Board member Ronald Auvenshine, D.D.S., is quoted in a Sept. 1 ADA News story about the American Dental Association's annual session Oct. 16-19 in San Antonio. He is a member of the ADA Council on Membership and said the ADA wants all dentists to feel welcome. For those who are not members of the organization, he stressed that the annual session is a great time to visit and learn more about organized dentistry. Because the event is being held in San Antonio, Auvenshine noted that "it's likely a number of dentists from Texas will be on site, so we're hoping to connect with those who haven't joined the TDA yet, discuss professional issues and share information about the value of membership." Non-members can attend the annual session at a reduced rate. For more information, visit www.ada.org/goto/session.

UTDB's Hurricane Ike survivors share cake, storm experiences

UTDB staff members Loraine Alexander (left) and Mamie Ellis use dental floss to cut one of three cakes served to Hurricane Ike survivors. Floss makes a clean cut that doesn't disturb the icing. The cakes, decorated with storm-related cartoons, came from Rustika Café & Bakery. Photo by Rhonda Moran.

UT Dental Branch faculty, staff and students were invited to gather for post-hurricane cake and conversation Monday, Sept. 21 in the first-floor lobby. Hurricane Ike, a strong Category 2 storm, made landfall Sept. 13 just north of Galveston, but the effects were felt for hundreds of miles. Although the Dental Branch and the Texas Medical Center had minimal damage, more than 2 million people in the Houston area lost electric power and many still do not have electricity at home. The UT Health Science Center was closed because of the storm from Sept. 12-17. Gasoline shortages, flooded or debris-filled roads or other issues made travel difficult or impossible for patients, students and employees. MORE PHOTOS.