Topics at a glance: GOAL: Easier dental, medical care for Medicaid kids … UTDB faculty learn from Educational Scholarship Fellowship … UTDB students' articles published in GHDS journal … October is National Dental Hygiene Month … Rosenthal-Eames Patient Care Fund donations near $3K … DDS students have near perfect pass rate on national exam … Dental hygiene degree available through distance education … UTDB faculty present research in Serbia and Greece

GOAL: Easier dental, medical care for Medicaid kids
Flaitz among 16 named to committee for children's initiatives

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has appointed a 16-member committee — including UT Dental Branch Dean Catherine M. Flaitz, D.D.S. — to help the agency determine how to use new funding to make it easier for children with Medicaid coverage to get medical and dental checkups.

The Legislature approved $150 million for Fiscal Year 2008 for strategic initiatives to expand children's access to Medicaid services. The new funding is part of a $1.8 billion plan in response to the Frew v. Hawkins lawsuit over utilization of preventive services in children's Medicaid. Read more.

UTDB faculty learn from Educational Scholarship Fellowship

Gissela Anderson, D.D.S., associate professor in the Department of Periodontics, and Donald Belles, D.D.S., interim chair and associate professor in the Department of Prosthodontics, are new graduates of the Educational Scholars Fellowship Program (ESFP), a joint two-year fellowship conducted by the UT Dental Branch, Baylor College of Medicine and the UT School of Medicine. The fellowship is designed to increase fellows' knowledge of key educational principles and theories, including:

• Skills in lecturing, facilitating, designing, and evaluating,
• Interest in and ability to serve as an educational leader,
• Self-reflection and readiness to benefit from constructive feedback from learners and peers.

Two other dental branch faculty members have just joined the new class for the 2007-09 ESFP. They are Raymond Koeppen, D.D.S., associate professor and interim vice chair of the Department of Prosthodontics; and Harold Henson, R.D.H., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Periodontics, School of Dental Hygiene.

Gissela Anderson, D.D.S., and Donald Belles, D.D.S., have completed the two-year Educational Scholars Fellowship Program offered by the UT Dental Branch, the UT School of Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine. Anderson is an associate professor in the department of Periodontics, and Belles is interim chair and associate professor for the Department of Prosthodontics.

October Is National Dental Hygiene Month

National Dental Hygiene Month is a month-long observance of the importance of proper oral hygiene. Sponsored annually by the American Dental Hygienists' Association, the event is observed in October, with a specific theme chosen by ADHA. This year's topic is a continuation of the four-year theme, "A Healthy Smile Lasts a Lifetime." The focus will be on adolescent and teen-age oral health, addressing issues such as smoking, piercing, breath mints, nutrition, mouth guards/sports, eating disorders and the harmful effects of carbonated and sugared drinks.

Rosenthal-Eames Patient Care Fund donations near $3K

As of this week, donations to the Mina Rosenthal-Eames Fund for Patient Care totaled $2,776.01. The fund was established in memory of second-year dental student Mina Rosenthal-Eames, who died Aug. 20 as a result of domestic violence. The fund established in her name will provide dental care to women and children who have been victims of domestic violence.

To make a tax-deductible donation, contact John Greer (Ext. 4380) or Mary Sayles (Ext. 4386) in the UT Dental Branch Office of Development, Room B-28. Checks should be made out to "UT Health Science Center," with the memo line reading "Mina Rosenthal-Eames Fund." Credit card donations also will be accepted. The Rosenthal family will be appropriately notified of your gift.

DDS students have
near perfect pass rate
on national exam

UT Dental Branch DDS students who took the National Board Dental Examination Part I this summer had a passing rate of 98.6 percent among those taking it for the first time. These students are currently in their third year of studies at the dental branch.

UTDB students' articles published in GHDS journal

Articles by two dental students from the Medically Complex Patient Clinic rotations have been published in The Journal of the Greater Houston Dental Society. The students, who are now graduates, are John Nguyen, D.D.S. and Jae-Hyuck Kwak, D.D.S.

Nguyen's article appeared in the journal's August 2007 edition and is titled, "Restless Leg Syndrome and the Dental Patient — A Comprehensive Review." Kwak's article appeared in the September 2007 edition and is titled, "Dental Considerations for Patients Undergoing Organ Transplant." Kishore Shetty, D.D.S., associate professor of Restorative Dentistry and director of the Medically Complex Patient Clinic, served as the students' advisor.

Nguyen is currently in private practice in Houston, but Kwak is in the General Practice Residency Program at UTDB. At noon Tuesday, Oct. 9, he will present "Dental Management of Cleft Palate/Lip" as part of the GPR Seminar Series. The program will be in Room 310 of the UT Professional Building. Anyone interested may attend. For information, contact Rose Click at 713-500-5815.

DH degree available through distance education

The UT Dental Branch School of Dental Hygiene's degree completion program has been mentioned in "The Pulse," a UT System online publication. To see the story, visit the UT System news pages.

The School of Dental Hygiene offers a two-year certificate program or a bachelor of science degree in dental hygiene. Graduates with certificates and sufficient clinical experience can later earn bachelor's degrees in dental hygiene through the online program, as well as through traditional classes.

UT Dental Branch faculty members Joe Ontiveros, D.D.S. (center left) and Rade Paravina, D.D.S., Ph.D., (center right) stop for photos with their hosts at the University of Nis School of Medicine and Dentistry in Nis, Serbia.

UTDB faculty present research in Serbia and Greece

Joe C. Ontiveros, D.D.S., and Rade D. Paravina, D.D.S., Ph.D., of the UT Dental Branch Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials, have just returned from the University of Nis School of Medicine and Dentistry in Nis, Serbia, where they were invited to lecture, respectively, on the longevity of porcelain veneers and on tooth bleaching. The dean of the school organized a reception and expressed an interest in appointing Ontiveros and Paravina as visiting professors, and in collaborating further with the UT Dental Branch and the University of Texas. After the visit to Serbia, Ontiveros and Paravina represented the UT Dental Branch at the Continental European Division and Israeli Division of the International Association for Dental Research meeting in Thessaloniki, Greece, from Sept. 26-29. Ontiveros presented research entitled, "Crimping Effects on Fracture Resistance of Esthetic Veneered Pediatric Crowns," and Paravina presented research entitled, "New Shade Guide for Monitoring of Tooth Whitening - Visual Assessment."