Topics at a glance: UTDB Department of Pediatric Dentistry: Under new management … Dr. Kaiser in the OR … Texas Mission of Mercy: UT Dental Van was there! … Live in UT Housing? UTPD invites you to National Night Out 2008 … Donate blood Tuesday at the Dental Branch …  Hispanic Dental Association Scholarship Recipients … Houston experts speak at GC America Minimum Intervention Summit … UTDB faculty big source of CE for GHDS ‘Tale and Ale’ … UTDB students teach oral care at Lyon’s Clinic 

UTDB Department of Pediatric Dentistry:
Under new management, department welcomes slate of new faculty

The Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the UT Dental Branch has new leadership and a slate of new faculty members ready to make sure students and patients get the best experience possible. Sanford “Sandy” Fenton, D.D.S., M.D.S., is the new chair of the department, and Steven Hackmyer, D.D.S. is the new program director. Dean Catherine M. Flaitz, D.D.S., said the Dental Branch has been very successful in recruiting top candidates despite a national shortage of dental faculty. “We're fortunate to be located in the world's largest medical center in a beautiful city with a strong economy. These are definite advantages when recruiting talented faculty,” she said. FULL STORY.

Dr. Kaiser in the OR

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston President Larry R. Kaiser, M.D. instructed Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Chief Resident Jeff Alford, D.D.S., on how to harvest a rib for a mandibular reconstruction. The surgery was performed Sept. 10 at Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.

The patient had a large tumor (ameloblastoma) requiring removal of half his jaw. The immediate reconstruction of the jaw joint with a rib at the time of the resection is a procedure first developed by oral surgeons at The University of Texas Dental Branch.

At left, UTHSC-H President Larry R. Kaiser, M.D. (on left) in surgery with Jeff Alford, D.D.S., chief resident in oral and maxillofacial surgery at UTDB.

Texas Mission of Mercy: UT Dental Van was there!

The UTDB delegation at the recent Texas Mission of Mercy in Leander included (back, from left) Pat Henshaw, Hector Gomez, Jeff Harden, D.D.S.; Colin Lathrop, Lynn Cran, Kevin Nail, Monica Muller, Elham Jarrar, (front, from left) Maria Martinez, Helen Martinez, Tracey Godwin, D.D.S., and Erika Salazar.

Students and faculty from the UT Dental Branch participated in the Texas Mission of Mercy (TMOM) Sept. 26-27 in Leander, a town 5 miles north of Austin. TMOM is a large, multi-day dental mission that brings hundreds of dentists, dental professionals and other volunteers from across Texas together to donate their professional services. Their goal is to relieve immediate pain and restore smiles. Organizers said the goal at the Leander event was to serve at least 900 uninsured and underinsured low-income residents in western Williamson County and surrounding areas. The UTDB Dental Van made the trip to Leander and UT faculty, staff and students treated 64 patients, extracting 248 teeth and helping with screenings, pulpectomies and prophylactic treatments. Tracey Godwin, D.D.S., director of the UT Dental Van, praised those who turned out to help. “After missing clinic time with the hurricane, I really appreciate the fact that you sacrificed more clinic time to help these very needy people,” she told them. “You will make the world a better place for everyone.” TMOM is sponsored by the Texas Dental Association's Smiles Foundation. The next TMOM is scheduled for Nov. 14-15 in Corpus Christi.

Live in UT Housing?

UTPD invites you to National Night Out 2008

The UT Police Department invites you to National Night Out 2008 from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7 at UT University Housing, 1885 El Paseo St. (meet at the Cambridge side Clubhouse). Free burgers and hot dogs will be served. Other activities will include children's fingerprinting, tours of a UT Police squad car, and a video on how to survive an active shooter incident.

Donate blood Tuesday at the Dental Branch

The Texas Association of Women Dentists will sponsor a Fall Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7 in Room 303 at the Dental Branch. All donors will receive free T-shirts. Walk-ins are welcome, or donors may pre-register at the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center Web site. To pre-register, follow these directions: Click on "Log in to Digital Donor" on the upper right corner of the screen. Prior donors will enter their donor ID and password. New donors select "Not Yet a Donor" and follow instructions. Click on "Where to Donate." At the bottom of the next screen, click on "Sponsor Code." Enter 2983. Click on "Oct. 7." Click on "Available" next to the time slot you want. Click on "Confirm Appointment." For more information, call Donald with the Blood Center at 713-791-6246, or e-mail Tiffany Tredway-Ransom.

Hispanic Dental Association Scholarship Recipients

Four University of Texas Dental Branch (UTDB) students were among 15 chosen nationwide to receive scholarships from the national Hispanic Dental Association, said the organization's treasurer, Margo Y. Melchor, R.D.H., clinical assistant professor in the UTDB School of Dental Hygiene. FULL STORY.

Houston experts speak at minimum intervention summit

Three dental experts from Houston attended a two-day conference in Chicago on minimal intervention dentistry sponsored by GC America Inc. They were among eight presenters from the United States, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand who were invited to speak at the symposium, which was a gathering of key opinion leaders in the area of minimal intervention dentistry. FULL STORY.

UTDB faculty big source of CE for GHDS 'Tale and Ale'

Of the 15 presenters at the Greater Houston Dental Society's “Tale and Ale” in September, eight were members of the UTDB faculty, offering a wide variety of continuing education topics. Those who presented and their topics include:

• Kenneth Abramovitch, D.D.S., “Clinician Radiographic Conference: Cases That Could Be in Your Chair”
• Samuel Adams, D.D.S., “Lasers in Periodontics”
• Donald Belles, D.D.S., “Etiology of the Worn Dentition”
• Elsa Echeverri, D.D.S. “Common Problems and Possible Treatments for Pediatric Dental Patients”
• Raouf Hanna, D.D.S., “Immediate Implants for Single vs. Multi-Rooted Teeth”
• Lillian Lyons, D.D.S., “Treatment of Mucogingival Defects”
• Boyd Shepherd, D.D.S., J.D., “Law and Ethics in Equilibrium with Care”
• Nadarajah Vigneswaran, D.D.S., D.M.D., “Clinico-Pathologic Correlations: Oral Manifestations of Systemic and Mucocutanious Disorders”

UTDB students teach oral care at Lyon's Clinic

Second-year dental hygiene student Raja Naderi gives oral hygiene instructions at the Lyon's Clinic.

The UTDB Hispanic Dental Students Association recently volunteered at the Lyon's Clinic in conjunction with the City of Houston Department of Health and Human Services. The students saw more than 80 patients from Hispanic, white, black and Asian backgrounds. Services provided included oral screenings, sealants for children's teeth and treatment referrals for adults. Patients got oral hygiene instructions, free toothpaste and toothbrushes as an incentive to learn proper brushing and flossing techniques. Adults also were given educational reading material to remind them of their crucial role in their children's oral health.