Topics at a glance: 58 Dental Branch volunteers head to Special Olympics event …UTDB Family & Friends Association seeks new members …Heart Walk Co-Chair John Greer: ‘Lucky to be alive’ …AASDA fundraisers benefit Salvation Army program …Six UTDB students receive HSDA Foundation scholarships …Dr. Bouquot’s textbook now available in Farsi… Dr. Bentley hits longest drive at Scholarship Golf Classic …Clear Lake endodontist honored for basketball skills … Astronauts come to UTDB for emergency training …Craven Scholarship …

Dental Branch students, faculty and staff traveled to Bryan/College Station to work at the Special Olympics Special Smiles event Oct. 23-24.

58 Dental Branch volunteers head to Special Olympics event
Next Special Smiles set for Nov. 14 in Houston

Two hundred eleven happy Special Olympics athletes received dental screenings, oral hygiene instruction and “goody bags” with electric toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss and sugarless chewing gum during the Texas Special Olympics Fall Classic Event in Bryan/College Station Oct.23-24.

Fifty-eight enthusiastic volunteers including faculty, pediatric dental residents, dental and dental hygiene students and staff from the Dental Branch participated in the two-day Special Olympics Special Smiles (SOSS) program. Volunteers included private dental practitioners and their staff members, pre-dental students from Texas A&M University, and other volunteers from the Bryan/College Station area.

Sanford J. Fenton, D.D.S., chair of the Dental Branch Department of Pediatric Dentistry, is the global clinical advisor for Special Olympics Special Smiles and coordinated the Texas Special Olympics dental screening program. This was the inaugural year for the Texas Special Olympics Fall Classic Special Smiles program.

A similar event is coming up Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Willowbrook Sports Complex, 12539 Perry Road in Houston. For more information about Special Olympics Special Smiles, or to volunteer, contact Vanessa Ponce, 713-500-4142 or Vanessa.Ponce@uth.tmc.edu.

UTDB Family & Friends Association seeks new members

The UT Dental Branch Parents’ Association has changed its name to the “UT Dental Branch Family and Friends Association” and is accepting new members to join the 54 who have already signed up, said President Kathleen Beetar.

The new name was chosen so that spouses, siblings, mentors or others who care about UTDB students can participate in making life a little easier for them. The group supports a variety of student activities throughout the year, including the annual white coat ceremony and open house, the dental prom, the Dental Olympics, etc. Membership is open to friends and family of dental or dental hygiene students. Current officers include Beetar; secretary-treasurer Betty Pedlar; newsletter editor Terie Collison; and Dr. Bruce Smith, president-elect.

For information on joining the Family and Friends Association, contact Beetar at kbeetardental@hotmail.com or download the membership/support form and return it to UTDB Family and Friends Association, Office of Student Affairs, P.O. Box 20068, Houston,TX 77225-0068

John T. Greer

Heart Walk Co-Chair John Greer: ‘Lucky to be alive’

The 2009 Houston Heart Walk is coming up at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 at Sam Houston Park in downtown Houston. This year’s co-chair, along with UT Health Science Center President Larry R. Kaiser, M.D., is a Dental Branch employee, Development Director John T. Greer. In 2008, Greer began experiencing symptoms, and a cardiologist confirmed a need for immediate heart surgery. CLICK HERE to read more about his story.

To participate in the Heart Walk, go to www.houstonheartwalk.org , hit the “Register” button, then “Join a Team.” Select by organization (The University of Texas Health Science Center), then choose an existing Dental Branch team or start a team of your own. Some teams already organized include the “Hearty-Smile Walkers” led by Inga-Lill Leon and Anita Rodriguez; “Mamie Ellis and Friends” or “UTHSC-Precious King.” For more information, contact Rose.M.Betancourt-Trevino@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-3209.

AASDA fundraisers benefit
Salvation Army program

The Asian-American Student Dental Association sold Vietnamese sandwiches and tapioca bubble tea at an Oct. 15 fundraiser in the Dental Branch basement, raising nearly $200 for the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program, which provides gifts to less fortunate children during Christmas. The AASDA also held a benefit in September and raised approximately $250 toward the same cause. Pictured from left are Alyssa Ly, Quyen Nguyen, Quocnam Hoang, Kimchi Nguyen, Daniel Nguyen and the customer, second-year dental hygiene student Morena Pineda. Photo by Rhonda Moran.

Six UTDB students receive HSDA Foundation scholarships

Six UT Dental Branch students have been awarded scholarships through the Hispanic Dental Association Foundation. Alexandra Aponte, Cristina Belen Brown, Nathalie Clouse and Martha Orozco received scholarships sponsored by Procter and Gamble. The Juan D. Villareal Scholarships went to Vicki Martinez and Yudith Rodriguez. In all, the organization awarded 22 scholarships to students throughout the U.S.

Dr. Bouquot’s textbook now available in Farsi

The latest edition of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, a textbook used at the Dental Branch and the majority of dental schools in the United States, has been translated into Farsi for use by Iranian dental students. An Iranian dental school professor did the translation, and one of the American authors, Dental Branch Diagnostic Sciences Department Chair Jerry Bouquot, D.D.S., found out about it when he received a complimentary copy, in Farsi, from publisher Saunders El Sevier. Bouquot is fourth author after Brad Neville, D.D.S.; Douglas Damm, D.D.S.; and Carl Allen, D.D.S.

Bouquot signed the copy and presented it as a gift to Assistant Professor Shawn Adibi, D.D.S., a Diagnostic Sciences faculty member of Persian descent. Adibi said the translated copy is available for all Farsi-speaking students to see or use as reference. His office is in Room 214.

Dan Bentley, D.D.S.

Dr. Bentley hits longest drive
at Scholarship Golf Classic

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Dan Bentley, D.D.S., of the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials. He won the award for longest drive in on-course competition at the 17th Annual UT Health Science Center Scholarship Golf Classic at Palmers Golf Course in The Woodlands on Oct. 17. Thirty teams of four players participated, including co-chair, country singer Clay Walker. Walker, founder of Band Against MS, has been living with multiple sclerosis since 1996.

Clear Lake endodontist and basketball player Chris Coleman, D.D.S. (UTDB ’87, ’94) will be inducted into the 2010 Texas Amateur Athletic Federation Hall of Fame. The Department of Endodontics celebrated with cake and a poster for well-wishers to sign. Photo by Rhonda Moran.

Clear Lake endodontist honored
for basketball skills

Clinical Assistant Professor Christopher Coleman, D.D.S., of the Department of Endodontics has been notified that he will be inducted into the 2010 Texas Amateur Athletic Federation Hall of Fame for basketball. Coleman, a 6’2” guard, has played on amateur teams that twice won state championships, and he has been named to the All-State Basketball Team seven times. He has also played in the NBA’s ProAm Summer League, which helps professional players stay in shape in the off season. He noted that many former NBA players compete in the amateur leagues after they’ve been out of professional basketball for at least one year.

Coleman played basketball as a student at Milby High School but not in college. He earned his dental degree from the Dental Branch in 1987, returning for a master’s degree in endodontics in 1994. He currently works part-time at the Dental Branch and was surprised earlier this month when his co-workers signed and posted a banner in his honor, complete with cake. He’s been involved with the game for 20 years, but has no plans to quit playing, as long as his body holds up. “Basketball is what I love to do,” he said.

	UTDB hosts astronauts' training NASA astronauts Col. Mike Fossum and Dr. Rick Linnehan were at the Dental Branch recently for training on how to handle dental emergencies in space. Pictured from left are Clinical Assistant Professor Ali Obeidi, D.D.S.; Assistant Professor Dan Bentley, D.D.S., NASA instructor Melinda Hailey; Fossum; Linnehan; NASA instructor Julia Wells; and Assistant Professor J. Welch, D.D.S.
	Craven Scholarship Second-year dental student Chris Stevenson is the 2009 recipient of the Moritz Craven Scholarship. Pictured with Stevenson are Judith Craven, M.D., and Moritz Craven, D.D.S. (UTDB ’60)