Dental Education News: February 2021
Highlights
Columbia University College of Dental Medicine Columbia Dental to Expand Special Care Training

For the tens of millions of Americans with special health care needs, maintaining good oral health or receiving dental care can be particularly difficult. These patients may have substantial physical limitations, developmental or intellectual disabilities, cognitive or sensory impairment, or complex medical issues, for example, that hinder their ability to receive oral care. To better serve these individuals, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) is gearing up for a new program that will expand education of postdoctoral trainees to provide care for special needs patients of all ages. Read more.
NYU College of Dentistry Launches Center for Oral Health Policy and Management

New York University College of Dentistry (NYU Dentistry) has announced the creation of the NYU Dentistry Center for Oral Health Policy and Management, an interdepartmental and interdisciplinary think tank that focuses on oral health policy and management in the 21st century. The creation of the center recognizes that the current oral health policy and management environment in the U.S. requires a holistic approach—an approach that has been lacking, according to Charles N. Bertolami, Herman Robert Fox Dean of NYU Dentistry. Read more.
Education & Training
Eastman Institute For Oral Health, University of Rochester: Something to Smile About: A Paid Dental Assistant Training Program

UR Medicine’s Eastman Institute for Oral Health this week is announcing an innovative new program, designed to provide employment and paid training opportunities while helping treat the area’s increased number of dental patients. The pandemic has created a critical need for dental assistants locally and nationally because many current employees need to be home with their school-age children, among other reasons. In addition, the many unemployed workers in hospitality, sales and service industries don’t have the ability or resources to obtain training in a different field. Read more.
Oral Health Care Access
Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine’s Mobile Oral Health Services Clinic Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary

Over the past ten years, many Long Islanders have spotted a giant, eye-catching red van making its way through Nassau and Suffolk Counties: Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine's Mobile Oral Health Services Clinic. Beyond sightings on the highways, the 40' clinic on wheels has garnered attention for the oral healthcare services it has provided to underserved communities in its decade of existence. Read more.
Touro College of Dental Medicine at New York Medical College: Give Kids A Smile

This February, Touro Dental Health, the 115-chair dental teaching practice of Touro College of Dental Medicine, will celebrate its annual Give Kids A Smile! with a variety of fun virtual programs to educate kids and teens on the importance of good oral hygiene. From February 16th – 26th, kids 16 and under can receive FREE dental screenings, cleanings, x-rays, fluoride, sealants and some preventative restorations including fillings at Touro Dental Health. Space is limited and exclusions may apply. Multiple appointments may be required to complete treatment. Read more.
Grants
NYU College of Dentistry Awarded NIH Grant to Investigate Oral Cancer Pain Treatment Utilizing Co-Delivery of DNA and RNA

NYU College of Dentistry clinician-scientists Seiichi Yamano and Brian Schmidt have set out to develop a new class of medicines using gene therapy to effectively and safely treat oral cancer pain. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded the researchers a five-year, $2.9 million grant to test whether nonviral co-delivery of DNA and RNA will safely alleviate oral cancer pain. Read more.
Eastman Institute For Oral Health, University of Rochester Awarded $100K

Eastman Institute for Oral Health was awarded $100,000 from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to help improve oral health care for vulnerable elderly populations in the Greater Rochester community. “Due to the pandemic, oral health care has been halted in most nursing homes due to heightened safety concerns,” Holly Barone, RDH, EIOH Chief Operations Officer. “But without timely intervention, the progression of oral disease can cause pain and infection and adversely impact overall quality of life.” Read more.
NYU College of Dentistry Awarded $1.9 Million NIH Grant to Study Mitochondrial Changes Behind Stroke and Heart Attack

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded NYU College of Dentistry’s Evgeny Pavlov a grant to study a phenomenon called mitochondrial permeability transition, one of the central causes of tissue damage during stroke and heart attack. The five-year, $1.9 million grant begins February 1. Read more.
Awards
University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine: Michael Glick Receives 2020 Distinguished Dental Editor Award

Michael Glick, DMD, professor of oral diagnostic sciences in the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, received the 2020 Distinguished Dental Editor Award from the American Association of Dental Editors & Journalists (AADEJ) and the American Dental Association. The Distinguished Dental Editor Award recognizes editors who have brought exceptional credit to their society, dental journalism, the dental profession and organized dentistry through the production of high-quality publications and superior leadership. Read more.
Eastman Institute For Oral Health, University of Rochester Orthodontic Residents are Sole Award Winners at Regional Competition

Taylor Squires and Francesca Pietri, both post-doctoral residents at Eastman Institute for Oral Health, were the sole award winners at the Northeastern Society of Orthodontists first NESO Cup competition. Only 12 finalists were selected from all the submissions representing accredited orthodontic programs in the NESO region. Read more.
Faculty
University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine: Michael Glick Leads International Efforts to Advance Oral Health

UB faculty member Michael Glick, a renowned researcher in interdisciplinary oral health care, recently guided two international initiatives to progress oral health care. Glick served as co-chair of the working group that developed the FDI World Dental Federation’s Vision 2030: Delivering Optimal Oral Health for AllDownload pdf, an interdisciplinary roadmap on how to impact health policies and improve oral health over the next decade. Read more.