The Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry Research Day took place on January 29 on the Bannatyne campus. The event included speakers, flash talks and poster presentations.
“The quality and diversity of the research presented were excellent, and it was encouraging to see such strong participation from trainees and faculty across multiple programs, including dentistry, oral biology and dental hygiene,” said Kathy Yerex, associate professor of dental hygiene at the UM dental college.
Yerex organized the event with colleagues Dr. Ayesha Saleem, associate professor of oral biology, and Dr. Prashen Chelikani, associate dean (research) and professor of oral biology.
The morning began with a talk titled “Holistic interventions to tackle early childhood caries and promote oral health equity” by Dr. Dorota Kopycka-Kedzierawski, professor of dentistry, Eastman Institute for Oral Health at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
She was followed by Dr. Bob Schroth, professor of preventive dental science at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, whose talk was titled “Public health approaches to improve access to oral health care and oral health status for young children in Canada.”
Visiting speaker Dr. Pinaki Bose, associate professor of oncology at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine, gave a talk titled “Transcriptomic correlates of immune evasion in head and neck cancer.”
The morning ended with six flash talks by dental students, residents and PhD students.
The flash talk winners are:
- Nafees Zahra Rizvi, oral biology PhD student (Di erential responses to Wnt signaling modulation during tooth development in surface and cave morphs of astyanax mexicanus)
- Dr. Derek Oryniak, oral and maxillofacial surgery resident (Comparison of intra-articular injection of PRGF and corticosteroid when used as an adjunct to temporomandibular joint arthrocentesis: a blinded randomized control trial)
- Muhammad A. Abdullah, bachelor of science in dentistry student (Utilization of silver diamine fluoride by dentists in adult patients in Canada: a review of the non-insured health benefits dental claims database)
“Research Day provides an important opportunity to highlight the innovative research taking place within the College of Dentistry and School of Dental Hygiene,” Yerex said.
“It allows students, residents, and faculty to showcase their work, exchange ideas, and strengthen a culture of inquiry that ultimately advances oral health and patient care.”