The National Institutes of Health recently announced a $3.2M R01 grant awarded to Dr. Kyungsup Shin and his research team to develop a new approach to reconstruction of orofacial clefts using personalized biomimetic scaffolds. This project is one component of a larger project developing more effective treatments for children born with cleft lip and palate.

The college’s Clinical/Dental Education Research Initiative Support Program (CRISP) supported John Syrbu’s project on the impact of digital photography on laboratory-fabricated dental restorations to support the college’s clinical research mission. This project will be the first quantitative measure of the influence of digital photography in shade matching and lays the foundation for establishing clinical guidelines for practice.

The Japanese company, Kuraray, awarded Akimasa Tsujimoto a grant to investigate whether their newly developed light-cure resin luting cement will effectively reduce wear and prevent gap formations between ceramic veneers and teeth. This project shows the value of industry-academic partnerships to meet industry needs and improve clinical practices.

Advances in dental care occur because of a strong clinical research program. The college’s Clinical/Dental Education Research Initiative Support Program (CRISP) supported a project currently led by Rohit Nair on the factors that are clinically associated with dry mouth (xerostomia) among older adults. The goal is, ultimately, to improve dental care for older adult patients suffering from dry mouth.

On July 13, middle school students visited the University of Iowa College of Dentistry as part of the St. Ambrose 2022 Health Careers Adventure Camp. Campers experienced hands-on learning sessions provided by faculty, students and clinicians while learning about dental careers.

The 2022 IASDA Pre-Dental Summer Academy was a great success! For three days at the end of June, a group of students from all over the country came to Iowa to learn about dental school and the application process while gaining some hands-on experience simulating life as a dental student.

The college is proud to announce the appointment of Aaron Cho, as the next department head of prosthodontics at the University of Iowa. Cho will start this new role beginning on August 29, 2022.

The Pediatric Dentistry Student Group recently completed a service project supported by a $1,000  grant received from the Crest and America’s Toothfairy organizations. 

The dental track of the Summer Health Professions Education Program showcases careers in dentistry for undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds. Since 2017, this highly competitive program has served over 100 students helping to prepare them for dental school and a future career in dentistry. Jonelle Joseph and Hannah Malloy are two graduates of this unique and immersive educational experience, and both have helped with the program over the last two summers.

Azeez Alade, a PhD candidate in genetic epidemiology, specializes in identifying rare genetic factors associated with orofacial clefts in African populations. The IADR and Smile Train awarded Alade $75K to support his dissertation research.