Department of Periodontics and Preventive Dentistry
Periodontics is the study of clinical aspects of the supporting structures of the teeth, which includes the gingiva (gums), alveolar bone (jaw), root cementum (tissue covering the root), and the periodontal ligament (supporting tissue of the tooth). A periodontist is a dentist who specializes in treating diseases of the gingiva and tooth.
The Department of Periodontics and Preventive Dentistry is charged with the didactic and clinical education of first professional students and graduate residents needing to learn to perform the entire spectrum of periodontal procedures.
The three-year residency program has nine individuals in training; each resident must be a graduate of a U.S. or Canadian dental school. However, the residents are a diverse group with origins in cultures from around the world.
The department chair, Dr. Pouran Famili, is an epidemiologist with more than twenty years' experience as a periodontist conducting clinical research. Because of recent experiences mentoring clinical research for several First Professional dental students, she holds a secondary appointment as professor in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. The residents in periodontics will present abstracts at the national meeting of the Academy of Osseointegration 2009 (four posters) and 2010 (five) and the Northeast Regional Implant Symposium, held in Pittsburgh in October 2008. The residents also provide dental clearances for two clinical osteoporosis NIH-funded research projects on which Dr. Famili is a co-investigator. Dental device manufacturer NobelBiocare materially supports another clinical investigation regarding dental implantation in women with osteoporosis. Dr. Famili will be presenting the results of one dental-student-driven clinical research project at the World Congress on Preventive Dentistry in Phuket, Thailand, on September 7.
Professor, Chair, and Director of the Residency Program
Department of Periodontics and Preventive Dentistry
Pouran Famili, DMD, MDS, MPH, PhD
University of Pittsburgh
School of Dental Medicine
B94 Salk Hall
3501 Terrace Street
Pittsburgh, PA. 15261
Phone: (412) 648-8595
Fax: (412) 648-8594
Email: pof@dental.pitt.edu