Research

University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine Receives Funding to Establish NIDCR Consortium for Tissue Regeneration Therapies

PITTSBURGH, March 17, 2017

Center for Craniofacial Regeneration microCT Core Director Dr. Konstantinos Verdelis has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health totaling $323,000 for an ex vivo high resolution micro-computed tomography system for the School of Dental Medicine. The system will be housed at the School of Dental Medicine's microCT Core at the Center for Craniofacial Regeneration (CCR) in Salk Pavilion.

Center for Craniofacial Regeneration (CCR) faculty member Dobrawa Napierala, PhD, recently became president of the Mineralized Tissue Group (MTG) of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR). Dr. Napierala was named to the position March 23, 2017, at the annual IADR meeting in San Francisco, Ca. She had served as president-elect in 2016 and vice president in 2015.

Center for Craniofacial Regeneration visiting scholar Qi Han, DDS, a PhD candidate, was recognized in March with the IADR MTG Young Investigator Award from the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Mineralized Tissue Biology Committee. Dr. Han received the honor at the annual IADR conference March 23, in San Francisco, Ca.

Dr. Han was recognized for his work on the abstract “Osteoblastic lineage-intrinsic Tsc1 regulates osteogenesis and bone marrow adipogenesis.” The award brings with it the title of Mineralized Tissue Group (MTG) Young Investigator.

Pitt Dental Medicine Professor of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, Dr. Alexandre Vieira, is the 2021 recipient of the ORCA Prize from the European Organisation for Caries Research (ORCA). The prize recognizes original published work in caries research supported by a record of active promotion of caries research.
 

On September 25, 2014, Pitt ASDA (American Student Dental Association) hosted its 7th annual Steel City Dental Expo. The annual event took place at the Wyndham University Center in Oakland, students, residents and faculty were invited to attend an education seminar and vendor fair.  The morning featured guest speaker, Dr. Robert Lowe, a general dentist from Charlotte, NC, speaking on “Practical Dentistry for the Restorative Practice” to more than 350 attendees. Dr. Lowe’s presentation included dental materials, crown and bridge techniques, advances in direct composites, and creative treatment planning for the “real world” patient.

The afternoon vendor fair, one of the largest in the event’s history, included 32 vendors, and featured premier sponsors Stryker and Nobel Biocare. The afternoon program welcomed students in the Dental Hygiene program.

The School of Dental Medicine, in cooperation with the Carnegie Science Center, highlighted dentistry and dental careers during a recent event for tween and teen girls held in the Simulation clinic at the school.

CanTEEN is an innovative program coordinated by Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Science Center, in cooperation with regional institutions, to highlight STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers for girls through gaming and other activities. Monday, March 30, 2015, a group of girls joined Dr. Elizabeth Bilodeau and volunteers to experience being a dentist for a few hours. The girls spent the morning in hands-on activities pouring stone models, performing sealants on model teeth and listening to a short presentation about the advantages of a dental career. 

Since its inception in 2009, the Randall Family Big Idea Competition has been offered to all University of Pittsburgh undergraduate and graduate students across all schools and departments. It is an experience-based learning opportunity that encourages Pitt student to form their own interdisciplinary teams, develop a product and pursue bringing their ideas to market.

This year two of the top-winning teams worked with School of Dental Medicine faculty, alumni and student consultants with the aim to improve dental technology for students, faculty, and patients.

Nearly 180 million Americans are missing one or more teeth. Dental implants can provide a safe and effective treatment for many of them.

The Journal of Prosthodontics has released a special edition of its respected publication to feature those ten articles, published in the past three years, that have had the greatest global impact on the field of dental implants.

Included in the special online issue are recent, cutting edge, evidence-based studies that give the reader a thorough global perspective of the field, and clarify and summarize the state of implant research today.

Two faculty members in the Department of Prosthodontics at the School of Dental Medicine are included in this short, exclusive list of impactful papers.