Dentistry students will present the results of their research projects at the annual UNMC College of Dentistry Research Day and the 56th annual Frank M. Wentz Student Scientific Program on Friday, Feb. 24.
The event will run from noon to 5 p.m. at the college in Lincoln. Student poster presentations will take place from noon to 3:30 p.m., followed by keynote speaker Elizabeth Redente, PhD, from National Jewish Health. The event will conclude with the annual awards ceremony.
The UNMC community is invited to attend to learn about and support dental student research.
“Each year, our third-year dental students, fourth-year dental hygiene students and postgraduate students present the results of their original research projects,” said James Wahl III, PhD, associate dean for research and chair of the department of oral biology at the UNMC College of Dentistry. “They work with faculty mentors, gaining insight into how they can help shape the future the oral health through research.”
Presentations will cover topics from clinical and basic sciences to educational research. The top three presentations will be honored in three categories — dental, dental hygiene and postgraduate research.
Last year’s dental research winners, Heath Ketteler and Isaac Langan, worked with faculty mentor Gregory Bennett, DMD, to research if different 3D printing systems influence the physical properties of the final printed product.
“We learned that different printers could produce significantly different physical properties, which has vast implications for the rapidly expanding 3D printer market,” Langan said.
Last year’s winners in the dental hygiene category were Jesi Adams and Kayla Bush; the winner in the postgraduate category was Grace Moore, DDS, a periodontics resident.
Dr. Redente, this year’s keynote speaker, is an associate professor and science leader for the Office of Research Innovation at National Jewish Health. Her presentation is titled “Reducing Fibroblast Persistence in Pulmonary Fibrosis as a Mechanism of Resolution.”