23 February 2023

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Harvard, Tufts, University of Connecticut researchers team up on study

Story by Harvard School of Dental Medicine News

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The collaborative effort of a group of periodontal researchers from Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, and the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine has landed their article on the January 2023 cover of Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry.

This story was posted Feb. 2 on Harvard School of Dental Medicine's news site. 

Their article, “Minimally Invasive Coronally Advanced Flap Techniques for Correction of Gingival Recession Defects: A Review,” seeks to supply clinicians with contemporary surgical techniques that offer esthetic results with reduced patient morbidity.

Traditional mucogingival surgery methods for treating gingival recession defects often require tissue grafting from the palate, which is associated with postoperative pain, swelling, bleeding, and a potential for difficulty chewing and eating. In recent years, however, clinicians have created new techniques designed to avoid those outcomes.

“Our article aims to cover these different options that clinicians have and inform them on how these procedures are performed and the indications for them,” Dr. Jessica Latimer, DDS, a periodontology resident and Doctor of Medical Sciences (DMSc) candidate in oral biology at HSDM, and one of the article’s authors said.

“We’re trying to supply people with more knowledge and empower them to give their patients optimal care,” she said.

A rise in minimally invasive techniques follows a larger trend in medicine moving from “patient-centered” to “person-centered” care. It is becoming more common for practitioners to consider their patient’s values, goals and preferences when making clinical decisions.

This philosophy should extend into educational training as well, according to Dr. Irina Dragan, DDS, DMD, a practicing periodontist, HSDM lecturer and one of the article’s authors. There are times when Dragan said she finds that her residents get so focused on getting practice conducting procedures they can overlook other less involved options. Instead, she teaches that sometimes a simpler approach, or even delaying care until a safer time, is ideal for patients.

“As faculty, you have two key populations that you have to take care of: patients and students,” she said. “With this type of research, we are actually also moving from student-centered to person-centered and we’re highlighting that the best education that we can offer to our residents is actually the best care for our patients.”

Beyond spreading awareness of minimally invasive mucogingival techniques, Dragan and Latimer said they hope their article can showcase the power of collaboration. The team deployed a vertical mentorship approach to their work, with each of the authors at a different stage in their career providing unique and essential contributions.

Dr. Jennifer Duffy, DMD, who was a dental student at Tufts while working on the article and is now in UConn’s Periodontology Residency Program, worked closely with the team’s expert librarian to scour databases for research related to minimally invasive mucogingival techniques.

Latimer, who has a background in art, in addition to her expertise in science, created each of the illustrations depicting the various techniques described in the article.

Dragan and fellow author Dr. Ronald Fried, DMD, HSDM alumnus and former faculty member, were able to select the clinical cases used in the article from the pair’s extensive private practice database.

In the end, it was this bi-directional teaching and learning experience that stuck with the researchers.

“Mentorship is so important in dentistry because you don’t just finish dental school or residency and then know everything there is to know,” Latimer said. “It takes a whole lifetime, and everything is always changing. So, you always need someone with more experience than you to help you, even once you've graduated or are practicing." 

Read the story on Harvard School of Dental Medicine's news site.

See also the research study on the journal's website: https://www.aegisdentalnetwork.com/adn/cced/2023/01/minimally-invasive-coronally-advanced-flap-techniques-for-correction-of-gingival-recession-defects-a-review