13 February 2024

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School of Dentistry faculty, staff and students continued to advance scientific research with a broad array of publications in 2023

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The University of Michigan School of Dentistry continued its leadership in important dental, oral and craniofacial research in 2023 with faculty publishing 263 papers, articles and reviews in a variety of leading scientific journals. The school’s annual research expenditures totaled $24.9 million and faculty received 38 grants, the most in the last five years.

U-M has long been a leader among U.S. dental schools in its commitment to research as a core part of its educational mission of training dental students. Current research by faculty and their teams of research assistants ranges widely, including advances in bone and soft-tissue regeneration; how nerve density affects tumor development and progression in oral squamous cell carcinoma; anomalies in facial and skull anatomy; biological mechanisms in palatogenesis and cleft palate; and the mechanisms inhibiting regeneration of salivary glands that have been damaged by cancer radiation treatments.

Research is centered among the school’s four research themes of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics; Clinical, Population and Educational Research; Craniofacial, Skeletal Biology and Disease; and Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. They are part of the school’s mission of “Advancing health through education, service, research and discovery.”

“Our faculty, their research labs and staff, are doing truly remarkable research that promotes the integration of basic, translational, clinical and health services research,” said Vesa Kaartinen, associate dean for research. “The ultimate goal is to stimulate discoveries and translate the new knowledge into clinical practice that can improve healthcare for dental patients and other patients who require a wide variety of treatment for various diseases, genetic disorders and trauma.”

The school highlights its research during an annual Research Day, set this year for Thursday, Feb. 15. Students, postdoctoral trainees, staff and faculty members will display more than 110 posters at morning and afternoon sessions at the Michigan League. The keynote speaker, at 1 p.m. in Kellogg Auditorium at the School of Dentistry, is Dr. Rena N. D’Souza, Director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. A highly accomplished dentist-scientist, Dr. D’Souza is a leading researcher in craniofacial development, genetics, tooth development and regenerative dental medicine. She is also recognized as a visionary leader who has brought transformative changes to dental, oral and craniofacial research through her leadership of the NIDCR.

Source: https://news.dent.umich.edu/