25 June 2025

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ASOD team performs complex surgical procedure via livestream

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Adams School of Dentistry is leading the way in advanced dental education and care, and a recent virtual event highlighted the school’s commitment to patient care, advanced techniques and sharing a wealth of knowledge from experienced dental professionals with those interested in dentistry and those already in practice.  

As part of the school’s Virtual Dentistry: Shadowing series, where virtual visitors like potential students and interested experts can observe oral health care providers in action, interact with them and ask questions, ASOD livestreamed an autotransplantation, a complex oral surgery procedure.

A team of oral health care providers, including ASOD’s Jacklyn Smollett, DDS, Bethany Doolittle, DDS, adjunct professor Dick Barendregt, DDS, MSc, PhD, John Christensen, DDS, adjunct professor, and Antonio Moretti, DDS, MS, associate dean of advanced dental education, performed the autotransplantation procedure, provided oversight and narrated during the event. 

Autotransplantation is the transfer of a tooth from its location to another location surgically in the same person. The procedure is generally performed in children, and the tooth is implanted into living bone and tissue, offering better outcomes as the child grows. Unlike an organ transplant where there is a risk of the body rejecting the organ or tissue, when your own tissue is transplanted, there aren’t any rejection issues to deal with. 

“When the tooth is autotransplanted from one site to another site in the same mouth, using a careful technique, we preserve the cells (from the tooth ligament) attached to the tooth root that can survive in another location. This transplanted tooth will grow with the growth of the jaw bones unlike dental implants or dental bridges,” Moretti said. 

“You have to decide which tooth will work, and you consider structure, the aesthetics, and whether it’s feasible to move the tooth,” Christensen said. “It’s like a jigsaw puzzle; how do things fit together?” 

The team of people performing the procedure and providing oversight also have to work together in tandem to produce the best outcome for the patient. Autotransplantation teams often require many specialties to work together, including orthodontics, surgery (periodontist or oral surgeon), endodontics, restorative, radiology and pediatrics. 

“Because we’re treating a growing patient with a lot of moving pieces, you need a team that can meet and make decisions, and there’s a give and take among the team, sometimes it all fits and sometimes it doesn’t. You have to decide what to do. And that’s the importance of having the team. We have a group that is very confident and non judgmental and people check their egos and do what’s best for the patient,” Christensen said. 

In addition to the procedure, live events like this aren’t commonplace, and ASOD leaders said this is a great way to highlight the skills of our providers and faculty and provide some real-world insight into oral surgery. 

“Hosting live procedures through our Virtual Dentistry: Shadowing series not only showcases the clinical depth and innovation at UNC Adams School of Dentistry but also serves as a powerful recruitment tool,” said Lamont Lowery, MA, assistant dean of student recruitment. “Events like this give prospective students — whether in high school, college, or already in dental school — a rare opportunity to witness advanced procedures in real time, ask questions, and imagine themselves in the operatory. It demystifies dentistry, elevates curiosity, and affirms career goals. For learners, it’s more than just observation, it’s inspiration with clinical insight. Exposure is key – providing a pathway to the profession for all would-be seekers. As Edelman said, ‘you can’t be what you can’t see.’ ”

Source: https://dentistry.unc.edu/