gatordentist A P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f F l o r i d a C o l l e g e o f D e n t i s t r y Fall 2005

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UF Dental Public Health…changing lives one smile at a timewww.dental.ufl.edu

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and thehuman suffering she inflicted on our nation’s GulfCoast communities, this Gator Dentist Todayissue’s theme of dental public health is both rele-vant and poignant.

As Katrina’s devastation demonstrated, it is toooften the poorest and most vulnerable in our com-munities who bear the brunt of human suffering.Those who could ill afford to evacuate remained intheir homes during Katrina and paid a terrible toll.These are the same people who suffer even duringtimes of prosperity. As the Centers for DiseaseControl recently reported, America’s poor and

minority populations continue to carry the burden of oral health disease, evenwhile the oral health of the rest of the country improves.

Certainly, health disparities exist in Florida as they do elsewhere in the nation,but the College of Dentistry and its partners are making a difference for many ofFlorida’s residents.

In this issue, you will read of oral health screenings conducted by college fac-ulty and students on more than one thousand school children in one of the state’spoorest counties; of a unique social marketing initiative to reduce oral cancerdeaths in Jacksonville’s African-American population through early detection; anda story on the problem-based oral health approach too many of Florida’s rural residents assume, attempting to self-medicate to avoid a dental visit, even when suffering from extreme pain.

Recognizing the tremendous need for improved dental public health inFlorida, the college is in the process of creating a new Department of CommunityDentistry and Behavioral Science. This new department will encompass commu-nity based programs, dental public health epidemiology and research, as well asteaching and research in ethics and the behavioral sciences of dentistry. As thedepartment’s newest faculty member, we are fortunate to have recruited Dr. RobertSelwitz, former chief of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Researchbranch on population research and health promotion. Dr. Selwitz will be based inJacksonville, where he holds joint appointment as the dental director for the DuvalCounty Health Department.

The point of this issue’s stories of suffering and recovery is to demonstrate thateach of us has an opportunity and responsibility to contribute to the health of ourcommunities. The college is working hard and doing its part to improve oral healththrough teaching, research and service.

My challenge for every reader is to make a positive impact on the public’shealth in your own back yards, one person at a time –volunteer your services, getinvolved in the ADA’s Give Kids a Smile program, participate in oral health issuesat the local and state levels, or serve as a courtesy faculty at one of the college’s dental facilities.

Opportunities to make a difference for the underserved people in yourcommunity are endless, and the rewards are great.

Teresa A. Dolan, D.D.S., M.P.H.Professor and Dean

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SGator Dentist Today

FALL 2005

Published twice annuallyfor the alumni, faculty, staff,students and friends of the

University of FloridaCollege of Dentistry

DeanTeresa A. Dolan, D.D.S., M.P.H.

EditorCommunications DirectorLindy McCollum-Brounley

2004 - 2005 Editorial BoardLaurence Grayhills, The Academy of

Alumni and Friends

Teresa A. Dolan, Dean

Jeffrey Fleigel, Student

Tom Fortner, Health Science CenterNews and Communications

Kathy Galloway, Research

Jay Garlitz, Alumnus

Sue Guido, Alumni Affairs

James Haddix, Faculty

Cathy Jenkins, Development

Bill Martin, Alumnus

Will Martin, Faculty

Melanie Ross, Health Science Center News and Communications

Ted Spiker, UF College ofJournalism and Communications

J.R. Taylor, Alumnus

PhotographyLisa Baltozer

Sam BrillLindy BrounleyLinda Kubitz

DesignJS Design Studio

PrintingStorter Childs Printing

For additional copies, contact:UF College of DentistryCommunications Office

P. O. Box 100405Gainesville, FL 32610-0405

(352) 273-5782 FAX: (352) 392-3070

www.dental.ufl.edu(352) 273-5800

features UF DENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH:CHANGING SMILES

7 Sometimes it really does take a village

8 Selling survival

10 Rural residents with oral pain suffer too long before seeking help

11 Old objections to water fluoridation die hard

TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA

12 UF facial pain team tackles most

baffling cases of the ‘world’s most

acutely painful disorder’

departments4 In Brief

15 Research

18 Education

24 Faculty

27 Alumni

continuing dental educationSee back cover for course list.

College of Dentistry

The University of Florida CraniofacialCenter hosted its 12th Annual InternationalProgram on “Speech, Language, Hearing andSwallowing Disorders: Advances in Diagnosisand Treatment” in partnership with theUniversity of Sao Paulo at Bauru College ofDentistry and Department of Fonoaudiology.The week-long summer program attracted 22Brazilian private practitioners, University of SaoPaulo faculty and graduate students in the field

of speech-language pathology. The UFCraniofacial Center and University of Sao Paulowill host a dual program in 2006 with a speechpathology course and a workshop, directed byFacial Pain Center Director Henry Gremillion,for dental specialists interested in temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction and facial pain.For additional information on this UF/Brazilprogram please call (352) 846-0801 or visitwww.cleft.ufl.edu.

“Dime con quien andas y te dire quien eres.” Tell me whoyour companions are and I’ll tell you who you are.

In early September, the college hosted 12 Mexican dentalstudents and one faculty member, Dr. Sylvia Morales (pictured third from left in back row) as part of its ongoinginternational educational exchange with sister dental institution, Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan Facultad deOdontologia (UADY). The UADY students arrived inGainesville Sept. 5 for a week of curricular instruction, clinic shadowing and cultural exchange with UFCD studentsand faculty. UADY and UFCD students – who bonded duringthe March UFCD visit to Yucatan – were thrilled to be reunit-ed, and it was often difficult to identify UFCD from UADYstudents in the chattering and laughing group. Inset: DeanDolan provided game tickets for the UADY students to joinUFCD students and faculty in the Swamp during the Sept.10 Gator game against Louisiana Tech as a final componentof the cultural exchange aspects of the visit – during which,a stadium full of 99,000 Gator Nation and Louisiana Tech fansdelivered a fun crash course in college football hysteria.

The Florida Department of Health (DOH), ina continued effort to improve access to dentalcare for everyone in the state, has arranged forthe dental licensure exam to now be offered fourtimes each year.

“The Department of Health is committed tofinding ways to improve access to dental care foreveryone in our state,” DOH Secretary John O.Agwunobi, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., said.“Finding ways to increase the number of licenseddentists in Florida should directly and positivelyimpact that access.”

Beginning in March, the Dental ClinicalLicensure Examination will be given by the NorthEast Regional Board of Dental Examiners, Inc.(NERB). NERB will offer the examination fourtimes annually in March, June, September andDecember at the University of Florida and NovaSoutheastern University. In addition, as a service tothe applicants for licensure, preliminary scores arebeing given to them immediately upon completionof the examination, making Florida the first in thenation to offer this service.

Agwunobi said lower income individuals, who

have been shown to be three to four times less likelyto have a dental visit and have two to three timesthe dental needs of higher income persons, werefeeling the greatest impact of limited access to den-tal care. Agwunobi said additional measures toincrease the number of dentists in the state werebeing considered, including possible use of a nation-al clinical licensure examination, which members ofthe Florida Board of Dentistry are assisting in devel-oping, for future licensure.

Agwunobi also pointed to the continuedefforts by DOH to facilitate an integrated, coor-dinated oral health system between the publicand private sectors as the key to reducing oralhealth disparities throughout the state. DOHcontinually works to expand community andschool-based preventive, education, and treat-ment programs; several mechanisms – temporarycertificates, non-profit corporation permits andlimited licenses - also exist to allow dentists unlicensed in Florida to provide care to those inmost need.

For more information, contact Lindsay Hodgesat 1-800-245-4111.

Dental licensure exam Now offered four times annually

Class of 2005 gets high board marks Final results are in for the performance of

the Class of 2005 on Part II of the NationalBoard of Dental Examinations. Their perform-ance was ranked 11th out of 54 dentalschools participating in the examination. Thisoutstanding achievement placed University ofFlorida dental graduates in the top quintile inthe nation for the first time in five years, duringwhich time UF’s ranking ranged from 18th to21st in the nation. In addition to their out-standing efforts on the NBII, the Class of 2005achieved a 100 percent pass rate on theFlorida State Licensure examination.

Congratulations to the Class of 2005!

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Top: Javier Mendez stands next to his AADR/IADR poster presentation, “Promoting culturally competent oral health in vulnerable populations.” Mendez was one of 22 UF students presentingposters during the joint IADR/AADR meeting in Baltimore, Maryland last March. Inset, from left toright: Dental student Christopher Latham, UF President Bernie Machen and Assistant Professor of Oral Biology Myriam Belanger. Machen, a pediatric dentist and former dental dean at University ofMichigan, was a member of the UF contingent attending the IADR/AADR in Baltimore.

AADR/IADR Meeting

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GenerationsFive dentistry deans joined the College

of Dentistry during the Sept. 10 DentalFall Weekend alumni homecoming andPhilanthropy Center dedication activities.Front row, from left sit Jose E. Medina,D.D.S. (1969-1973) and Teresa A. Dolan,D.D.S., M.P.H. (interim 2003-2004, dean2004 to present). Back row from left,Donald L. Allen, D.D.S., M.S., (interim1973-1974, dean 1974-1982), Frank A.Catalanotto, D.M.D., (1994-2003), and Donald M. Legler, D.D.S., Ph.D.,(1983-1994).

Craniofacial Center hosts international program

International Educational Exchange

I N B R I E F

UF Craniofacial Center Director William Williams, Ph.D., (pictured second from left) hosted the group of 22 Braziliansfrom the University of Sao Paulo at Bauru (USP). Program co-organizers and USP faculty Maria Ines Pegoraro-Krook, Ph. D.,(far left) and Jeniffer Dutka-Souza, Ph.D. (third from left).

C O V E R S T O R Y

B Y L I N D Y M C C O L L U M - B R O U N L E Y

Dental public health scientists at UF are making strides in improving oral health of Florida’s most vulnerable residents. Theirresearch leads the country in identifying the state’s at-risk populations and access to care barriers, as well as implementing inno-vative strategies to change behaviors impacting oral health. Whether screening children in Florida’s poorest counties, increasingawareness of the risk factors of oral cancer, examining treatment barriers for rural residents or reinforcing the benefit of fluori-dated water in the face of irrational opposition – these scientists attempt to transcend culturally ingrained beliefs and behaviorsfor the public good. No one said it would be easy, but the pay-off in improved dental health, even lives saved, could be huge.

Changing lives

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U F D E N T A L P U B L I C H E A L T H

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ep. Curtis B. Richardson, who’s legislative district includeseconomically depressed Gadsden County, is no stranger toaccess to care disparities; according to Department of Health

statistics, more than 80 percent of his district’s low-income and largely minorityresidents have no access to dental care.

To address this problem, Richardson worked with the Gadsden CountyHealth Department to receive a $71,000 National Institutes of Health, Centerfor Minority Health Disparities grant. The grant enabled the Gadsden CountyHealth Department, which has limited infrastructure to support dental treat-ment, to contract with the UF College of Dentistry to provide oral healthscreenings, dental treatment and dental hygiene training for the county’s low-income and minority residents.

Under the contract, UF dental faculty and students conducted oral healthscreenings of more than 1,000 Gadsden County elementary school children inOctober of last year. In June, children identified during screening as having thegreatest need received full treatment plans from UF dental faculty and studentsworking from the Southern Baptist Convention’s mobile dental bus. Parked atthe Earl Willis Community Center in Greensboro, Fla., bus operatories servedas ground zero for more than $9,000 in dental care provided at no charge to150 Gadsden County children and adults.

Micaela Gibbs, D.D.S., assistant clinical professor of community-based programs, examines a Gadsden County school child duringthe college’s October 2004 weeklong screening activities.

RSometimes it really does take a village

which 28 percent of the area’s approximately 800,000 residents are AfricanAmerican. The campaign aims to increase awareness of the signs and symptoms oforal cancer, the major risk factors of tobacco and alcohol use, and the benefits ofearly detection, which offers a cure rate of 90 percent.

Focus groups and telephone surveys of African-American residents in theJacksonville and outlying areas have been conducted to establish baseline dataabout current behaviors and attitudes, level of awareness, information sources andmedia and message preferences. Telephone surveys of African-American respon-dents in the Miami area have also been conducted to establish control data.

This fall, a public relations/media agency will be hired to develop the advertis-ing campaign, which is expected to roll-out early in 2006. The campaign willemploy African-American actors and models to help the message resonate with itstargeted audience. Radio public service announcements, billboards, and printedbrochures are materials expected to be developed and distributed during the cam-paign by mass media and through the health networks of the IFAS health andnutrition extension program and the Duval County Health Department.

“Choosing appropriate models, messages and methods of disseminating themessages we’re hoping, at a minimum, will change awareness and knowledge, andultimately, behavior in terms of people saying, ‘Yes, I am at risk, and yes, there arethings I can do to detect this disease earlier,’ “ said Tomar.

Stand by your manAfrican-American men are not the only campaign targets; mothers, daughters,

girlfriends and wives will be encouraged to “Stand by Your Man” with the mes-sage that one of the best things a woman can do for the man in her life is to makesure he’s regularly examined for mouth and throat cancers.

Radio PSAs and other campaign materials will offer a toll-free telephonenumber for people to call for more information. The hotline will be staffed bytrained operators at the UF Survey Research Center who will collect demographicand behavioral information about tobacco and alcohol use. Those callers interest-ed in receiving more information will be mailed a packet of materials producedfor the campaign and by the National Cancer Institute and the National Instituteof Dental and Craniofacial Research.

“Dr. Tomar’s research can be pivotal to increasing oral cancer literacy andincreasing oral cancer examinations. Most adults do not know that an oral cancerexamination exists and that they should have one,” said Alice Horowitz, an educa-tion specialist with the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research,National Institutes of Health. “When oral cancers are diagnosed and treated intheir early states, the 5-year survival rate is more than 80 percent, compared toabout 50 percent for late stage diagnoses.”

Evaluation of the campaign’s effectiveness in achieving its goals of raisingawareness and increasing oral cancer exams in the targeted audience will be con-ducted using follow-up telephone surveys. The hypothesis is that a greater changein health beliefs and behaviors will be seen in the intervention community ofJacksonville/Duval County than in the control community.

“Increased awareness and knowledge may not be sufficient to change healthbehaviors,” said Tomar, “but we know behavior changes will not occur without it.If we can help change behaviors, we can help save lives and improve quality oflife. That’s what public health is about.”

ost people with a head for business are familiarwith the four Ps of marketing – Product, Price,Place and Promotion. Now, University of Florida

dental public health researchers are adding a fifth P – Prevention – to theequation in their social marketing efforts to stem the rising tide ofdeaths from mouth and throat cancers in Florida.

The first four Ps of their social marketing campaign include: productas oral cancer screenings, price as barriers and facilitators of participatingin oral cancer screenings, place as the targeted audience’s preferred chan-nels of communication, and promotion as messages the targeted audiencewould find most memorable and persuasive.

Spurred by a $1.25 million, five-year grant from the NationalInstitute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes ofHealth (NIDCR/NIH), these scientists plan to use advertising to raiseawareness of their fifth P – prevention as early detection of oral cancer inthe group of people most at risk of dying from the disease.

“We conducted a lot of analysis of epidemiological data of cancerhistory to see what the oral cancer rates are in different parts of the statein terms of new cancers, deaths related to these cancers, as well as thestage at which the cancers are diagnosed,” said Scott L. Tomar, an associ-ate professor of public health services and research in the College ofDentistry. “What we found is a band across the northeast part of thestate, the extended Jacksonville/Duval County area, which experiencedthe highest incidence of these cancers, higher rates of deaths from thesecancers and later stage diagnoses.

“It was also the area where we happened to find the greatestracial disparity,” Tomar said.

Uneven groundNationwide, men, in general, are twice as likely as women to be

diagnosed with mouth or throat cancer, but the incidence of oral can-cer is 35 percent higher for black males than for white males.Additionally, the mortality rate for black men is twice as high as thatof white men.

Tomar’s analysis of Florida Cancer Data System records of 27,000Floridians demonstrated that the national trend of racial disparities in oralcancer incidence and mortality was consistent with that of Florida. Blackmen in the state not only carried a disproportionate burden of oral andpharyngeal cancer incidence, but they were also more likely to be diag-nosed with aggressive pharyngeal cancers and their cancers were more likelyto have metastasized. Black men also underwent surgery for their cancerless often and died 44 percent earlier than their white counterparts.

Surprisingly, despite the high incidence of oral and throat cancer inFlorida, Tomar’s telephone surveys of adult residents of the state revealedthat nearly 16 percent of adults aged 40 years and older had never heard oforal cancer and another 40 percent reportedly knew little or nothing aboutit. Only 28 percent correctly identified oral cancer’s major risk factors.

“In our view, people aren’t going to take action when they don’t under-stand the disease or perceive themselves to be at risk,” said Tomar. “That’swhat really led us into our current project.”

Can you hear me now?Tomar’s NIH/NIDCR-funded project is taking a novel, science-based

social marketing approach to sell survival to African-American men overthe age of 40 – the segment of Florida’s population at greatest risk for oraland pharyngeal cancer incidence and mortality. The project coordinatorsare developing an advertising campaign in the greater Jacksonville area, in

S O C I A L M A R K E T I N G

SellingSurvival

Social marketingbrings oral cancerawareness andprevention home

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Missing or Excluded0.00 to 17.8017.81 to 35.6035.61 to 53.4053.41 and Above

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Scott L. Tomar leads the social marketing effort to prevent deaths from oral canceramong Jacksonville’s African-American population.

“What we found is a band

across the northeast part

of the state, which experi-

enced the highest incidence

of these cancers…”

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A C C E S S T O C A R E T O B E O R N O T T O B E

ural residents are nearly twice as likely as their urbancounterparts to postpone timely trips to the dentist,seeking help only after they develop a problem and oral

pain is severe, University of Florida researchers report.The delay results in widespread dissatisfaction with treatment and

less than optimal outcomes.“What we found is there is a group of people who wait until their con-

dition is of sufficient painful intensity and duration before deciding that it’sbad enough to pick up the phone and call the dentist,” said study investiga-tor Joseph Riley, an assistant professor of public health services and researchat UF’s College of Dentistry. “There is evidence that these people assumethis problem-oriented approach to oral health because of low access to care,whether that be due to an inability to pay or the lack of dentists practicingin rural areas,” Riley added.

UF researchers, writing in the April issue of Public Health Reports,noted similar trends amongblacks and women, though menwith painful symptoms were thegroup most likely to entirelyavoid dental visits, possiblyattempting to self-medicate theirpain at home to avoid going tothe dentist.

Over a four-year period, theresearchers studied patterns inaccess to dental care among 703randomly selected people aged45 years and older living in ruralor urban counties in NorthFlorida.

Researchers interviewed eachparticipant and conducted anoral examination at the begin-ning of the study. They thenconducted follow-up telephoneinterviews at six-month intervals

to track financial status, symptoms of oral pain, and usage of dental servicesand treatment. Study participants were also interviewed in person andunderwent additional oral examinations two and four years into the study.

Study investigators found rural residents and people who take aproblem-oriented rather than preventive approach to oral

health care were more likely to need emergency den-tal care for oral pain. People who live in rural

areas and take a problem-oriented

approach of opting to wait until oral discomfort worsened were at the high-est risk of anyone for needing pain-related emergency treatment.

Over the course of the study, 23 percent of the participants experiencedat least one emergency dental visit because of painful symptoms due toafflictions such as toothaches and abscesses. Sixty-seven percent of thosewho reported an emergency dental visit due to pain rated their discomfortsevere.

Overall, men were 20 percent less likely to seek and receive dental careat all, even when suffering from severe oral pain.

Only 56 percent of patients who visited the dentist for emergency treat-ment of painful oral conditions described themselves as “very satisfied” withthe outcome of their treatment, versus 79 percent of those who soughturgent care but were pain-free at the time.

“What we found is that patients who had urgent dental visits because ofpain were less likely to be satisfied by the time it took to be seen, the dentaltreatment they received and by the actual outcome of the visit,” said Riley.

Riley said there is nothing unique about the dental choices people inrural North Florida make compared with residents living elsewhere. The UFstudy findings are consistent with data gathered by the National Center forHealth Statistics, wherein minority and poor populations carry the burdenof oral health problems, he said.

(continued next page)

CDC Releases Oral Health Report

Dental public health efforts in the U.S. have paid off over the past tenyears according to a recent government report. Water fluoridation, theapplication of dental sealants, encouragement of regular dental visits andprograms teaching good oral hygiene are making a positive impact on theoral health of America.

Some highlights of the Centers for Disease Control and NationalInstitutes of Health/National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Researchinclude:� 15 percent less tooth decay in permanent teeth for children

ages 6 to 19 years � 64 percent increase in the use of dental sealants among children

and adolescents � a 20 percent decrease in endentulous adults aged 60 years and older

The bad news is that the nation still has a long way to go in improvingoral health, and economic and racial disparities in oral health and accessto care remain a problem. Some statistics include:� 65 percent of teens 16 to 19 years have tooth decay or fillings in

permanent teeth � 14 percent of smokers older than 20 were endentulous, compared to

less than five percent of non-smokers � 32 percent of Hispanic children and 27 percent of black children aged

2 to 11 years had untreated tooth decay in primary teeth, compared to18 percent of white children

� 30 percent of low-income adults had untreated tooth decay “The report provides us with another wake-up call that more must be

done to improve access to oral health care,” said American DentalAssociation President Richard Haught, D.D.S. “We can and must do moreto improve access to care, particularly for the underserved. Society as awhole must place value on good oral health care.”

r. James Rotella never wanted tobe known as an anti-fluoridationcrusader. He never even thoughtmuch about the fluoride added

to his town’s water until a few of his patients askedhim about it earlier this year.

“I didn’t want to create any fears in the commu-nity,” said Rotella, a podiatrist and city commissionerin Eustis, Fla. “I just wanted to have a thoughtful dis-cussion.”

But when he publicly questioned whether Eustisshould continue adding fluoride to its water, some-thing the city has done for 20 years, he inadvertentlystepped into a hornet’s nest of controversy that hasraged since the first drop of fluoride was added to a Michigan community’swater 60 years ago.

Years of research have shown that fluoride prevents cavities. Experts tout thepractice of adding fluoride to public water as one of the greatest health achieve-ments of modern time. Yet, fervent activists still protest it, claiming fluoride caus-es everything from cancer to low IQ, links experts say are unsubstantiated.

That’s why when seeds of an impending fluoride debate were sown inEustis, UF dental faculty joined representatives of the Florida Dental Associationand the Lake County Dental Association in speaking to the Eustis CityCommission in May to defend a policy they believe saves teeth and money.

“It’s probably the most well-researched public health measure in history,”said Scott Tomar, an associate professor of dentistry in the division of publichealth services and research and former Centers for Disease Control epidemiolo-gist. “It benefits virtually everybody.”

Before the first community fluoridated its water in 1945, nearly everyoneexperienced tooth decay, said Dr. Howard Pollick, a University of California at SanFrancisco dental professor.

Things are better 60 years later, but tooth decay is still a problem, and forsome people among lower socioeconomic levels, fluoridated water is the bestdental care they receive, Pollick said.

But a quick Internet search yields more than a dozen Web sites devoted tostopping water fluoridation. Many of these sites, like The Fluoride ActionNetwork, link to research that claims fluoride causes cancer and other diseases.Most of these articles, however, are not from peer-reviewed scientific journals, astandard for accepted and credible research today, Tomar said.

Other groups have different reasons for opposing fluoridation, like not want-ing government to add anything to water or not trusting “the so-called experts,”Pollick said.

“Ever since someone proclaimed the earth is round, there have been peopleopposed to it and there still are, even to this day,” Pollick said.

Rotella voted to keep fluoridation in Eustis after listening to dentists duringthe May meeting, but he is skeptical.

“There are a lot of unknowns,” he said. “We thought drugs like Vioxx weresafe … Is it possible that one day we’re going to wake up to find (fluoride) is notsafe?”

Yet, there is no credible research linking fluoride to any serious health prob-lem like cancer or low IQ, Tomar said.

“At those levels, it’s just been found time and again to be safe,” hesaid. “So the health concerns, I think, are not really concerns.Which is why water fluoridation remains stronglyendorsed.”

—APRIL FRAWLEY BIRDWELL

D

Old objections to water fluoridation die hard

“The recent Surgeon General’s report on oral health underscoresthe public health impact of oral health problems in the United States,”said study co-investigator Gregg Gilbert, professor and chairman ofdiagnostic sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Schoolof Dentistry. “Unfortunately, in the oral health arena, those most inneed of care are the least likely to get it, and a significant amount ofsuffering and embarrassment is part of everyday life for certain seg-ments of our population.”

The U.S. Surgeon General’s landmark 2000 report on the country’soral health outlines substantial access to care barriers, such as ability topay and a shortage of dentists in certain areas, and notes 11 percent ofthe nation’s rural population has never visited a dentist. The report alsocalls the oral cavity the “mirror of health and disease.” More than 90 percent of systemic diseases — such as diabetes, leukemia, cardiovasculardisease and anemia — have oral manifestations, and people who haveneglected their oral health are more likely to also have other medicalproblems.

Riley said he believes that access to care is not the only factor at playin determining why people with oral pain delay seeking dental treatment.

“Dentistry is really about social and psychological factors; it’s per-spective, and the preventive versus problem-oriented approach to dentalcare is an attitudinal belief,” he said. “Therefore, it’s something that canbe changed.”

Joseph Riley

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Rural residents with oral pain suffer toolong before seeking help

The Waiting Game

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Computer business executive Hal Kingsley of Buffalo, N.Y.; writer andlandscape business owner George Weigel of Harrisburg, Pa.; retired corpo-rate executive Michael Pasternak of Gainesville, Fla. and medical informa-tion specialist Cindy Ezell of Jacksonville, Fla. share in common a shockinglife event.

All underwent unnecessary root canals before discovering their electri-cally shocking “tooth pains” were not related to their teeth or gums. Eachwas found to have a facial nerve disorder called trigeminal neuralgia (TN),now widely defined as one of the world’s most acutely painful human disor-ders. They now share an uncommon passion for building awareness of theproblem that remains virtually unknown, despite the fact it was first

described in the 11th century.“When friends ask me what the pain is like, I say imagine plugging your

mouth into a 220-volt outlet and attaching a chainsaw to it at the sametime,” said Kingsley, 37, who now keeps the pain under tolerable controlwith medication. His search for expert care led him to undergo three unnec-essary root canals before he found a dentist who identified the key symp-toms of TN.

The confusing nature of TN itself can baffle the best medical and dentaldiagnosticians.

“This is a nerve disorder that frequently mimics toothache; one or moreteeth may be the trigger point which, when stimulated, will set the pain off,making diagnosis extremely difficult,” said Henry Gremillion, D.D.S., anoral facial pain specialist who directs the UF dental college’s Parker MahanFacial Pain Center.

Gremillion oversees almost 1100 patient visits a year, of which about400 are new patients, many of whom have suffered intense pain for yearsbefore seeking help at the referral center. The multidisciplinary team of spe-cialists at the Mahan center finds that 20 to 25 percent of the patients havesome form of neuropathic facial pain. Their challenge is to figure out whichtype, then direct the patient to the most appropriate course of treatment.

“Because TN pain can be set off by chewing, talking, drinking beveragesor brushing the teeth, it can easily be mistaken for a dental problem,” hesaid. “In addition, nerve pain in the tooth is not that different from thesharp lacerating pain of TN.”

To make things more challenging, Gremillion points out the sametrigeminal (three-part) nerve that energizes the face is the main nerve sup-plying the dental structures; it controls the muscles involved in chewing.

“The fact that gum tissue, cheeks and lips are key trigger zones can fur-ther the idea that the patient might have a dental problem,” Gremillionsaid. “In one study of 49 patients, 64.5 percent were found to have a paintrigger zone inside the mouth. This explains why so many individuals withthis type of pain start out seeking help from a dentist.”

Gremillion’s statement is echoed by the observations of UF neurosur-geon Albert Rhoton Jr., who has, over the past 40 years, treated close to2,500 patients with TN.

“The majority of patients with TN have pain in the lower or upper jaw,

and almost all begin their search for help with the dentist,” Rhoton said.“It’s also fairly common for patients to have a root canal or tooth extractionbefore obtaining a correct diagnosis.”

“We’re at the tip of the iceberg with our knowledge of the factors thatcause and contribute to TN,” Gremillion said. “Diagnostic challenges arecompounded by the fact there are no absolute objective tests for TN. In addi-tion, the patients we see report many variations in the characteristics and thecourse of their pain, although most of them at some point are stricken by thelightning-like bolts of facial pain that are described in medical literature as ahallmark of the disorder. Another unique aspect of TN is that the facial paincan be set off by non-painful stimuli, such as a cool breeze, a cold beverage,putting on makeup, shaving or slight touch on the lips.

“The longer I am involved in the diagnosis of facial pain, the more Irealize the textbook cases don’t walk into your office,” he added. “For exam-ple, I’ve seen patients with trigeminal neuralgia who’ve described burningpain, or complained of throbbing or aching pain —- not fitting the classicTN characteristics of abrupt electrical shock-like pains.”

Gremillion attributes much of the prevalent misdiagnosis of TN to theinfrequent presentation of TN in the dental office compared to tooth, gumand/or jaw-related pain conditions; limited exposure to TN in dentalschools, and limited history of the patient’s chief pain concern in anattempt to expedite pain relief for the patient.

“In my opinion, failure to interview the patient and take a thoroughmedical history is the greatest impediment to accurate and complete diag-nosis,” he said. “In emergency situations, it’s easy to cut short the history-taking. We need to know about the quality of a patient’s pain —- when and

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‘world’s most acutely UF facial pain

team tackles

most baffling

cases of the...

Henry Gremillion is a national expert in the diagnosis and treatment oforofacial pain.

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In the first study of its kind, University ofFlorida researchers are testing the power of a naturalhuman hormone to biochemically move teeth fasterand less painfully during orthodontic treatment.

“Most of orthodontics has traditionally dealtwith physics, the biomechanics of applying a forceagainst a tooth to move it,” said study investigatorTimothy Wheeler, D.M.D., Ph.D., a professor andchairman of orthodontics at UF’s College ofDentistry. “Ours is the first study to use a naturallyoccurring hormone, recombinant human relaxin, tobiochemically augment tooth movement and reten-tion.”

Relaxin is best known as the hormone that helpswomen’s pelvic ligaments stretch in preparation forgiving birth. It does this by softening collagen andelastin in the tissues, loosening strong, cord-likefibers until they have the consistency of limpspaghetti noodles.

That ability prompted researchers to considerrelaxin a possible way to accelerate tooth movementand prevent relapse, a condition where the toothmigrates back to its original position after braces areremoved.

“You can imagine normal collagen and elastinfibers to be like rubber bands that attach to thetooth to hold it in place,” said Wheeler. “Those tis-sue fibers resist the force of the orthodontic treat-ment applied to move the tooth, and, when thatforce is removed, say when the braces are taken off,the elasticity of the tissues springs the tooth backinto position.”

UF researchers will evaluate whether injectingrelaxin into the gums will loosen the collagen andelastin fibers and reorganize them so teeth canmove more freely into orthodontic alignment.Once the teeth have been moved, researchers willadminister another injection of relaxin under thepremise that it will further soften gum tissuefibers, preventing them from pulling teeth backinto their original position.

The study will be the first of many to test the

hormone as an orthodontic therapy, and it is hopedthe drug could cut treatment time in half and elimi-nate the need for retainers afterbraces have been removed.

This may not help the morethan 5 million Americans andCanadians estimated by theAmerican Association ofOrthodontists to be currentlywearing braces, but if it’s shownto work it could bring a sigh ofrelief from those anticipatingfuture tooth-torqueing ortho-dontic treatment that leaves teethaching and gums throbbing.

The patent for the drug,which received the green lightfrom the Food and Drug Administration last Aprilfor testing in human subjects, is owned by BASMedical, a California-based company. BAS Medicalis the sponsor of the UF study, which will establishsafety and proof of principle on 40 people before aseries of multicenter studies could begin testing thedrug on hundreds worldwide.

Researchers won’t know which of the 40 sub-jects receive relaxin and which receive a placebo.One tooth in each subject will be targeted for move-ment, and, subjects will wear Invisalign braces foreight weeks to move the targeted tooth. At weekeight, the aligners will be removed and the teethevaluated for relapse every four weeks for sixmonths. As a safety measure, the week four out-comes of the first 12 patients entered into the studywill be evaluated before the remaining 28 begintreatment. All 40 subjects will have completed theprotocol by early October.

Wheeler said researchers hope to determinewhether the treatment could eliminate the need forpatients to wear retainers to hold teeth in place after

braces are removed. The issue of retention – a termused to indicate the tooth remains in the position to

which it has been moved withoutrelapse – is a crucial aspect of thestudy.

“Right now, retention is thebiggest problem we have in ortho-dontics,” Wheeler said. “I want toget completely away from retainers,which for most patients right noware a lifetime commitment.”

When patients don’t wearretainers as prescribed, teeth grad-ually relapse, nullifying years oforthodontic treatment andexpense. It is this lack of patientcompliance that frustrates ortho-

dontists worldwide.“If the results of this study demonstrate

enhancement of the rate of orthodontic tooth move-ment and better stability after treatment, it could bean exciting new method of increasing treatmentacceptability while decreasing the need for compli-ance,” said Robert Boyd, D.D.S., a professor andchairman of orthodontics at the University of thePacific School of Dentistry. “Finishing orthodontictreatment without the usual regimen of lifetime useof retainers would greatly enhance the effectivenessand efficiency of current orthodontic treatment.”

An important goal of future studies is to deter-mine dosage and timing of drug delivery as well asdelivery methods other than injection.

“This is the first step orthodontics has taken todeal with the biologic control of tooth movement,and what the final product will be is hard to tell atthis point. Obviously, we want to make it easilyavailable, easily delivered and as pain-free as possi-ble,” Wheeler said. “This initial proof of principletrial will help us define how to accomplish that.” �

Cutting the tiesthat bindUF researchers test drugthat could cut orthodontictreatment time in halfB Y L I N DY M C C O L L U M - B R O U N L E Y

“I want to getcompletely awayfrom retainers,which for most

patients right noware a lifetime

commitment.”

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under what circumstances it occurs, how fre-quently it strikes, whether it’s shocking, stabbing,throbbing, burning, episodic or continual,annoying but tolerable, or unbearable? The moreinformation a patient can provide regarding theirpain, the better we’re able to reach a diagnosis.”

Gremillion suggests one way to distinguishtoothache from neuropathic facial pain is tonumb the area of pain with a local anesthetic andsee whether the pain stops. If the pain does notgo away in response to the numbness, then theproblem is not in the tooth, he said.

To further pinpoint the source of pain, hesaid dentists should follow the standard evalua-tion protocol —- examine the soft oral tissues,tap on the teeth to assess their mobility, and lookfor problems that may be associated with grittingor grinding of the teeth, and obtain appropriateimages (X-rays) of the areas in question. Headded that it is vital, as part of the effort to iden-tify the patient’s problem, to rule out other con-ditions such as sinusitis, temporomandibular dys-function, bone pathology and neoplasm.

“Clinical decision-making can be complicat-ed, not due to intentional mistakes by dentists,but often by the desire to relieve the pain,”Gremillion said. “And because tooth pain is socommon, treatment is sometimes put beforediagnosis because of desire to help the patient getrid of the pain. The fact is that we as practition-

ers need to stick to our guns when the diagnosisis not obviously a dental problem, and weshould not treat the tooth.

“Pain itself can breed more pain, whichgives urgency to trying to minimize it. But withconditions as complex as TN, we need to makehaste slowly,” he added, tongue in cheek. “I alsobelieve the importance of a team approach todiagnosis cannot be overstated.”

Gremillion emphasized dentists need to beaware dental treatments can cause or aggravatepre-existing TN pain, and that special precau-tions should be taken.

“Sometimes the trigeminal nerve can beinjured during a dental procedure or duringgum surgery, and consequently, we need toexercise great caution in the delivery of anes-thetic drugs and in surgical technique,” he said.“For example, we do not want to put a localanesthetic or vasoconstrictor containing ananesthetic drug in an area where a nerve hasbeen traumatized, since this can cause or per-petuate problems. We want to limit the nerve’sexposure to the anesthetic.”

He further advises, “The preemptive use ofpain-relieving medication may be important, andbooster doses of anti-neuralgia medicine, as well aspreemptive anesthesia, may help to maximize com-fort during dental procedures. The use of a long-acting anesthetic at the end of a procedure mayreduce the need for follow-up medications.”

Gremillion said neuropathic pains affectabout 1.5 percent of the general population —more than 4,290,000 people in the UnitedStates. He said the various neuropathic orofacialpain problems include neuralgia, deafferentation(pain, usually of a burning type, that occurswhen parts of a nerve are injured to the pointthey’re disabled), and dyesthesia, which involvesa numbness or abnormal sensation severe enoughthat a patient considers it disturbing.

“Regarding TN, the number of patient refer-rals keeps rising because of the growing popula-tion of seniors in Florida and because of ourclose ties with the national Trigeminal NeuralgiaAssociation,” said Gremillion, who serves on theTNA medical advisory board.

He noted that while many patients in thepast experienced long painful journeys fromdoctor to doctor to doctor before finding thename of their problem, most TN patients todaycan obtain help quicker if they educate them-selves regarding the disorder and the expertswho treat it.

He said the TNA web site at www.endthep-ain.org has evolved into the most comprehensivesource of updated information available. Thesame site provides information on new consumerbooks, and personal stories of TN patientsthroughout the United States and abroad. �

A study subject admires thefit of her Invisalign® bracesin May after receiving herfirst injection of relaxin. Shewas one of 40 subjects tobegin the protocol, whichended in October. A com-plete, peer-reviewed reportof study findings is expectedto be published in early 2006.

In the face of increasing demands from patients,Dr. Henry Gremillion said he believes dentists of thefuture will have to become physicians of the masticato-ry system and beyond.

“The fastest growing segment of our national pop-ulation is over age 50, and the pathologic conditions inthe orofacial region that will be experienced by manyof these seniors will require that we have a broaderappreciation of neuropathic facial pain, includingtrigeminal neuralgia,” he added.

“Currently the treatment of these problems is notin the domain of typical dental practice. However, in athorough diagnostic workup for facial pain patients,dentists might use local anesthetics and topical pain-relieving compounds as diagnostic aids,” he said. “Atthe same time, we (dentists) need to recognize theexpanded responsibility we have for making an accu-rate differential diagnosis of various neuropathic facialpains.

“In my opinion, it would be rare that we couldmake a case for dentists to manage the care of patientswith classic TN,” Gremillion said. “This is a neurologicalproblem and many patients need to be carefully man-aged with the use medications, typically one or moreanticonvulsant, or membrane-stimulating medications.This is an area outside the bailiwick of most dentists,but it’s perfectly appropriate for dentists to discuss thepotential use of medicines with the patients’ physiciansand in select cases initiate the mediation regimen.”

He pointed out that there is currently an expansionof dental educational offerings related to use of thesetypes of medications as clinical assessment tools, aswell as in the treatment of TN and other neuropathicpain conditions.

“The trigeminal (three-part) nerve is one of thehead’s largest nerves. Itenergizes the face and isthe main nerve supplyingthe dental structures; it

controls the musclesinvolved in chewing.”

Dentists’ role in TN treatment

Henry Gremillion conducts a patient interview in theParker E. Mahan Facial Pain Center. Gremillion is anationally known expert in diagnosing and treating orofacial pain, and he directs the Parker E. Mahan FacialPain Center—the southeast’s leading center for treat-ment for facial pain and dysfunction and one of only ahandful of such centers nationwide. A survey of centerpatients revealed that the average patient has sufferedfrom pain for nearly five years and spent an average of$17,120 in search of diagnosis and effective treatmentbefore coming to the center. The center’s long-term goalis to provide quality patient care and to share importantinformation with the health care providers in the stateregarding accepted pain assessment and managementstrategies—with the expected outcome that patients willbe correctly diagnosed and treated before their painbecomes a chronic condition.

The National Institutes of Health,National Institute of Dental andCraniofacial Research (NIH/NIDCR)have invested $75 million to establishthree regional practice-based research net-works. NIH/NIDCR awarded $25 mil-lion of this amount to University ofFlorida College of Dentistry and theUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamSchool of Dentistry to establish a south-east regional network – named the DentalPractice-based Research Network – toconduct dental practice-based researchover a seven-year period. The UF/UABand its sister networks created by the $75million grant will investigate with scientif-ic rigor the everyday issues faced by den-tists in their practices during the deliveryof oral healthcare.

“This is a major effort by the NIDCRand signals a new approach to clinicaldental research,” said Ivar Mjör, B.D.S.,M.S.D., M.S., Dr. odont., eminent schol-ar, professor of operative dentistry at UFand co-chair of the Dental PBRN. “Theemphasis here is not on basic laboratoryresearch, but on real-world problems thatdentists face every day in their practices.”

NIDCR’s intent is that each of thethree regional dental practice-based clin-ical research networks will involve 100or more practicing dentists and/orhygienists from at least two states ineach research project. These dentalpractitioners will be recruited andtrained as practitioner-investigators.This approach enables networks to drawfrom a diverse patient base to betteraddress a broad spectrum of racial, eth-nic, and socio-economic factors thatdental professionals encounter every dayin their offices. The practitioner-investi-gators will draw from their own clinicalpractice patient base to investigate prac-tical, real-world issues and generate datathat will be of immediate interest topractitioners and their patients.

The UF/UAB Dental PBRN includesdentists from Alabama, Florida andGeorgia who will conduct approximately15 to 20 short-term and cross-sectionalclinical studies over the next seven years,comparing the benefits of different dentalprocedures, dental materials and preven-tion strategies under a range of patientand clinical conditions. The DentalPBRN will also have extensions into den-tal practices in Minnesota, Oregon andScandinavia. Anonymous chart reviews togenerate retrospective data on disease,treatment trends and the prevalence of lesscommon oral conditions may also be con-ducted.

Details of the Dental PBRN havebeen published on the network’s pagelocated at www.dentalpbrn.org and it willbe updated regularly as the work progress-es. The first study to be conducted will beon dental restorations.

“The identification of problems facedby clinicians in practice is considered veryimportant, including the effect this identi-fication will have on the dental researchagenda sponsored by NIDCR and otherfunding agencies,” said Mjör. �

It seems dentistry is a lot like rock-et science in that the ceramic materialsused to construct dental prostheses, likecrowns and bridges, are very similar tothat of the more than 20,000 ceramicthermal tiles installed on the SpaceShuttle. Just as with shuttle tiles,ceramic crowns and bridges are exposedto drastic changes in temperatures(depending on how hot you like yourcoffee or cold your tea) and must rou-tinely withstand extreme shearing,crushing and grinding forces.

When they fail, dental prosthesesare also pricey to replace, sometimesnearly as expensive as the roughly$10,000 per shuttle tile price tag.

Fortunately, research at the UFCollege of Dentistry is taking a space-age approach to analyzing survivabilityof ceramic crown and bridge materialsto determine which ceramics work best,how long and under which conditions.Kenneth Anusavice, D.M.D., Ph.D.,professor and chair of dental biomateri-als and associate dean for research witha joint appointment in the College ofEngineering’s department of materialsscience and engineering, has justreceived the latest installment of$350,000 for one of the Health ScienceCenter’s longest-running NationalInstitutes of Health grant awards, a

project totaling more than $4,561,209over the past 23 years.

In its last phase of study,Anusavice’s NIH-funded research topredict survivability of ceramic dentalbridge and crown prostheses spans atotal of 25 years and now uses NASAsoftware developed to analyze durabilityof shuttle tiles under extreme condi-tions. The software, Ceramic Analysisand Reliability Evaluation ofStructures/Life (CARES/Life), analyzesceramic dental materials to predictlength of service (how long you canexpect to keep your crown before itwears out) and fatigue data (why it frac-tured). The ultimate goal of the study isto identify ceramic materials and pro-cessing methods that will providelonger-lasting service lives for dentalprostheses, leading to lower failure ratesand reduced expense for the wearer.

Not surprisingly, this achievementwill represent one small step for dentistry and one giant leap formankind. �

This three-unit ceramic bridge suffered a clinical fracture caused by excessive tensile stress generatedwithin the tissue side of the molar-premolar connector. The resultingtensile failure initiated below theconnector on the left. The remainingtwo-unit cantilever bridge subse-quently fractured because of exces-sive tensile stress on the upper sideof the premolar-premolar connectoras a result of occlusal intraoralforces.

Dental PBRN co-chairs, Greg Gilbert (left)of the University of Alabama and Ivar Mjör(right) from the University of Florida.

Robert P. Yezierski, Ph.D., pro-fessor of orthodontics at theUniversity of Florida College ofDentistry and director of theComprehensive Center for PainResearch, received a $1.3 milliongrant from the National Institute ofDental and CraniofacialResearch/National Institutes ofHealth (NIDCR/NIH). The six-yeargrant will fund an interdisciplinarypostdoctoral training programfocusing on training researchers inpain mechanisms, diagnoses, treat-ment and management.

The program’s goal is to pro-duce pain researchers for thefuture equipped to develop clinicaland/or basic science research pro-grams and to instill in these individ-uals an appreciation for the bene-fits of collaborative, multidiscipli-nary programs in meeting the pres-ent and future challenges in thefield of pain research.

The two-to-three-year programprovides for a well-balanced corecurriculum for four post-doctoratetrainees entered into the programeach year. The training programcontains provisions for the recruit-ment of underrepresented minori-ties, a required component dealingwith the ethical conduct ofresearch, and steps to ensure theprogram meets the needs oftrainees in areas of research, educa-tion and professional development.

Conducted by an interdiscipli-nary group of 15 core faculty mem-bers with expertise in neuroscienceand psychosocial issues of painmechanisms, the program offerstraining opportunities in five desig-nated tracts that represent the faculty’s research interests. Theseinclude:• Orofacial pain associated with the

head and neck, including trigemi-nal neuralgia, temporomandibularjoint disorder, and migraine;

• Acute and chronic pain mecha-nisms studying the neurobiologyof the pain system including theanatomy, physiology, pharmacol-ogy, molecular biology of periph-eral and central pain pathways;

• Sex, gender, and ethnic differ-ences, exploring psychosocialissues of pain and how those fac-tors impact the experience ofpain;

• Visceral pain associated withdysfunction of the GI tract; and

• Musculoskeletal pain, which isone of the most common typesof chronic pain conditions includ-ing back pain and fibromyalgia.

These tracts represent estab-lished research programs of corefaculty and will provide structure,guidance and a diverse trainingenvironment for the program.Additionally, each trainee willreceive mentoring from the pro-gram’s advisory committee toenrich their training experiences.

Trainees will use facilitiesthroughout the Health ScienceCenter for their research training.Although trainees will select onetract of training emphasis, they willbe required to participate in a two-week research rotation in each ofthe five tracts.

For more information about thepain training grant, contact Dr. Robert Yezierski at ryezierski@dental.ufl.edu or call theComprehensive Center for PainResearch at (352) 392-3032.

—ADRIANNA C. RODRIGUEZ

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Inner SpaceNASA software goes intra-oral to analyze durability of dental ceramics

Getting Real Practice-based dental research networks receive $75 million

Fractographic analysis of retrievedceramic prosthesis components thathave fractured enables dental bioma-terials scientists to verify the origin ofsuch fractures. They can then analyzemaximum tensile stresses in modelsof such prostheses subjected to simu-lated oral forces using finite elementstress analysis (red and orange areasindicate highest tensile stress, imagesabove). Various prosthesis designs canthen be modeled using finite elementanalysis to calculate stress distribu-tions, which allow optimum designsto be identified that will ensure long-lasting dental ceramic prostheses.

Here’s a trick question: “What dodental crowns and bridges have incommon with the Space Shuttle?”

ANSWER: “Ceramics, expense andsoftware.”

Robert P. Yezierski directs theComprehensive Center for PainResearch based in the College ofDentistry, and is the lead on a new$1.3 million pain training grantawarded to the college by theNational Institutes of Health. Thesix-year grant will fund an interdis-ciplinary post-doctorate trainingprogram to develop researchers andclinicians in the areas of orofacial,acute, visceral, psychosocial, andmusculoskeletal pain.

New training program develops pain researchers of the future

Dental

SEPTEMBER 9 & 10

Dental Fall Weekend, although held in

September this year, was truly a home-

coming experience for alumni, friends

and senior faculty. Nearly 120 alumni and

friends came “home” to Gainesville for

the two-day event, enjoying continuing

education, an alumni reception and a

whopping FOUR class reunion dinners on

Friday. More than 225 people attended

Saturday’s Dental Fall Weekend BBQ bash

at the college, touring college facilities

and catching up with friends over a late

lunch before heading off to the Swamp to

watch the Florida/Louisiana Tech game,

handily won by the Gators 41 to 3.

FALL WEEKEND

1. Kappa Classman Laurence Grayhills (left) andfriend Debbie Luke (right) show their true col-ors to Gator Mascots Albert and Alberta!

2. Beverly and Mark (‘83) Mautner visit with LeeHauer (perio ‘86).

3. Retired faculty Bill Collett and wife, Barbara.

4. The Glenn and Lynn Schermer (both ‘84) fami-ly cozy up to the Molar Mascot.

5. Several couples enjoy dinner and socializingat one of the Kappa Class (‘85) reunion tables.

6. Dean Teresa Dolan joined Andy (‘00) and KellyTrammell (seated center) and Jamie (‘00) andStephanie Odom (seated far left) at the Classof 2000 reunion table.

7. Dental Ambassador and UFCD SophomoreJose Sarasola (center) prepares to demon-strate how the Pre-clinical SimulationLaboratory mannequins are fitted with dento-forms, spring-hinged plastic jaws withanatomically-correct teeth. Onlookers Dannyand Henry (‘85) Rozen (left) and Bill and KathyTruax (right) were among the many visitors toSim Lab as part of a three-floor college tourSaturday before the BBQ.

Academy of Alumni & Friends Slate of 2006 OfficersNew officers were elected to theAcademy of Alumni & Friends duringthe Sept. 9 annual business meetingof the academy’s membership heldduring Dental Fall Weekend inGainesville, Fla.

President – Greg ReddishVice President – Barry SetzerSecretary/Treasurer – Steven Bogdanoff

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Newly-installed Academy of Alumni & Friends PresidentGregory Reddish (‘80) presents a plaque of appreciationto outgoing President Laurence Grayhills (‘85) duringthe Dental Fall Weekend activities.

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Florida National Dental Congress 2005FNDC

1. It’s a UFCD/Tufts alumni gathering! Gary Altschuler (left), a former assistant professor of periodontology at UF and1989 dental graduate of Tufts University, is joined by JulieNordman, also an ‘89 Tufts grad, Tom Nordman (UFCD‘85) and Jay Pitts (UFCD ‘85).

2. Dean Dolan and the Oldham clan smile for the camera.(From left to right, top row) Peggy and Craig Oldham (‘92),Teresa Dolan. (Left to right, bottom row) The Oldhamgirls, who are two sets of twins: Evelyn (6), Ellen andGrace (4), and Olivia (6).

3. James (‘77) and Debbie Haddix visit with Tom Floyd (‘78).

4. The UF Hialeah Dental Clinic represents! (From left toright) Susan Socas (‘87), Marta Gainza (‘96), Alan Friedel,Clinic Director Roberta Diehl, Lucinda Espinoza andFrancisco Espinoza (FTD ‘96).

5. When classmates reunite, it’s a family affair. (From left to right, top row) Maria Teodoru, Becky Holtery, AndyHoltery (‘03), Catalin Teodoru (‘03), Mark Ashey (‘03) andJoseph “Joey” Bongiorno (‘03). (From left to right, bottomrow) Emily Elizabeth Teodoru (4), Andy Holtery, Jr. (4),Nicholas Teodoru (6), and adorable Christopher Teodoru(4 months).

6. FDA Immediate Past-president Sam Low (left), UFCD Dean Teresa Dolan (center) and FDA President-elect AlanFriedel (right).

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EVENTS2 0 0 5 - 2 0 0 6 C A L E N D A R

OCTOBER 2005

� The Third Annual PedoGators Continuing Education, Oct. 28, 2005

Hilton University of Florida Hotel & Conference Center1714 SW 34th Street, Gainesville, FL 32607

UFCD pediatric alumni & friends gather for continuing education withguest lecturer, Dr. Gideon Holan presenting Trauma to Primary Dentition.

DECEMBER 2005

� Senior Faculty Luncheon, Dec. 5, 2005Hilton University of Florida Hotel & Conference Center1714 SW 34th Street, Gainesville, FL 32607Dogwood Room, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

UFCD Senior Faculty gather for an annual luncheon with Dean Dolan andDental Ambassadors in appreciation for their support and dedication tothe college.

JANUARY 2006

� Miami Winter Meeting & Dental Expo, Jan. 19-21, 2006Miami Beach Convention Center1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33169

UFCD alumni and friends are invited to a UF College of Dentistry reception. Friday, Jan. 20, 2006, 6:00 p.m.

FEBRUARY 2006

� Freshman Family Day, Jan. 28, 2006 UF College of Dentistry

MARCH 2006

� American Association of Endodontists 2006 Annual Session, March 29 – April 1, 2006

Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu, Hawaii

UFCD endodontic alumni and friends will host a reception on Thursday,March 30 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

JUNE 2006

� Florida National Dental Congress, June15-17 2006Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center, Orlando, Fla.

JULY 2006

� White Coat Ceremony, July 22, 2006J. Wayne Reitz Union Grand Ballroom

OCTOBER 2006

� Fourth Annual PedoGators Continuing Education, Oct. 27, 2006UF Hilton Hotel & Conference Center, Gainesville, Fla.

NOVEMBER 2006

� Dental Fall Weekend, Nov. 10 – 11, 2006Special guest and CDE presenter, Dr. Gordan J. Christensen, D.D.S.,M.S.D., Ph.D.

For more information, contact Sue Guido at 352-273-5781, or email aguido@dental.ufl.edu, or visit www.dental.ufl.edu/alumni.

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Where I’ve been: My career path has been areal adventure. I taught dental hygiene for 10years at St. Petersburg Community College in St.Petersburg, Fla. before entering dental school atUF. Once I graduated in 1985, I entered privatepractice in Clearwater, Fla. After 18 years, I soldthe practice in 2002 when I had no debt andcould walk away with some money in my pocket.The practice sold so quickly I realized I had notmade plans for “What’s Next?” I knew I wantedto move to California to be closer to Stephanie,but I didn’t know how I would earn an incomeuntil my California license would be issued.

One morning, while packing boxes for themovers, a dental magazine clipping fell to thefloor; it read “How would you like to work on anIndian Reservation?” I telephoned the number,and by 3 p.m. that afternoon I had a job filling-in for a dentist in Sisseton, South Dakota on theDakota Sioux Reservation.

Since then, I’ve worked as a contract dentistserving the Marshallese, Navajo, Kuruk, Ponoma,

southern Pueblos of New Mexico and, now, theJicarilla Apache Nation.

Where I am now: Jicarilla ApacheReservation, Dulce, New Mexico.If you’ve never traveled out this way, you’ve reallymissed something. Our health center, whichopened November of last year, is 8,000 feet abovesea level and surrounded by mountains. It’s sobeautiful here and wildlife abounds. One morn-ing I watched a bald eagle in flight right outsidemy operatory window and was nearly brought tomy knees with emotion.

The Jicarilla (pronounced “hik-ah-reel-yah”)are very gentle and kind. Jicarilla is a Spanishword for “little basket,” and the weavers here arefamous for their colorful, gourd-shaped baskets.Our health center serves about 4,000 JicarillaApaches on the reservation, and they need lots ofdental care.

It’s been several generations that these peoplehave not had good dental care, and they’ve lived

for years in tremendous pain. I’m here now andcan do full treatment plans, I can do quadrantdentistry for them, and they’re so thankful to savetheir teeth without a lot of pain or discomfort.The little children are really fearful, so it takeslots of patience and demonstrating, but thesebeautiful, brown-eyed children just make me feelgood inside and out.

What’s next? I could go on and on about mylife-enriching experiences, but my greatest one isyet to come. My daughter is expecting a baby dueMarch 17. This changes the dynamics somewhat asI’ll want to be home more. The nice thing aboutworking as a contract dentist is that I can arrangemy schedule to do this.

If I could tell dentists interested in publichealth one thing, it would be: I encourageanyone who has strong feelings for helping otherpeople to consider working for Indian HealthServices. They’re looking for dentists who wouldsign up for civil service or who would join thepublic health corp. They have great packagesadded to the salary; a young dentist wouldreceive good compensation and student loanforgiveness.

As a contract dentist, you are not responsi-ble for daily collection, and you have greaterflexibility as far as your work schedule. It justtakes so much stress off of you while you’rebeing productive and helping people.

I seriously doubt I will work in privatepractice again. This is much more rewardingand fun. It’s one of the best things you can doto lengthen your own life because it just makesyou feel so good.For more information on dentistry jobs withIndian Health Services, visit http://www.ihs.gov.

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Class NotesCLASS OF 1977

Dennis E. Fisher recently added partner MaxForni from the UFCD Class of 2001 to hispractice. Fisher’s son David is at StetsonCollege of Law and his daughter Danielle is inher fourth year of pre-med at the University ofFlorida.

CLASS OF 1987

Howard Pando vacationed in the SmokyMountains and Vero Beach. He enjoys playingracquetball, weightlifting and spending a lot oftime with his family.

Julie B. Skoby opened a new dental office inJanuary 2005. Her twin boys, Matthew andMichael, just celebrated their second birthday,and they enjoyed a family vacation at the beach.

Miguel J. Santamarina has an 8-year-old son anda 10-year-old daughter. His wife, Marile, just fin-ished a four year program in pharmacy to receiveher doctoral degree from Nova SoutheasternUniversity.

CLASS OF 1991

Stephen D. Cochran and partner Barry P. Setzer,D.D.S., both clinical associate professors of pedi-atric dentistry at the college’s Jacksonville DentalClinic, have been named Best Dentist orOrthodontist by the reader’s of North FloridaFamilies, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based parenting mag-azine, who voted during the magazine’s annualreader’s choice awards for the North Florida Area.In addition to volunteering as courtesy faculty atthe college’s Jacksonville Dental Clinic, Setzer isalso the newly elected vice president of the college’s Academy of Alumni & Friends.

CLASS OF 1993

David J. Ferlita is currently the president of theFlorida Dental Association’s Project Dentists Careand is vice president of the Atlantic Coast DistrictDental Association. He and wife, Christine, spendall of their free time with sons Taylor (5), Bailey(4), and Dawson (12 months).

CLASS OF 1995

Richard Morales received the prestigiousAcademy of General Dentistry Fellowship Awardduring the organization’s convocation ceremonyheld July 16 in Washington, D.C. Currentlyresiding in Coral Gables with wife, Cecilia, andchildren Emily, Richard III, Matthew andBenjamin, Morales practices in South Miami. Heis a member of the Seattle Study Club, thePankey Institute Alumni Association and imme-diate past president of the Southeast FloridaAcademy of General Dentistry.

CLASS OF 2003

Minta Wood was married in September 2005.

Anthea Drew finished her residency program atthe Medical University of South Carolina in June2005. She will associate with a pediatric dentistin Charleston, S.C. She is getting married Dec.10, 2005 to Mark Austin, an oral surgery residentfrom Chapel Hill, N.C.

Anissa Ahmadi gave birth to daughter YasmeenFatima Mujtaba April 22, 2005. Yasmeenweighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces and was 20.5 inch-es long. Anissa moved at the end of June to Ft.Myers to join an existing pediatric associateship.

Margaux DeRosset-Grason married inDecember 2004. She and her husband went toSouth Africa for two weeks for their honeymoon.She has been in Chicago since graduating fromthe University of Florida and finished her GPR inJune 2004.

Class of 2004 member, Mark Van Zant is picturedin Colorado after a April weekend trip toSteamboat. Mark emailed his photo to DeanDolan with the message, “I thought you mightlike a picture of one of your former students whomade it where he wanted to be. Thanks for agreat education, and yes, I am wearing my UFCDsweatshirt!”

Timothy Garvey Alumnus of the Year Timothy P. Garvey, D.M.D., (‘80)

received the Academy of Alumni & FriendsAlumni of the Year Award for his dedicationto providing dental care to underservedpeople and his mentoring of dental stu-dents in the positive impact their profes-sion can make on the lives of others.

Since 1987, Garvey has led UFCD stu-dents on dental mission trips to theDominican Republic. These trips have, overthe years, extended care to thousands ofpeople who would otherwise never have received dentaltreatment. The UFCD students who travel with Garvey onthese trips learn the great potential to do good their chosenprofession holds, and they gain a new appreciation for theirpersonal roles in meeting that potential.

Garvey is also active in We Care, Inc., donating hisservices every other Monday evening at the Santa FeCommunity College Dental Clinic to help needy patients inthe Gainesville area. He is a caring advocate for Florida’sdevelopmentally disabled, and serves as the director ofthe dental clinic at Tacachale, the state’s largest institutionfor the developmentally disabled.

Garvey’s dedication to increasing access to dentalcare for the poor and underserved extends to people bothat home and abroad, and he is a worthy recipient of the2005 Alumni of the Year Award.

Hal Haering, Honorary Fellow of the YearHal Haering, D.D.S., received the Academy of Alumni &Friends 2005 Honorary Fellow Award inrecognition for his work to achieve bettercollaboration between the Florida Board ofDentistry and the two colleges of dentistryin the state.The award recognizes a non-alumnus for outstanding service &achievement.

A member of the board since 2000,Haering has served as chair for the pastyear, diligently working to improve com-munication between the college and theboard and facilitating improved exam processes. Notablechanges include an early March exam to enable studentsto know their licensure eligibility prior to graduation.Another significant improvement includes faster turn-around of exam results – preliminary results are nowavailable immediately on completion of the exam ratherthan four to six weeks following.

In addition to his work on the board, Haering has con-sistently demonstrated a true interest in the professionaldevelopment of the state’s dental students, providingseminars for students on laws and ethics. Studentslearned from Haering’s “insider’s perspective” how theemphasis college faculty place on thorough record keep-ing and quality care will make a difference for their futurepractices.

Haering’s vigorous advocacy for improving communi-cation between the Florida Board of Dentistry and the col-lege, and his work to foster skills and attitudes that pro-mote development of a competent dental graduate, arethe achievements for which the Academy of Alumni &Friends are pleased to recognize him with the HonoraryFellow Award of 2005.

DIAN M. OLAH, D.M.D.Class of 1985

Age: 57.

Family: Divorced; one married daughter,Stephanie, age 34, who is expecting Olah’s first grandchild.

Practice: Contract dentist for the JicarillaApache Indian Nation, Dulce, New Mexico

� Faculty Arrivals

Abimbola O.Adewumi, B.D.S., isappointed assistant pro-fessor of pediatric den-tistry. Adewumi, whoearned her dentaldegree from theUniversity of Ibadan,Nigeria, completed afellowship in pediatric

dentistry at the University of Florida where sheprovided undergraduate clinical instructionand postgraduate seminars in pediatric den-tistry. Prior to coming to UF, Adewumi servedas a specialist registrar in pediatric dentistry atSt. George’s Hospital, King’s Dental Institute,Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London.She also earned her Master’s degree in pediatricdentistry from University of London. She is afellow of the Royal College of Surgeons ofEngland and the Royal College of Physicians ofGlasgow, Scotland. Adewumi’s research inter-ests include dental traumatology, aesthetic den-tistry for children, and law and ethics in den-tistry.

IkramuddinAukhil, B.D.S., M.S., isappointed chair of theDepartment ofPeriodontology. Aukhilcomes to UF from theUniversity of NorthCarolina at Chapel HillSchool of Dentistry,where he served as pro-fessor of periodontologyand director of UNC’s Pre-doctoral Program in Periodontology. Aukhil assumes the chair from Herbert Towle, D.D.S., who has stepped down to serve as director of thePeriodontics Residency Program. The college’ssearch committee selected Aukhil based on his clinical and administrative ability and the opportunity to create new collaborationsbetween clinician scientists and the research of the college’s internationally respected molec-ular and cell biologists.

Madhu K. Nair,B.D.S., D.M.D., M.S.,Lic. Odont., Ph.D. isappointed associate pro-fessor of oral and maxillo-facial surgery and diag-nostic sciences. Naircomes to UF from theUniversity of PittsburghSchool of Dental

Medicine were he served as director and assistantprofessor of oral and maxillofacial radiology. Nair’sresearch interests include tuned aperture computedtomography, radiology informatics, computer-aideddiagnostic techniques, and digital imaging andimage processing/fractal analysis. Nair’s expertise indigital radiology and radiology informatics will beinvaluable during the college’s conversion to digitalradiology, which is scheduled for installation in allcollege clinics over the next two years.

Edgar P. O’Neill,D.D.S., M.S., F.A.C.P., isappointed clinical associ-ate professor of prostho-dontics and programdirector of graduateprosthodontics. O’Neillcomes to UF from theNaval Health Clinic inMillington, Tenn., wherehe served as department head of prosthodontics andchair of the implant committee. His areas of specialinterest and expertise are in implant dentistry andfull-mouth reconstruction. A Navy man since 1976,O’Neill earned his dental degree from LoyolaUniversity School of Dentistry, and his Master ofScience from George Washington University. He isa diplomate of the American Board ofProsthodontics, a fellow of the American College ofProsthodontics, holds a certificate of advancedprosthodontic education from the U.S. Naval PostGraduate School in Bethesda, MD, and is a mem-

ber of the Academy ofOsseointegration

Marc E. Ottenga,D.D.S., is appointed clin-ical associate professor ofoperative dentistry.Ottenga comes to theuniversity after 22 years ofprivate practice in the

Orlando area. He earned his dental degree fromThe Ohio State University School of Dentistry in1980, and completed his general practice residencyat the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Miami,Fla. in 1981.

Ottenga will serve as operative instructor in thecollege’s Preclinical Simulation Laboratory and oper-ative clinical instructor for third- and fourth-yearD.M.D. students and students in the ForeignTrained Dentist Program.

He is joined in Gainesville by wife, Cathy, andsons Cam (19) and Chris (15).

Flavio MassaraSoares, D.D.S., M.S., isappointed assistant pro-fessor of pediatric den-tistry and in a tenuretrack. Soares completedhis fellowship in pedi-atric dentistry at UF inAugust, during whichtime he demonstrated anoutstanding attitude,excellent clinical skills and received the highestteaching evaluation from the undergraduate stu-dents in the pediatrics clinical course. Soaresearned his dental degree from Pontifical CatholicUniversity in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. His master’sand certificate of advanced studies in pediatricdentistry were earned from Boston UniversityGoldman School of Dental Medicine.

Robert H. Selwitz,D.D.S., M.P.H., hasreceived joint appoint-ment as clinical professorof public health servicesand research with the UFCollege of Dentistry anddental director for theDuval County HealthDepartment. Selwitz’

responsibilities will be to administer the DCHDdental program with an annual budget of morethan $2.1 million, participating in interdisciplinarypublic health research and clinical instruction of thecollege’s dental public health residents and D.M.D.students. He will be based in Jacksonville, Fla.

Selwitz comes to UF from the NationalInstitute of Dental and Craniofacial Research,where he served as the chief of the populationresearch and health promotion branch and director

of the agency’s residency program in dental publichealth. He is board certified in public health den-tistry, earned his dental degree from University ofDetroit Mercy and his Master of Public Healthfrom University of Michigan.

T. Wendell Willis,D.D.S., is appointedclinical professor in thedepartment of peri-odontics. Willis comesto UF after 37 years ofprivate practice,although he is nostranger to teaching.Since 1977, he hasserved the college in a variety of ways, including vis-iting professor of operative dentistry and teaching inboth prosthodontics and periodontics. Willis hasbeen involved in organized dentistry at both thelocal and state level, serving as president of theAlachua County Dental Association and as a trusteeto the Florida Dental Association. He earned hisdental degree from the Medical College of Virginiain 1966, and, as a captain in the United States ArmyDental Corps, commanded the dental clinic for the809 Engineering Battalion in Thailand.

� Faculty Honors, Awardsand Appointments

Amer Abu-Hanna,D.D.S., M.S., assistantprofessor of operativedentistry and IndraneelBhattacharyya, D.D.S.,M.S.D., assistant profes-sor of oral and maxillo-facial surgery and diag-nostic sciences werehonored this springwith Teacher of the Yearawards. Abu-Hanna wasselected a teacher of theyear in clinical sciencesfor his excellent instruc-tion in the pre-clinicalsimulation laboratoryand Bhattacharyya wasselected as basic scienceteacher of the year for

his engaging oral pathology instruction.

The college selection committee chose Abu-Hanna and Bhattacharyya from a competitive fieldof nominations based on their excellence and inno-vations in course design and delivery as reported bytheir students and peers. The college's Teacher ofthe Year awardees were honored by a recognitionplaque that hangs in the college's main lecture room(D3-3), a $2000 cash award, and a reception at UFPresident Bernie Machen's home this past spring.

Arthur E. “Buddy”Clark, D.M.D., Ph.D.,M.E., has been appoint-ed chair of theDepartment ofProsthodontics, assum-ing the position fromArthur Nimmo,D.D.S., F.A.C.P., whostepped down as chairfor personal reasons. Nimmo, who served as chairfor six years, will remain on the college’s faculty,concentrating his efforts on D.M.D. curriculuminstruction and prosthodontic research. Clark hasserved as associate chair of the department since2001, previously served as chair between the yearsof 1991 to 1996, and is a former executive associatedean of the college.

Roberta Diehl,D.D.S., director of thecollege’s Hialeah DentalClinic, was inducted asa fellow into theInternational College ofDentists during theorganization’s Oct. 1,2004 convocation inOrlando, Fla. Fellowsare inducted for their

“outstanding professional achievement and meri-torious service” to the profession of dentistry andto their patients.

Teresa A. Dolan,D.D.S., M.P.H., wasone of two womendentists honored withthe AmericanAssociation of WomenDentists 2005 LucyHobbs Taylor Award.Dolan was tapped by

the association to receive the award due to her excel-lence as a role model for all women dentists and forrepresenting the spirit and ideals of the award,which celebrates Lucy Hobbs Taylor. In 1886,Hobbes Taylor was the first woman to earn aDoctor of Dental Surgery degree. Dolan will receivethe award during the October American DentalAssociation Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.

Roger B. Fillingim,Ph.D. is the author of anew book, “ConciseEncyclopedia of PainPsychology,” published byHaworth Press, Inc.Fillingim’s book, whichwill become available thissummer, is marketed as a

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Fong Wong, B.S.D., D.D.S., M.S.D.,assistant professor of prosthodontics,ran the first-ever Ocean City MarylandMarathon on April 16 to benefit CASAand other Maryland organizations serv-ing abused and neglected children.Wong finished the 26.2-mile course thatwinds through Assateague State Park –home of the wild ponies of “Misty ofChincoteague” fame – in four hours, 32minutes and 27 seconds. She placed 7thout of 19 women in her age group and59th of 150 female runners. Wong ranher first marathon, the Disney Marathon,in December of 2004.

Dental faculty truckson for charity

broad reference source of clinical and scientificpain psychology topics from A to Z. Pain psychol-ogy terms, descriptions, definitions and importantfindings are listed in the book and supported by anextensive bibliography to facilitate more in-depthstudy of the topics.

Nicholas Grimaudo,D.M.D., Ph.D., associateprofessor and director oforal-health maintenance,treatment planning andoperative dentistry, receivedthe Florida DentalAssociation’s UFCD DentalEducator of the Year awardduring the July Florida

National Dental Congress held in Orlando.

Marcio Guelmann,D.D.S., associate profes-sor of pediatric dentistry,is appointed chair of pedi-atric dentistry after anexemplary year serving asinterim chair. As chair,Guelmann is chargedwith developing pediatricfaculty through encourag-ing board certifications and fostering faculty academicand research collaborations, emphasizing interdiscipli-nary collaborations with Shands Hospital, the Collegeof Medicine and the Craniofacial Center. He will alsowork with faculty and the college’s CurriculumCommittee to review and revise pediatric dentistry cur-riculum for the D.M.D. Program, and will facilitatethe development of a combined pediatric dentistry cer-tificate and public health master’s degree program.

Guelmann has also been accepted into theAmerican Dental Education Association LeadershipInstitute’s 2005-06 class, which consists of 22 of thenation’s most promising dental faculty. As a memberof the ADEA Leadership Institute, Guelmann willattend a series of national workshops over the next12 months that develop and refine participants’leadership, legislative, administrative and teachingcompetencies.

Marc Heft, D.M.D.,Ph.D., is appointed actingchair for the Department ofOral and MaxillofacialSurgery and DiagnosticSciences. Heft assumes thechair from Frank Dolwick,D.M.D., Ph.D., whostepped down from the posi-tion for personal reasons.

Dolwick, who recommended Heft to the college’sdean as a candidate for acting chair, continues to serve

as the head of the Oral and Maxillofacial SurgeryDivision and director of hospital dentistry for ShandsHealthcare.

Nelson S. Logan,Ph.D., former director ofmulticultural affairs,received a PresidentialCitation from FrankCatalanotto, 2004-05 pres-ident of the AmericanDental EducationAssociation, during theassociation’s March 82nd

Annual Session in Baltimore. The citation recog-nized Logan’s 35-year career of promoting culturaland ethnic diversity in dental admissions at theUniversity of Iowa and UF. Logan, who is reveredby the students he has mentored, left UF lastDecember to pursue his life-long love of aviation.

Thomas C. Porter,D.M.D., clinical associateprofessor of community-based programs and direc-tor of the college’s St.Petersburg Clinic, has beenrecognized as a diplomateof the American Board ofSpecial Care Dentistry withproficiency in the areas ofhospital dentistry, dentistryfor persons with disabilities and geriatric dentistry.

The College of Dentistry is proud to announce fac-ulty promotions and tenure as recommended byPresident Bernie Machen to and approved by the UFBoard of Trustees. Effective July 1, 2005, HenryGremillion, D.D.S. is promoted to the rank of profes-sor with tenure; Jeannine Brady, Ph.D., MarcioGuelmann, D.D.S., and Joseph Riley, Ph.D., to therank of associate professor with tenure; and AssociateProfessor Robert Caudle, Ph.D., is granted tenure.

Daniela Rodriques P.Silva, D.D.S., M.S., assistantprofessor of pediatric den-tistry, is appointed interimdirector of the PediatricDentistry ResidencyProgram. Silva, originallyfrom Brazil, earned her dentaldegree from the University ofSão Poulo, her master’s in

pediatric dentistry from the University of Michigan,and became board-certified in pediatric dentistry in2003. Since coming to UF in 2004, Silva has beendeeply involved with the residency program, and she iswelcomed into her leadership role as interim director ofthe program by residents and departmental faculty.

F A C U L T Y

Dental Senior AnaP. DeCastro wasselected by theAmericanAssociation ofWomen Dentiststo receive the 2005Colgate ResearchAward. The $500award “salutes andencourages students to excel” in dentalresearch, and it is presented to junior orsenior dental students who have shown“academic distinction and demonstra-tion of excellence in research.”

UF students named Hinman ScholarsCharles T. Ruhl (center), a HinmanDental Society trustee, presentsUniversity of Florida dental students,Leslie J. Rudolph (left) and Adam A.Sarnowski (right) with scholarshipsfrom the Thomas P. Hinman DentalSociety. The awards were presented during the 93rd Hinman DentalMeeting in Atlanta March 19. The society provided scholarships and giftstotaling more than $250,000 to supportdental education at 34 southeasternschools and universities.

Student Awards

Ana P. DeCastro

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First-year general dentistry residents at theUF College of Dentistry Jacksonville Clinichave the right stuff when it comes to successful-ly placing tooth implants. In fact, their successrate of 98 percent exceeds the 90 to 95 percentreported by the American Dental Association asthe average survival rate of implants placed byexperienced clinicians.

This is the report of a UF study published inthe December issue of the Journal of OralImplantology regarding the ability of generaldentistry residents to learn complex implant pro-cedures and successfully place implants in adiverse patient population.

“Really, the success rate of the residents,although much higher than expected, was not theemphasis of the report,” said Clifford Starr,D.M.D., clinical associate professor of communi-ty based programs at UF College of Dentistryand director of the college’s Jacksonville dentalclinic. “What we wanted to show is that dentalresidents can place dental implants with success –it’s something that residents can be taught, it’snot too difficult to do and general dentists canlearn to place implants and succeed with it.”

Dental implants, which look and feel likenatural teeth, are the latest hi-tech alternative todentures and fixed prosthetics like bridges andcrowns. Patients are fitted with a metal postimplanted directly in the bone to which a pros-thetic tooth is affixed. The implant tooth pro-

vides its own support and does not rely on adja-cent teeth for support or anchorage. Implants arealso used to anchor denture plates, giving thepatient a better fit and helping to preserve thepatient’s supporting bone.

These advantages have fueled increasedpatient demand forimplants and the place-ment of dental implantsby dentists has tripledsince 1986. Althoughsome sources state 65percent of general den-tists offer implantrestorations as a routineservice of their practices,the ADA reports only 8percent of general den-tists are doing the actualsurgical placement of the implants. The majorityof surgical implants are placed by specialists inoral surgery and periodontology working in con-junction with general dentists.

Cases of 108 UF patients who received 279dental implants by residents under the supervi-sion of the Jacksonville clinic faculty between theyears 1998 to 2002 were reviewed. Patient genderwas roughly 60 percent female and 40 percentmale, and the majority of patients fell within theages of 50 to 59 years. One implant system,SteriOss, was used in 94 percent of the cases, and

about 30 percent of the patients required bonegrafts to augment the bony ridges of the jaw orto fill-in the space between the implants and thesockets of extracted teeth.

Of the 279 implants placed, only five failed,resulting in an implant success rate of 98 percent

over the course of four years. “Five years would be the gold

standard for reporting implantsuccess rates,” said Starr. “That’snot what we reported – our casesranged from six months to fouryears because we haven’t doneimplants for five years. However, I think the overall summary ofour report is that we have qualityfaculty and residents using goodimplant systems to complete com-plex cases with great success.”

Some examples of implant cases completedby the college’s Jacksonville residents can beviewed at http://www.ufhscj.edu/dentistry/page4.htm.

“It would be very valuable to the literatureif other residency programs doing implant dentistry would publish their results so we canlearn from each other’s experiences,” said Starr.“This would be of great benefit for undergradu-ate and graduate programs in the process ofintroducing implant dentistry into their cur-riculum.” �

The Right StuffGeneral dentistry residents have high implant success rate

“...placement ofdental implants

by dentists has tripled

since 1986.”

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UF College of Dentistry 30th Annual

COMMENCEMENT

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More than 1,000 family and friends of the D.M.D. Class of 2005 and candidates for certificates or graduate degrees filled the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the

Performing Arts at UF’s Cultural Plaza during the college’s 30th Annual Commencement. During the ceremony, 77 D.M.D. students, 46 certificate and graduate degree

candidates and 12 foreign trained dentists were rewarded for years of hard work.

1. Introducing the D.M.D. Class of 2005

2. Academy of Alumni & Friends President Laurence Grayhills (‘85) D.M.D. welcomes students into the ranks of organizeddentistry after conferral of their dental degrees.

3. After the ceremony, new grad Alecia Skipper and husbandattend the reception held in the main gallery of the FloridaMuseum of Natural History.

4. Graduate Thuan Nguyen (center) beams with pride while posing with his family and his dental degree.

5. Leslie Oakes (center) is hooded by sister Susie Koagel (left) and Dr. Buddy Clark.

6. Periodontal residents Gaston Berenguer (center left) andAndrew Forrest (center right) receive a colorful send-off from resident periodontal clinic staff (from left) RichelleJaniec, Leah Paske, Melanie Reidy and Mary JaneHemmingway.

7. Raphael Ason (left) and Brandon Alegre share a smile aftertransferring their tasselsfrom the right to the leftsides of their caps, signify-ing conferral and acceptanceof their dental degrees.

HIGH HONORS, SUMMA CUM LAUDE,were awarded to Michelle Aliotti, CarmenBriceno Casas, Eric Claussen, andVincent Delle-Donne.

HONORS, CUM LAUDE, were received byCody Goslinga, Jason Todd Hooper,Robert Shelling and Amanda Velazquez.

Olubisi Aina was honored with theAmerican Association of Public HealthDentistry Award. Jennifer Bailey receivedthe Organization of Teachers of OralDiagnosis Award. Carmen Briceno Casasreceived the Alpha Omega Award forScholarship, the American Academy ofOral and Maxillofacial Pathology, the Dr.Carroll Bennett Award for AcademicExcellence in Pediatric Dentistry, and theQuintessence Award for ClinicalAchievement in Restorative Dentistry. EricClaussen was awarded the AmericanAssociation of Oral and MaxillofacialSurgeons Dental Student Award and theAmerican Academy of Craniofacial PainAward. Joseph De Jongh was honored

with the American Association ofEndodontics Endodontic Student Awardand the Senior Class Advisor’sInspirational Award for ProfessionalEthics. Alissa Dragstedt received theAcademy of Operative Dentistry Award.Jodi Fair was named the recipient of TheCharles Fain Award for Achievement inPediatric Dentistry. Jeffrey Fleigel becamethe first-ever dental student to be hon-ored with the UF Hall of Fame Award.The Hall of Fame Award, established in1921, is the highest honor the universitybestows on senior student leaders inrecognition of scholastic achievementand leadership in improving the universi-ty through campus and communityinvolvement. Fleigel also received awardsfrom Americus Dental Lab, the FloridaSection of the American College ofProsthodontics, the International Collegeof Dentists, AAOMS Dental ImplantStudent Award, the American Academyof Oral Medicine and the Pierre FauchardAcademy. Colby Ferguson received theQuintessence Award for Clinical

Achievement in Periodontology. FrankieGomez was honored with the AmericanDental Society of Anesthesiology, Inc.Horace Wells Senior Student Award.Cody Goslinga received the L.D. PankeyAward. Shane Goslinga received the Dr.John Kincheloe Excellence in OralSurgery Award. Mindy Hall was honoredwith the Dentsply Award for RemovableProsthodontics, the Academy of Alumni &Friends A. Lewis Leo OutstandingStudent Award, and the AmericanAssociation of Women Dentists EleanorSenior Women Dental Student Award.Rami Hedami received the AmericanAssocation of Oral Biologists Award.Jason Todd Hopper was named theSoutheastern Academy of ProsthodonticsOutstanding Senior in Prosthodontics.Jeremy Lewis was honored with theAmerican Academy of Esthetic DentistryAward. Victor Lowell received theAmerican Academy of Dental PracticeAdministration Award. Maria Lausan-Madruga was honored with the AmericanAcademy of Oralfacial Pain Award.

Julyenne Nguyen received the GoldenForceps Award. Disha Patel was recog-nized by the Professor Harold R. StanleyOutstanding Pathology Student Award.Shreena Patel received the AmericanAssociation of Orthodontics Award, theOrthodontics Clinical AchievementAward, and the Quintessence Award forResearch Achievement. Yoel Sanchezwas honored with the InternationalCongress of Oral Implantologists Award.Alecia Skipper received the TeledyneWater Pik Award. Susan Steverson andTahir Uddin were honored with AmericanCollege of Dentists awards. JessicaStilley received the American Academyof Periodontology Award. Jordan Tarverreceived awards from the AmericanAcademy of Dental Materials and theAmerican Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.Cathy Taylor was honored with theAcademy of General Dentistry Award.Christopher Thompson was recognizedby the American Equilibration Societyand Todd Timko by the Florida Society ofOral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Dental Student Senior Honors and Awards

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1. In preparation for the coating ceremony,Alumni Coordinator Sue Guido (left) assistsHaysam Tawfik in being fitted for his coat.Months in advance, Guido planned all thedetails of the event and worked with the Class of 2007 to make sure each of the 82 classmembers’ coats were comfortably fitted andnames correctly spelled for the embroidery onthe left breast of the coats. Once embroidered,the coats were dry cleaned and smartlypressed for the ceremony.

2. Thai Hur (right) advances the Class of 2007slide show as his classmates laugh in delight.Hur’s slide presentation revealed his class-mates to be fun-loving and free-spirited as wellas dedicated dental students.

3. Proud dad Howard Cohen (left) adjusts rising jun-ior Glenn Cohen’s white coat. The Cohen familycontingent attending the white coat ceremonyincluded Glenn’s 94-year-old grandmother, Sylvia,who traveled to Gainesville from Miami for theevent.

4. Miguel Martinez gets a hug from son, Miguel Jr.

5. Students (from left to right) Charbel Klaib,Christian De Jesus, Manal Hilali, Irma Iskandarand Sanjie Jackson line-up to pose for photos.

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UF College of Dentistry’s

WHITE COAT The Professionalism & Coating Ceremony honoring the Class of 2007 was held July 16 in the Health Professions, Nursing and Pharmacy building

on the campus of the Health Science Center. The coating ceremony is made possible by the generous support of members of the Academy of

Alumni & Friends, and represents a milestone in the education of dental students – the transition into hands-on clinical patient care.

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NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 94

GAINESVILLE, FLCollege of DentistryP.O. Box 100405Gainesville, FL 32610-0405

Dates for remaining 2005 Courses listed in BOLD. All courses are in Gainesville, FL unless specified otherwise.

Bottomline EndodonticsOct. 8, 2005 **Randy Hedrick, D.D.S.

ADVANCED SKILLS for the Dental Team: Nitrous Oxide PsychosedationOct. 14-15, 2005 or Jan. 27-28, 2006Franci Stavropoulos, D.D.S.

The SECRET WEAPON of the Best Paid Dental Assistants:Expanded Functions for Dental AuxiliaryOct. 14-16 & Oct. 29-30, 2005 or Jan. 27-29 & Feb. 11-12, 2006UF College of Dentistry Faculty

Craniofacial Pain and Pathofunction Part II, Oral Facial Pain: Advanced DiagnosisOct. 20-22, 2005Henry Gremillion, D.D.S., M.A.G.D., Parker Mahan, D.D.S.,Ph.D., Frank Dolwick, D.M.D.

Seminars at Sea for Dentists and the Dental Team – Carnival Cruise LineOct. 20-23, 2005All your Board Required Courses – 7 CEUs!Canaveral to BahamasNew Courses and Dates for 2006 Cruise Courses to be announced soon!

BASIC SKILLS for the Best Paid Dental Assistants:Radiology for Dental AuxiliaryOct. 21-22, 2005 or Feb. 3-4, 2006 or Mar. 3-4, 2006 orMar. 31-Apr. 1, 2006Douglas Benn, B.D.S., Ph.D., Glenda Guarino, C.D.A., M.S.and Mae Bell Wilson, C.D.A., A.S.

PHARMACOLOGY: Drugs and Dentistry, Including Herbals and Natural ProductsOct. 28, 2005 (Orlando)Richard L. Wynn, Ph.D., Lead Author of Drug InformationHandbook for Dentistry

Costa Rica – Continuing Dental Education in Paradise:Stress Free Oral PathologyNov. 9-16, 2005Neel Bhattacharyya, D.D.S., B.D.S.

ADVANCED TRAINING for the Best Paid DentalHygienists: Creating Healthy Pockets Through aWorkshop in TechnologyDec. 10, 2005 or Feb. 14, 2006Samuel B. Low, D.D.S., M.S., M.Ed.

Safely Managing the High Risk Geriatric PatientDec. 10, 2005John Thomas, D.D.S.

Snoring & Sleep Apnea: The Dentist and Sleep DisordersJan. 7-8, 2006 (Key West Wyndham Marina)Charles Smith, D.D.S.

1st Annual Oral Surgery Symposium & Golf WeekendJan. 13-14, 2006 (Orlando – Crowne Plaza Resort)Matthew Dennis, D.D.S., James Green, D.D.S., M.D.

ADVANCED SKILLS for the Savvy Dental Hygienist:Ultrasonics and InstrumentationJan. 20, 2006Sharon Cooper, R.D.H., Robbi Hoskins, R.D.H., LoriePrimosch, R.D.H., June Sonntag, R.D.H.

Costa Rica – Continuing Dental Education in Paradise:EndodonticsFeb. 6-13, 2006Frank Vertucci, D.M.D.

DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHY for the Dental TeamFeb. 11, 2006Madhu Nair, B.D.S., D.M.D., M.S., Lic. Odont.,Ph.D.

DOUBLEHEADER: Ergonomics AND Ethics for theEffective Dental TeamFeb. 17, 2006Geraldine Ferris, D.M.D.

Perspectives on Oral Medicine for the ModernComprehensive Care DentistFeb. 17, 2006 **Dr. Nelson Rhodus, Distinguished Professor & DirectorDivision of Oral Medicine, U of Mn.

ADVANCED TRAINING for the Best Paid DentalAssistants: Fabricating Temporary Crowns & BridgesFeb. 18-19, 2006Henry Young, D.D.S., Jack Jones, D.M.D., Terry Magner,R.D.H.

3rd Annual Soft Tissue Oral Pathology SymposiumFeb. 24-25, 2006 (Orlando – Disney Contemporary Resort)UF College of Dentistry Faculty

Craniofacial Pain and Pathofunction Part III, Head and Neck Anatomy with DissectionFeb. 27-Mar. 1, 1006Henry Gremillion, D.D.S., M.A.G.D., Parker Mahan, D.D.S.,Ph.D., Frank Dolwick, D.M.D., Lynn Larkin, B.S., Ph.D.

Craniofacial Pain and Pathofunction Part IV, Mini-ResidencyMar. 2-4, 2006Henry Gremillion, D.D.S., M.A.G.D.

*Esthetic Restorative Dentistry: “Catch the Wave”Mar. 3, 2006 **James Braun, D.D.S.

*Improving Your Dental Treatment Efficiency with Smart Materials and Better TechniquesMar. 4, 2006 **Don Antonson, D.D.S., M. Ed., Al Fillastre, C.D.T.

DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHY for Dentists and RadiologicTechnologistsMar. 11, 2006Madhu Nair, B.D.S., D.M.D., M.S., Lic. Odont., Ph.D.

1st Annual General Dentistry SymposiumMar. 24-25, 2006 (Orlando – Disney Contemporary Resort)UF College of Dentistry Faculty and Nationally RecognizedExperts

*Continuing Dental Education at UFCD wishes to expressits appreciation to the American Dental Association, USARMY, Americus Dental Lab, American Handpiece Service,Captek, Coltene Whaledent, Dentsply, Discover FinancialServices, Great Lake Orthodontics, Inc. HuFriedy,Lightspeed, and Omnii Pharmaceuticals for unrestrictededucational grants, which helped, in part, to make thesecourses possible.

**The University of Florida Dental Clinic at the UniversityPartnership Center, St. Petersburg College, SeminoleCampus

Courses Eligible for TEAM Discount of $25 per registrant! Call toll-free 1-888-550-4590 or Register Online at www.dental.ufl.edu/CE/

Continuing Dental Education OCT. 2005 – MAR. 2006

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