Jerry Mastey
Mark Your Calendar:
Upcoming Continuing Dental Education Courses
December 7, 2007 (Friday)
Evidence-Based Dentistry and Dental Practice
This coursewill defineandcritiquetheconcept of “evidence-baseddentistry.”
Aprotocol for practicingevidence-baseddentistry (EBD) will bedescribedand
howit canbeusedtoprovideinformationtopatients. Thecoursewill focus on
theprocess of conductingevidence-basedpractice, howtoprevent theabuseof
EBDina clinical practice, sources of critical information, thenewADANational
Library of Medicineproject, andhowpractitioners caninteract toprovide
feedback andask questions onbest evidencefor clinical care.
Location: U-MSchool of Dentistry, AnnArbor
January 25, 2008 (Friday)
Innovative Strategies for the Prevention, Early Detection, and
Treatment of Oral Cancer
Inthis course, DeanPeter Polverini will present themost current information
about thecauses of oral cancer, describenewchairsidemethods torapidly
detect premalignant oral lesions, anddiscuss someexcitingnewstrategies
designedtoprevent recurrent oral cancer. Thedevelopment of somenew
therapies for this diseasewill alsobediscussed.
Location: U-MSchool of Dentistry, AnnArbor
March 28, 2008 (Friday)
Dialogues in Orthodontics: Mini-Pins and Mini-Plates as Skeletal
Anchorage
Dr. Axel BumannandDr. HugoDeClerck, whowerewell receivedat the
School of Dentistry’s Moyers Symposiumearlier this year andspokeabout
microimplants as temporary anchorageinorthodontics, arereturningtoAnn
Arbor topresent their material ingreater detail.
Dr. Bumannwill focus onthefundamentals of mini-pinanchorageinthe
correctionof a variety of malocclusiontypes, discussingsiteselectionand
theuseof self-tappingvs. self-drillingscrews. Dr. DeClerck will focus onthe
useof modifiedmini-plates for skeletal anchorage, includingthedetails of
orthodonticandsurgical management.
Location: TheMichiganLeague, U-MCentral Campus, AnnArbor
Student Athletes Fitted for
Free Mouth Guards
Nine-year-old Alex Herrero of Ann Arbor, who plays for
his school’s soccer team, the Leopards, will be using his
new blue mouth guard this season. He was among 50
student athletes from across southeast Michigan who
came to the School’s annual mouth guard clinic in July
to be fitted for the free, customized protective piece of
equipment. Dr. Kenneth May made sure the mouth guard
For more information about fitted properly before Alex left.
these and other continuing
dental education courses
contact:
University of Michigan
School of Dentistry Jerry Mastey
Office of Continuing
Dental Education Books For Armenia
1011 N. University Avenue
Room G508 More than 1,160 boxes containing 22,514 items, mostly
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1078 academic journals and some texts, were stacked in two
www.dent.umich.edu.
hallways on the ground floor of the Kellogg Building this
summer. The publications were donated to the National
Institute of Health of Armenia. Nearly all were duplicates,
a subset of items that were given to the dentistry library in
recent years. Also included were some volumes no longer
needed.
Preparing the items for donation took nine months.
Whitney Field, operations coordinator for U-M’s Health
Sciences Libraries, said,“Dr. Robert Bagramian played a
crucial role in ensuring this material could be donated to an
institution that could make good use of them.”
Noting that Armenia, a small country of about 3million
is attempting to modernize, Bagramian, a professor of
dentistry, said, “ The contribution of books and journals will
make available a wealth of materials for academic health
institutions in Armenia.”
 DentalUM
Fall 2007 Volume 23, Number 2

DentalUM magazine is published twice a year by the

University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Office of Our School’s Gateway
Alumni Relations and Continuing Dental Education.

Mail letters and updates to: Jerry Mastey, Editor, School

to Better Oral Health
of Dentistry, Room G532, 1011 N. University Ave., Ann
Arbor, MI 48109-1078. Or you may send your letters and
updates via email to: jmastey@umich.edu.

Dean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Polverini

Director of External Relations and In recent years, more than 11,000 patients have annually been
Continuing Dental Education . . . . . . Richard Fetchiet
Writer & Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jerry Mastey to our Patient Admitting and Emergency Services (PAES) Clinic as
Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris Jung their first step toward better oral health.
Contributing Photographers . . . . . . . . . Per Kjeldsen,
Russell Taichman, Jerr y Mastey, Wanda Snyder,
About 5,000 have received emergency care. In fact, we often
Diane McFarland refer to the PAES Clinic as the dental school’s version of a hospital
emergency room.
Member publication of the American
Association of Dental Editors For another 6,000 patients, the PAES Clinic is their first stop
to receiving longer-term comprehensive care and treatment in our
The Regents of the University:
Julia Donovan Darlow, Laurence B. Deitch, Olivia P. School’s clinics.
Maynard, Rebecca McGowan, Andrea Fischer Newman, As you will learn reading this issue of DentalUM, the Clinic
Andrew C. Richner, S. Martin Taylor, Katherine E. White,
Mary Sue Coleman, ex officio. serves many patients who live within a 30- or 40-mile radius of
Ann Arbor.
University of Michigan School of Dentistry
Alumni Society Board of Governors
However, others drive two, three, four, and sometimes five
Terms Expire 2007:
hours – from western Michigan, northern lower Michigan, and
Samuel Bander, ’81, Grand Rapids, MI even the Upper Peninsula – to receive care here.
Richard L. Pascoe, ’70, Traverse City, MI Dr. Stephen Stefanac, our associate dean for patient services
Susan Pritzel, ’67 DH, Ann Arbor, MI (chair)
Terry Timm, ’71, Saline, MI who oversees the Clinic’s activities, says that with the state of
Josephine Weeden, ’96, ’99, Saline, MI Michigan’s economy being what it is, “we are now seeing more
Terms Expire 2008: patients than ever who have no where else to be treated for
William E. Brownscombe, ‘74, St. Clair Shores, MI
John R. McMahon, ‘82, Grand Rapids, MI their conditions. In many instances, we’re the providers of last
George M. Yellich, ‘72, Los Gatos, CA resort.”
Harold Zald, ‘79, West Bloomfield, MI
Jemma Allor, ‘00, Dental Hygiene, Mt. Clemens, MI The PAES Clinic, however, is not just a treatment facility. Since
Terms Expire 2009: it is an essential part of our School, it provides our dental students
Charles Caldwell, ‘77, Grand Rapids, MI with learning opportunities and gives them chances to educate
Daniel Edwards, ‘97, Ann Arbor, MI
Gary Hubbard, ‘78, Okemos, MI
patients about proper oral health care.
Metodi Pogoncheff, ‘76, Lansing, MI The Clinic’s three staff dentists – Drs. David Jacobson, Juan
Janet Souder Wilson, ‘73, Dental Hygiene, Northville, MI Johnson, and Vernon Rife – work with the dental students to help
Student Representative: Jamie Luria (D4) them develop their skills, increase their comfort level in dealing
Ex Officio Members: with emergency situations and, ultimately, develop their own
Peter Polverini, Dean
Janet Souder Wilson, ‘73, DH, Northville, MI style.
Alumni Association Liaison I think Dr. Jacobson summarizes what the Clinic means to all
Steve C. Grafton , Executive Director, Alumni Assoc.
Richard R. Fetchiet, Director of External Relations and of us when he says, “For me, it’s incredibly gratifying when you
Continuing Dental Education can both help a patient and teach a student something new about
The University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action the art and science of dentistry.”
employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding
nondiscrimination and affirmative action, including Title IX of the
Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973. The University of Michigan is committed to a policy of
Sincerely,
nondiscrimination and equal opportunity for all persons regardless
of race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, age,
marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression,
disability, or Vietnam-era veteran status in employment, educational
programs and activities, and admissions. Inquiries or complaints
may be addressed to the Senior Director for Institutional Equity and
Title IX/Section 504 Coordinator, Office of Institutional Equity, 2072 Peter J. Polverini, Dean
Administrative Services Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1432,
734-763-0235, TTY 734-647-1388. For other University of Michigan
information call 734-764-1817.
* Includes discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression.

DentalUM Fall 2007

1
 In This Issue ...
COVER STORY
16 The PAES Clinic…the Gateway to Better Oral Health
The School of Dentistry’s Patient Admitting and Emergency Services (PAES)
Clinic is the gateway to better oral health that serves the public in two vital
ways. One is providing emergency care. The other is screening patients
who will receive long-term comprehensive care. More than 11,000 patients
have been treated annually at the Clinic in recent years. Many live within
a 30- or 40-mile radius of Ann Arbor. However, others drive two, three, and
sometimes four hours to receive care.
Pictured are: Dr. Stephen Stefanac (seated), associate dean for Patient
Services, who oversees the Clinic’s activities; Dr. Vernon Rife (left), staff dentist;
Dr. David Jacobson (center), Clinic director; and Dr. Juan Johnson, staff dentist.
22 – Fourth-Year Dental Students Say Clinic “A Very Valuable Experience”
26 – On the Front Line – Drs. David Jacobson, Juan Johnson, Vernon Rife
29 – Adjunct Faculty Teach Students, Help Patients
Design by Chris Jung. Photo by Per Kjeldsen.

FEATURES
4 Deans Speak of Importance of Transforming Health Care Education
7 Dean Peter Polverini spoke of the School of Dentistry’s commitment to
developing alternatives to educating oral health professionals of the
future at the annual convocation ceremony. Guest speaker Dr. James
Woolliscroft, dean of the U-M Medical School, spoke of the need for an
integrated approach to professional health care education.

7 Paperless Records a Reality in Browne Orthodontics Clinic

In late July, the Robert W. Browne Orthodontics Clinic completed a
transition from an environment where patient information had been
stored on paper to one that is now completely electronic.

8 New Pain Clinic Extends Dental-Medical Collaboration

9 Dental Scholars Help Area School

13 U-M School of Dentistry Dental Scholars made a major difference at an

Ann Arbor School this summer. Their community service helped the
Perry Nursery School save about $1,800.

13 U-M Dentist Invents Product for Clinics

Dr. Louie Khouri (DDS 1989) has invented a product he believes can help
oral health care professionals and their patients.

30 Faculty Profile — Dr. Stephen Stefanac, Associate Dean for Patient

Services
He supervises one of the School’s largest departments with more than
80 employees. But when he told his high school guidance counselor
about his plans to become a dentist, the counselor told Stephen
Stefanac that he should first take a pottery or ceramics class.

30
DentalUM Fall 2007
2
 Fall 2007

38 Alumna Profile — Dr. Patricia Lucas
“My parents were strict, wanted us to go to college, earn a degree,
and become professionals,” says Dr. Patricia Lucas. “They firmly
believed and told us often that hard work and a good education
were the keys to success.”
41 Graduation 2007
School of Dentistry graduates were reminded of the School’s
tradition of excellence and innovation and also urged to advance
that tradition to benefit society.
41
DEPARTMENTS
36 Faculty News
46 Development
51 Dental Hygiene
51 - Online Degree Program Begins in January
A new program…this one online…leading to a Bachelor of Science
degree in dental hygiene will be offered by the School of Dentistry
beginning in January.
52 - Alumna Urges Congress to Expand Healthy Kids Dental

Program
Dental hygiene alumna Christine Farrell recently appeared before
51
a Congressional committee urging lawmakers to help the State of
Michigan expand the Healthy Kids Dental Program.
57 Research News
57 – Saliva Test Kit Advances in Testing
New test results show a portable device developed by a School of
Dentistry professor could tell patients in just minutes if they have
periodontal disease, which would be a major improvement over
current methods.
58 – New Programs Put Money in Students’ Pockets
Two new programs designed to attract more dental students to
careers in clinical research offers them opportunities to learn and
earn. A one-year program offers a year of fully-paid tuition and
58
a stipend of about $20,000. A three-month program includes a
stipend of nearly $5,200.
66 – “Research Fulfilling, I Want to Stay Involved”
“It seemed the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research was my
home away from home,” said dental hygienist Janet Kinney as she
talked about her 18 months of clinical research.
72 Department Update: Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry
80 Alumni News
81 In Memoriam – Dr. Thomas Graber, Keary Campbell

66
DentalUM Fall 2007
3
 D E N T I S T RY
Completing Strategic Self-Assessment
Dean Outlines New Initiatives During Annual Ceremony
ome of the School of
S Dentistry’s most important
achievements during the
past year, and a hint of
things to come, were presented by Dean
Peter Polverini during the School’s
fourth convocation ceremony in
August.
During the annual ceremony,
which celebrates the start of the new
academic year, he highlighted some of
the achievements of the past 12 months
and identified future challenges and
opportunities for the School.
“Perhaps the single most important
accomplishment this past year was
the completion of our strategic self-
assessment,” Polverini told students,
faculty, and staff.
Beginning in March 2005, a
21-member committee of faculty,
students, and staff performed a critical
introspective analysis of the School’s
strengths and weaknesses. [DentalUM,
Spring & Summer 2006, pages 8 to
13.]
“As part of the process, we
defined a vision for the future that
included developing a new clinical
education model, a major investment
in technology to support our education
and patient care programs, targeted
growth of our research enterprise,
and a commitment to revitalize our
research and patient care facilities,”
he said.
In late August, a team of external
reviewers visited the School to review
4
and discuss the self-assessment.
The findings from the visit will be
submitted in the fall to U-M President
Mary Sue Coleman and Provost Teresa
Sullivan.
Educational Programs
“A m o n g t h e m a n y re c o m -
mendations developed during our
strategic assessment was the key
conclusion that we must explore
alternatives to our current predoctoral
clinical education program,” Polverini
said. “We must transform the
predoctoral, hygiene, and graduate
educational programs so they serve
as role models for dental education
in terms of innovation and financial
sustainability.”
He added that the programs
must continue to emphasize the
School’s commitment to educating
the oral health professional of the
future, encouraging exploration and
discovery, and creating excitement
about academic dentistry as a career
choice.
To help ease an impending national
shortage of dentists-scientists, while
seeking to improve the public’s oral
health, “we will expand our emphasis
on educating dental specialists,
master’s, and doctoral level dental
scholars,” he said.
“We will consider more self-
directed forms of education that will
enable students to take more control
of their learning. We will challenge
them to explore and participate in
developing new, innovative educational
collaboration,” he added.
Research and Discovery
Polverini said research and
discover y “continues to be the
centerpiece of the School of Dentistry.
The work we do in our research
laboratories and clinics distinguishes
us from our peers and enables us to
attract some of the best faculty and
students from around the world.”
He noted that during 2006, the
School ranked first in research and
training award grants from the
National Institute of Dental and
Craniofacial Research, a part of the
National Institutes of Health, totaling
more than $10.6 million.
During the same time, the School
was second among the nation’s
dental schools receiving more than
$13 million in research and training
awards from NIH.
In addition to laboratory research,
Polverini highlighted the leading role
the School is playing in addressing
the problem of access to care. Under
the leadership of Dr. Amid Ismail, the
Detroit Center for Research on Oral
Health Disparities is investigating the
social, economic, environmental, and
biological causes of disparities in oral
health.
External Impact
Polverini said the School of Dentistry
DentalUM Fall 2007

our “Most Important Accomplishment”
Dean Peter Polverini spoke of the School of Dentistry’s commitment to developing alternatives to educating oral health professionals at the School’s annual convocation ceremony.
Guest speaker, Dr. James Woolliscroft, dean of the U-M Medical School, spoke of the need for an integrated approach to professional health care education.
will continue to establish “unique
interdisciplinary collaborations” with
other U-M schools and colleges and
other institutions of higher learning
around the world.
The creation of new knowledge
and the advancement of best practices
will be the guiding principles in
establishing new educational and
research partnerships locally and
globally.
“The learning curve will be steep
as we come to grips with the cultural,
economic, and political realities both
here and abroad,” he said. “We have
little choice but to move this agenda
forward if we hope to expand our
global presence.”
Global Collaboration
Polverini said that during the
DentalUM Fall 2007
D E N T I S T RY
Jerry Mastey
past year, the School established
memoranda of understanding with Memoranda of
dental schools in England, Brazil, and
China. [See sidebar.] Understanding
In the months ahead, he continued,
U-M and the School of Dentistry will The School of Dentistry established
explore emerging global opportunities. memoranda of understanding with
Working with other U-M units, the these dental schools around the world
School of Dentistr y will develop during the past year:
cultural immersion programs that • University of Leeds (England)
that will support faculty and students • University of Sao Paulo (Brazil)
in this effort. • Federal Universidade Rio Grande
“As we begin the new academic do Sul (Brazil)
year, we will continue to face significant • Shanghai Jiaotong University
challenges that, if not addressed, will (China)
impede our vision to become a school • Peking University (China)
of the future,” he said. “I am confident, • Fourth Military Medical
however, that we have the people in University-Xi’an (China)
place who have the ingenuity and • Xi’an Jiaotong University (China)
creativity to shepherd our School
through these trying times.”
5
 D E N T I S T RY
Urgently Needed:
An Integrated Approach to Professional Health Care Education
“By 2015 or 2020, there will only be a few global educational institutions of higher learning.
Others will become regional, specialty education institutions or relegated to oblivion.”
Dr. James Woolliscroft, Dean, University of Michigan Medical School
Remarks at School of Dentistry Convocation, August 2007
A compelling need exists among
health care faculty and administrators
to develop a new approach to educating
students in dentistry, medicine, public
health, nursing, and other health
care professions. The approach must
be integrated, encompassing all
disciplines.
That was the message from the
Dean of the University of Michigan
Medical School, Dr. James Woolliscroft,
to administrators, faculty, staff, and
students during the School of Dentistry’s
fourth annual convocation ceremony in
August. The event celebrates the start
of a new academic year.
In developing a new model of
educating health care professionals,
Woolliscroft emphasized the importance
of being proactive.
“Society is demanding change,” he
said. “Those involved in health care
must take the lead because if we don’t,
government will mandate change, and
mandates may not be what any of us
will be happy about.”
Tracing the evolution of health care
education and treatment, he said the
Civil War was a major turning point that
affected educators and the public.
“There was an incredible outcry
then about deplorable medical conditions
because of the way soldiers were treated
for their wounds,” he said. The outcry led
to a handful of the nation’s institutions of
higher learning, including the University
of Michigan, to pioneer what turned
6
out to be major reforms in health care
education and training in medicine,
dentistry, and other professions.
“Those reforms were things that
we as educators now take for granted,
including educational prerequisites,
clinical training, more classroom
training, and research,” he continued.
Because U-M and the other colleges
and universities responded, they survived
and thrived.
For those that didn’t, the future was
bleak.
“The colleges and universities that
did not embrace change then, including
many that were prominent at the time,
are now historical asterisks because
they didn’t respond or they didn’t have
a vision,” Woolliscroft said.
That lesson from the past is the
lesson for today. However, today, medical
and dental schools and other health care
professionals must be in the vanguard.
A confluence of events, he said,
is driving the need for an integrated
approach to health care at colleges and
universities.
They include changing
demographics, globalization, higher
levels of education, an explosion of
knowledge fueled by advances in
technology, and a growing need to
provide health care that is affordable.
“The schools of higher learning were
the drivers of change then, and those of
us here at University of Michigan must
be in the lead today,” Woolliscroft said.
“Michigan is better positioned than most
institutions of higher learning in the
nation or the world to be a leader in a
new, integrated approach to health care
education.”
iPod Initiative Lauded
During remarks, Woolliscroft
applauded the School of Dentistry’s
iPod initiative that allows dental
and dental hygiene students
opportunities to listen to classroom
lectures on their iPods or other
portable listening devices.
“We at the Medical School
have copied what you here at the
School of Dentistry have done in
making our classroom lectures
available to our students,” he said.
“It’s a fundamental change in
how students learn that, I think,
will continue for the foreseeable
future.”
Woolliscroft said he frequently
has students tell him that they listen
to lectures and other presentations
on their iPods, but usually at a
higher speed. They’ll say, “I’ll listen
at speeds between one-and-a-half
to two times normal because it
forces me to pay closer attention
to what’s being said. But if there’s
something I don’t understand, I’ll
go back and listen again.”
DentalUM Fall 2007
 D E N T I S T RY

Paperless Records, Patient Information

Now a Reality in Ortho Clinic
Jerry Mastey

“Paperless” is now a reality in one

School of Dentistry clinic.
In late July, the Robert W. Browne
Orthodontics Clinic completed a
transition from an environment where
patient information, for decades, had
been stored on paper to one that is now
completely electronic.
The move is one of many
technological initiatives in recent
years [DentalUM, Fall 2005, pages
4-31].
“This is a major milestone for the
School,” said Dr. Sunil Kapila, chair
of the Department of Orthodontics
and Pediatric Dentistry, who said the
paperless clinic would be a model as
other clinics throughout the dental
school become paperless in the
future.
“Our faculty, residents, and staff
are now able to electronically retrieve
a wealth of information about our
patients instead of having to sift
through mounds of paper,” he said.
“Every necessary piece of
information about each patient,”
Kapila continued, “including his or
her dental history, appointments,
treatments, radiographs (x-rays),
photographs, payment history, and
more is now available at chairside.”
The information is accessible at 27
computers in the clinic.
Being able to instantly retrieve
information, Kapila added, will save
valuable time, benefit patients, and
help those providing oral health care.
Dr. Scott Conley, clinical assistant
professor of dentistry, coordinated the
Department’s efforts with the School’s
TheRobertW.BrowneOrthodontics Clinicis thefirst of theSchool’s clinics wherepatient informationis nowavailableelectronically
at chairside. Dr. Sunil Kapila(right), chair of theDepartment of Orthodontics andPediatricDentistry, watches Dr. Scott Conley(left),
whocoordinatedthedepartment’stransitiontoapaperlessenvironment,retrieveapatient’srecords. RogerGillie(center) ledaDental
Informaticsteamthat installedthehardwareandsoftwareintheclinic.
Department of Dental Informatics. said. “However, it’s important to
emphasize that there are security
Another Important “First” for U-M measures in place designed to prohibit
H o w e v e r, t h e re i s a n o t h e r unauthorized access.”
important “first” worth noting about Gillie and members of his team
the paperless clinic. installed the hardware during a
According to Roger Gillie, director weekend in May and then tested the
of programming services in the School’s hardware and software, MiDent, for
Department of Dental Informatics, several weeks.
the School of Dentistry has become They also took advantage of new
the first and only unit in the entire technology to minimize costs.
University of Michigan system that Behind each computer monitor is
allows faculty members, since they a “Mac mini” from Apple Inc. About
have final authority for patient care, seven inches square and two inches
to access patient records using their deep, the unit is the smallest desktop
university-approved identification computer marketed by the company
card. and can be used as a Mac or a Windows
“They swipe the card in a slot personal computer. “Their small size
near the computer monitor the same cuts down the need for counter space
way they do when buying something or storage space and cables too,” Gillie
at a store using a credit card,” he said.

DentalUM Fall 2007

7
 D E N T I S T RY
New Pain Clinic Extends Dental-Medical Collaboration
To Better Serve Patients with TMD & Orofacial Pain
Dental patients suffering from
facial pain and TMD can get help at
a new facility now being run by the
School of Dentistry in partnership with
the U-M Health System.
The TMD and Orofacial Pain Clinic,
at 325 E. Eisenhower, just north of
Briarwood Mall, is a collaborative
venture that involves the School and
units from the U-M Health System
including Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation, the Spine Clinic, and
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
The U-M Hospital’s Medical Pain
Clinic and the Headache Clinic will
be at the same location in the near
future. Other specialty units from the
Taubman Center, including neurology,
otorhinolaryngology, and psychiatry,
will also be involved.
Benefits to Patients
Patients experiencing TMD and
orofacial pain will have better access
to care and treatment and will find it
easier for them to be seen, evaluated,
and treated by oral health care and
medical professionals under one roof.
“The Clinic opened earlier this year
to address an unmet need for treatment
among a segment of the population
experiencing TMD and orofacial pain,”
said Dr. Paul Krebsbach, chair of the
Department of Biologic and Materials
Sciences. The Department oversees the
Clinic’s operations.
He credited Dean Peter Polverini
for launching the new facility and
fostering greater collaboration with
other U-M units.
8
Jerry Mastey
said, “temporomandibular disorders
and other orofacial pain disorders
are complex clinical problems that
often involve both dentistry and
medicine.”
Because these conditions are
complex, he added, “that is why we
need to work closely, not just with
our dental colleagues, but those in
the medical community if we want
our patients to have the best possible
treatment for their pain and favorable
outcomes.”
Ashman said the clinic “will
always be focused on patient care.
Dr. Lawrence Ashman is the director of the TMDand But because of the information we will
Orofacial Pain Clinic. The Clinic is a collaborative venture be gathering as we help patients, we
that involves the School of Dentistry andunits fromthe may find, over time, that the Clinic’s
U-MHealthSystem. mission could evolve to encompass
teaching, education, and research,” he
A Complex Problem said.
“Because of the complexity in When he was at the U-M School of
understanding and treating such Dentistry, Dr. Christian Stohler ran a
complicated conditions, a team pain clinic that sought to gain further
approach that utilizes expertise in insights into the reasons for a patient’s
both medicine and dentistry will likely pain. The new clinic is more focused
have the best opportunity for success,” on managing a patient’s pain.
Krebsbach added.
Dr. Lawrence Ashman is the
director of the new clinic. For nearly
thirty years, his general dentistry The TMD and
practice focused on evaluating and
Orofacial Pain Clinic
managing TMD and orofacial pain.
He will collaborate with Dr. George 325 E. Eisenhower
Upton in the Department of Oral and Suite 100
Maxillofacial Surgery who has a long Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108
history of treating TMD patients.
Noting that approximately twenty
Telephone: (734) 936-7175
percent of the population experiences
some kind of facial pain, Ashman
DentalUM Fall 2007
 D E N T I S T RY

Dental Scholars Begin 2nd Year

with Community Service
Jerry Mastey Jerry Mastey

U-M School of Dentistry Dental Scholars made a major difference at an Ann (left): JamesSkousen,ThaoLe,andHannahBudzinski painta
Arbor School this summer. hallwayoutsideaclassroomat thePerryNurserySchool.
Their community service — painting classrooms, cleaning facilities, and (above): Dental hygiene students Maria Alspaugh (left)
scrubbing cots — helped the Perry Nursery School save about $1,800. “We can and Audrey Stratz cleaned dozens of sleeping cots. In the
backgroundisAnneGwozdek,adjunctdental hygieneclinical
now use those funds for our program to purchase educational supplies and lecturer andaDental Scholarsmentor.
for instructional purposes,” said Heavenly Jackson, the school’s development
director. Jackson said she and others at Perry “feel fortunate to have such
caring partners. We’re deeply thankful the dental students were here. Their Dental Scholars:
generosity and enthusiasm was something to behold. We’d love to have them Overview
back again,” she said with a smile.
Established in 1934 to help children from impoverished families, Perry Launched in 2006, the Scholars
provides affordable high quality schooling, on a sliding fee scale, to approximately Programin Dental Leadership, as it’s
100 children throughout Washtenaw County ranging in age from 30 months to formally known, brings together a
four years. The state-licensed school is one of only seven percent nationwide to select number of exceptional students
be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. with diverse backgrounds to help
them develop a leadership mindset
Students Enthused andtheskills theycanusetopromote
In late August, a second class of 14 Dental Scholars joined their colleagues change in dentistry, dental hygiene,
from last summer’s inaugural class with a Friday evening dinner followed by education research, or academia.
the Saturday morning work at Perry. More information is on the School
The experience was one dental students and faculty members and Perry of Dentistry Web site: www.dent.
administrators will always remember. umich.edu/prospective/spdl.
“This is great, I really enjoyed being here and doing this,” said Eric Skulsky
a second-year dental student and member of the first class of Dental Scholars.
Ben Anderson, another second-year Dental Scholar agreed. “This was cool,”
he said. “I really enjoyed being able to help.”
Dr. Robert Eber, who was one of several School of Dentistry faculty members
who helped, was surprised with how much was accomplished in three hours.

DentalUM Fall 2007

9
 D E N T I S T RY

Jerry Mastey Jerry Mastey

“It’s amazing how much you can do

when so many people are working
together at one time,” he said.

Outdoor Team Building Exercises

After lunch, boarding a bus, and
traveling to the U-M Recreation Area,
Dental Scholars participated in several
outdoor activities that challenged them
to reach a goal through communication,
collaboration, adapting to change, and
leadership.
Most of the time, students
A Transformation participated in groups of eight or nine.
In one activity they were challenged
The work of Dental Scholars impressed Perry Nursery School administrators, to cross an imaginary river, hemmed
including family services director, Mary Fabirkiewicz. The photos above show a in by electric fences, using only two
room before bookcases were moved from the center of a room to walls so children crates, two boards, and a small pole.
could move about freely. The results of their work are evident in the photo on the However, their final outdoor
right. “Wow! What a transformation!” Fabirkiewicz exclaimed as she walked into activity challenged all of them.
One by one, the Scholars stepped
the room. “I can’t believe we have so much space again. It’s wonderful!”
onto a long plank that represented a
boat. Beneath the plank in the center,
was a board that made the “boat” teeter
Jerry Mastey

when it was unbalanced. At each of the

four corners were small, air-filled balls
that would squeak when that occurred.
When the Dental Scholars heard a
squeak, all of them had to get off the
plank, reassess their strategy, and then
reboard. They had just 30 minutes to
develop a successful plan.
Even more challenging was that
they were not allowed to speak as they
approached the plank or once they
were on it. Communicating was done
using hand signals. After several false
Dental Scholars also found ways to have some fun. After cleaning one classroom, some found sunglasses and posed for this photo. starts and subsequent collaboration
Pictured left to right are: Robert Wiesen, Darlene Occimio, Sara Arnold, Keith Dobracki, Julia Latham, Eric Skulsky, Megan Dubois, the Scholars succeeded in reaching
Lindsay Rayburn, and Karen Janusz.
their goal.

DentalUM Fall 2007

10
 D E N T I S T RY

These photos, taken by Dr. Russell Taichman,

director of the Dental Scholars program, show
some of them at work and having fun at the
Perry Nursery School.

Dr. Russell Taichman

Christie Springstead

Eric Skulsky

NewDental ScholarJuliaLathambalancesherselfononeboardasshebeginsplacingasecondacross
animaginaryriver duringDental Scholarschallengeactivities. Mansi Goyal (left) andSarahMiller
(right), withtheU-MChallengeProgram,arereadytocatchLathamshouldshefall.

Jerry Mastey
Irene Haddock

Robert Wiesen

JamesSkousen(left) andJasonSchrotenboerusehandsignalstocommunicatewithDental Scholars

onhowtopositionthemselvessotheplank, representinga“boat, ” didnot capsize.

New Dental Scholars Zahid Ahmed

StephanieNuñez (D1) StephanieMunz (D1)

MeghanDubois (D1) KarenJanusz (D1)
Julia Latham(D1) Michael Barber (D2)
Lindsay Rayburn(D1) Sara Arnold(D2)
Javana Cosner (D1) Robert Wiesen(D2) Malije
Victoria Lucas-Perry (D1) MalijeOnwueme(D3) Onwueme
ElizabethCaplis (D1) Maria Alspaugh(DH3)
Maciak Dolata

DentalUM Fall 2007

11
 D E N T I S T RY
New Field, New Opportunities – Biodontics
Blending Dentistry, Business, Innovation, and Technology
Personal computers. The World
Wide Web. The Internet.
When these words and phrases were
spoken or appeared in print for the first
time, most people scratched their heads
wondering what PCs, the Web, and the
’Net were all about.
Is history repeating itself? Maybe.
Consider the early years of the
Twenty-First Century.
Here’s a word you probably haven’t
seen in print or heard about before –
“biodontics.”
What is “biodontics,” you ask?
Basically, it’s an emerging field
of study that encompasses several
disciplines – clinical dentistry, research,
business, entrepreneurship, and
technology. The goal of biodontics is to
try to determine what innovations from
a biological research laboratory may one
day be combined with technology. the dental profession.
The ultimate goal of biodontics is
to commercialize products that dentists
can use in their clinics and, in the
process, improve the oral health of the
population at large.
Earlier this year, a number of
U-M School of Dentistr y faculty,
administrators, and Dental Scholars
met to learn more about the emerging
field and even come up with some new
ideas of their own.
Biodontics is a relatively new
field.
It was created only six years ago
by Dr. Edward Rossomando, a professor
at the University of Connecticut School
12
DarleneOccimio(left) listenstoapresentationbyJasonSchrotenboer duringthebiodonticsprogram. Next tohimare
EricSkulskyandChristieSpringstead.
of Dental Medicine. He spoke during a
spring weekend program at the Michigan
Center for Oral Health Research.
During the program, the Dental
Scholars and others worked in small
groups to brainstorm and develop ideas
that, someday, could become reality in
“The groups were pretty creative,”
said Dr. William Giannobile, professor of
dentistry and MCOHR director.
Some of the ideas included using
the Internet to deliver instant messages
in the handle of a toothbrush to remind
patients of dental appointments or
give them important oral health
information.
“It was an interesting program that
was designed to spur creativity and
a sense of business entrepreneurship
in the students,” said Dr. Russell
Taichman, director of the Dental Scholars
program.
Dr. William Giannobile
Biodontics: Primary Goals
• Develop educational, translational
research, and clinical trials programs
designed to integrate basic science
discoveries with clinical applications.
• Encourage the development of
novel approaches to clinical and
translational training.
• Provide a university-based, objective
testing and evaluation program for
dental manufacturers, distributors,
and laboratories performed in
state-of-the-art facilities to ensure
the highest standards of evaluation
through its product testing division.
• Provide a unique opportunity for
dental manufacturing and distribution
companies to present products to
dental students, residents, and faculty
in a focused, structured setting.
• Provide dental manufacturing and
distribution companies access to
multiple programs through its
associate membership program.
Source: www.biodontics.org
DentalUM Fall 2007

U-M Dentist Invents Product for Clinics
Talk with Dr. Louie Khouri and you
quickly feel his passion and energy
about a product he has invented that,
he believes, can improve the lives of
oral health care professionals and their
patients.
Khouri, who earned his dental
degree from Michigan in 1989, invented
a product he calls “QwikStrip.” He
said “dentists, dental students,
orthodontists, and dental hygienists
will find it user friendly and safe to
use. It’s designed to help reduce, if
not eliminate, any lacerations to a
patient’s lips or gums.”
The product, which is held between
a dentist’s thumb and index finger, is
about the size of a quarter.
Before the QwikStrip was launched
last summer, general dentists and
orthodontists used a raw steel six-inch
serrated blade and abrasive strip to
remove cement or other debris between
a patient’s teeth.
Often cumbersome for a dentist,
and frequently dangerous for the
patient because of the risk of cuts to
the lips and cheeks, Khouri thought
there had to be a better way. He
decided to do something about it.
Three years ago, he began sketching
what a new device might look like and
discussed his idea with designers and
engineers.
What’s Different
Khouri, who practices in
Manhattan, New York, and Farmington
Hills, Michigan, took the original raw
steel blades, reduced their length from
DentalUM Fall 2007
D E N T I S T RY
Jerry Mastey
The serrated strips remove debris
after cementation of crowns, veneers,
bridges, inlays, or onlays. The abrasive
strips can be used to smoothen and
finish an interproximal restoration or
create needed space interproximally
(IPR) for tooth movement during
orthodontic procedures. The abrasive
strips have four grits and thicknesses
– coarse (0.15 mm), medium (0.10
mm), fine (0.09 mm), and superfine
(0.07 mm).
Another benefit of the QwikStrip
is that they can be sterilized and used
again, so they’re cost effective.
Manufactured in New Haven,
Michigan, about 500,000 QwikStrips
Dr. Louie Khouri shows how his QwikStrip can be used on a have been sold, a number Khouri
patient, in this case, dental assistant Michelle Hughes, in one
of theSchool’sclinics.
hopes will triple in the next two
years.
six inches to one, and encased them
in plastic for safety and ease of use in What’s Next
both the anterior or posterior sections Recently, two new versions of the
of a patient’s mouth. QwikStrip abrasives were introduced.
Last summer he finalized the The original strips are straight
product he is now marketing – a and single sided. The new strips
series of color-coded devices, both include a curved abrasive strip and
serrated and abrasive. a double-sided abrasive strip. The
curved version enables the user to
maintain the contour of the posterior
teeth. The double-sided version can
be used to create larger spaces, up to
0.4 mm or more, when needed, during
orthodontic procedures. Khouri said
he plans to introduce all three versions
“as a much-needed, complete system
for doing IPR in the near future.”
Khouri can be reached by phone
(646) 643-1100 or by e-mail mynydoc@
aol.com.
13
 D E N T I S T RY
Oral Health-Systemic Health Links Described
Mette Foundation Board Learns More During Dental School Visit
Dr. KitrinaCordell outlineslinksbetweenoral andsystemichealthtomembersof theNormanMetteFoundation
duringtheir annual visit totheSchool of Dentistry.
Evidence is growing that the
dentist’s role as a health care provider
has become increasingly important to
their patients.
“Oral health and general well-
being are inextricably linked as noted
by the fact that many conditions
plaguing the body are manifested
in the mouth,” Dr. Kitrina Cordell
told members of the Norman Mette
Foundation Board of Directors during
their annual spring meeting at the
School of Dentistry.
The group’s meeting marked the
17th consecutive year that more than
a dozen members of the board came to
the University of Michigan School of
Dentistry and the U-M Health System
to learn more about advances in oral
health care, medicine, classroom and
14
Jerry Mastey
clinical education, and research.
Cordell, an oral and maxillofacial
pathologist, clinical assistant
professor, and associate director of
the School’s oral pathology biopsy
service, briefed the group about the
growing awareness of relationships
between oral health and systemic
disease. [See sidebar, page 15.]
Dr. Russell Taichman, professor of
dentistry and director of the Scholars
Program in Dental Leadership, also
addressed the group, describing
discoveries about links between
periodontal disease and heart disease
and diabetes.
The Mouth as an “ Early Warning”
System
“We constantly emphasize to
our students, in both classrooms and
clinics, that they are not just dentists,
they’re also health care providers,”
Cordell said.
Underscoring that point, she
cited a report from the U.S. Surgeon
General’s 2000 Report on Oral Health
that noted the mouth can function as
an “early warning” system for some
diseases and that early identification
of oral disease can contribute to
diagnosis and treatment of systemic
diseases.
“The general dentist is on the
frontline of the defense of oral
disease,” she said. “Since not all
patients receive regular medical
care, the dentist may be the first to
diagnose a systemic disease based on
oral findings.”
She said that diseases can
be diagnosed during clinical,
radiographic, microscopic,
biochemical, or other examinations.
Taking a patient’s blood pressure
was cited as one example.
In response to a board member’s
question, Cordell said all dental and
dental hygiene students routinely
take a patient’s blood pressure and ask
about the health history of patients
treated in the School’s clinics.
Pointing to research cited by
the National Institute of Dental
and Craniofacial Research, Cordell
said that periodontal disease may
exacerbate existing heart conditions
and that people with periodontitis
m a y b e m o re l i ke l y t o d e v e l o p
cardiovascular disease than those
DentalUM Fall 2007

“We constantly emphasize to our students, in both
classrooms and clinics, that they are not just dentists,
they’re also health care providers.”
without periodontal infection.
Cordell also noted that
systemic lupus erythematosus has
cardiovascular implications such as
increased atherosclerosis, as well as
other systemic implications that can
be potentially life threatening.
From Early Suspicions to Today’s
Research
Taichman discussed some of
the oral/systemic links, including
diabetes and periodontal disease.
One observation he shared with
board members was from a sailor’s
diary nearly four hundred years ago
as he circumnavigated the globe with
Ferdinand Magellan in 1520:
We entered the Pacific Ocean,
3 months and 20 days without
fresh food of any kind. …The
gums of the upper and lower
teeth of some of our men were
so swollen that they could not
eat under any condition. 19 of
our men died.
“Even back then, we had some early
suspicions about possible connections
between oral and systemic health,”
Taichman said, “because the condition
described then, compared to what we
know now, was most likely due to a
lack of sufficient vitamin C.”
DentalUM Fall 2007
D E N T I S T RY
Dr. Kitrina Cordell
Association Between Dental and
Systemic Disease
Studies have shown a relationship between dental
disease and:
• Systemic infections
• Cardiovascular disease
• Diabetes
• Osteoporosis
Part of the observed associations may be compounded by:
• Smoking
• Stress
• Dietary intake
• Behavioral factors (self care, professional care)
Taichman said he believes the “This is a key study that shows
“Rosetta Stone” that points to possible how periodontal disease may affect
dental and systemic links was systemic health.”
discovered more than a decade ago, Taichman added, “Other clinical
in 1994, by the School of Dentistry’s studies and some laboratory studies
Dr. Walter Loesche. Loesche and are showing that diabetes seems to
others investigated the oral and be a major risk factor for periodontal
systemic health of more than five disease. I’m emphasizing the word
hundred individuals at the Veterans ‘seems’ because we have yet to prove
Administration Hospital in Ann a link between the two. It’s difficult
Arbor. to do because research is both time
“In a nutshell, the research consuming and expensive.”
showed that those with periodontitis
were about three times as likely to
have coronary disease,” he said.
15
 D E N T I S T RY
The Gateway to Better Oral Health
Jerry Mastey
Amanda Shaffer looks at a
mirror tocheckthework
Dr. DavidJacobsondidfor
her inthePAESClinic.
16
Begins Here…the PAES Clinic
D e n t a l S c h o o l ’s “ H o s p i t a l E m e r g e n c y
Room” Helps Patients from across M ichigan
“Here is a sound I know you’re looking forward to hearing,” Dr. David
Jacobson says jokingly, drill in hand, to patient Amanda Shaffer as she settles
into a dental chair in the School of Dentistry’s Patient Admitting and Emergency
Services (PAES) Clinic.
Shaffer has come to the Clinic for treatment of a fractured tooth.
“My mother told me about what the dentists and dental students do here
to help patients and urged me to come to get this taken care of. So here I am,”
she says with a smile.
A few minutes earlier, Jacobson, the Clinic’s director, introduced himself,
asked Shaffer questions about her condition, and explained what he would be
doing to help.
Moments later, Shaffer hears the whirring sound of a drill as Jacobson begins
his work.
During the next twenty minutes, he frequently pauses to ask questions,
usually to determine if Shaffer is feeling any pain and if she’s comfortable. He
also takes time to explain what will happen next.
When he finishes, Jacobson asks Shaffer to look at a hand-held mirror he
gives her. She looks into the mirror, opens her mouth, checks her teeth, smiles,
returns the mirror, and thanks Jacobson for his help as she gets up and leaves
the Clinic.
“A Very Busy Place”
Shaffer is one of thousands of patients who come to the PAES Clinic each
year for oral health care.
In recent years, the number of patients seen at the Clinic has consistently
exceeded 11,000 annually. [See chart page 17.]
Dr. Stephen Stefanac, associate dean for patient services who oversees
the Clinic’s activities, says the Clinic, “more often than not, is a very busy
place.”
Between 50 and 60 patients are seen daily. However, there have been times
when those numbers have been higher. A record 99 patients were seen on a
single day in late February 2003. Although he doesn’t remember the reasons for
the surge, Jacobson says, “because of the work of the staff, their commitment,
and the loyalty of the students, we were able to help every one of the patients
who came here that day.”
DentalUM Fall 2007

PAES Clinic Patient Visits
Forthepastfouryears,morethan11,000patientsannuallyhavecometotheSchool ofDentistry’sPAES
Clinictoreceiveoral healthcare. Manylivewithina30- or 40-mileradius of AnnArbor. However,
othersdrivetwo, three, four, andsometimesfivehourstoreceivecare.
It’s a demanding environment,
even in the best of times, for Jacobson
and two other full-time staff dentists –
Drs. Vernon Rife and Juan Johnson – and
part-time dentists Drs. Justin Dugas,
Aaron Ford, and John Seago.
Located on the first floor of the
dental school, the Clinic is the gateway
to better oral health that serves the
public in two important ways.
One is to help patients who need
emergency care, typically walk-in
patients who do not have a scheduled
appointment, but need prompt attention
to alleviate pain. As the chart shows,
the PAES Clinic has treated more than
5,000 patients annually in this category
for the past four years.
The other is to screen patients
seeking comprehensive care who are
interested in receiving longer-term, on-
going treatment at the dental school.
More than 6,000 patients annually are
in this category.
DentalUM Fall 2007
Emergency Care
When a patient needing emergency
care arrives, Jacobson, or two other
staff dentists, and fourth-year dental
students, spend time listening to the
patient and asking questions about
their condition.
In emergency situations, patients
are told that only their particular
problem will be addressed.
“Our objective is to get the patient
out of pain,” Jacobson says. But on any
given day, he adds, “about half of our
walk-ins are referred to oral surgery
for extractions.”
Some of these patients, Jacobson
says, involve “an alarming number of
young people with rampant caries due to
their consumption of soda pop and other
soft drinks.” [See sidebar, page 21.]
Other patients, however, may
be referred to other clinics such
as periodontics or orthodontics or
endodontics for specific procedures.
D E N T I S T RY
It is not uncommon during the
course of an emergency examination
for a patient to be told that he or she
will need comprehensive care that will
have to be provided over an extended
period of time.
Comprehensive Care
The PAES Clinic screens every new
patient who makes an appointment to
receive long-term comprehensive care.
Although many of these individuals
are new patients, there are some who
have not been to a dentist for some
time, in some instances, five or even
ten years.
When first-time patients arrive,
they watch a new six-minute video that
describes what they will experience
and how the Clinic works.
A significant portion of the initial
screening amounts to what Jacobson
describes as “a free consultation.”
Each patient receives a cursory
examination to see if there are
any problems that might require
immediate treatment and a screening
examination for oral cancer. If there
are no immediate problems, the
information that is gathered is used to
assess the patient’s needs and discuss
what needs to be done. Emergency
radiographs are also ordered, when
necessary, for the PAES Clinic.
However, these new patients do
not receive any preliminary treatment.
Instead, they are assigned to a dental
student in one of the School’s four
comprehensive care clinics.
17
 D E N T I S T RY
The clinics give students in all
four dental classes and the three
dental hygiene classes opportunities
to work together, with faculty
supervision, to achieve high levels of
clinical experience and competence.
Also known as Vertically Integrated
Clinics, students obtain basic clinical
training that prepares them for more
advanced clinical experiences during
their final years in the dental and
dental hygiene programs.
However, patients may also be
referred to a specialty clinic.
Regardless of whether a patient
is treated in a specialty clinic or a
comprehensive care clinic, they are
told about the major differences
between being treated at the School
and a private practice.
“We emphasize to patients that
because we are a teaching facility,
everything will take longer than it
would in a private office,” Jacobson
says.
“However, they are happy to
learn that the School’s fees are
approximately one-half of what area
dentists and specialists charge for the
same procedures,” he adds.
“ Providers of Last Resort”
Many patients who come to the
PAES Clinic live within a 30- or 40-mile
radius of Ann Arbor.
However, others drive two, three,
four, and sometimes five hours to
receive care. Those patients typically
come from the western part of the
state, the Upper Peninsula, and
18
Fourth-year dental student BrianShaughnessy(left) discusseshisplanstotreat apatient whohascometothe
PAESClinicfor emergencyoral healthcarewithPAESClinicDirector Dr. DavidJacobson.
northern lower Michigan. A few even
come from outside Michigan.
“ Wi t h M i c h i g a n’ s e c o n o m y
what it is now because of corporate
downsizings, especially in the
automobile and automotive supply
industries, we’re seeing more patients
than ever who have nowhere else to
go to be treated for their conditions,”
Stefanac says. “In many instances,
we’re the providers of last resort.”
Compounding the problem is
that, in recent years, many oral
health care providers have decided
not to offer dental care to Medicaid
patients because their cost to do so,
including supplies, substantially
exceeds reimbursement from the
state.
Ac c o rd i n g t o t h e M i c h i g a n
Department of Community Health,
the number of Michigan dentists
accepting Medicaid payments has
Jerry Mastey
declined 39 percent, from 1,578 in
2000 to 961 currently. Only about 15
percent of the state’s 6,500 dentists
take Medicaid.
The state currently spends about
$8 billion on Medicaid, nearly twenty
percent of its budget, to provide
health care coverage, including dental
care, to about 1.46 million low-income
children, adults, and seniors. Of that
amount, approximately $80 million,
or one percent of the budget, is for
dental-related services.
Given this confluence of
developments, it is common for
patients scheduling their first
appointment to wait six to eight weeks
for initial visits that are required prior
to receiving comprehensive care.
Student/Staff Dentist Teamwork
The PAES Clinic, though, is not just
a treatment facility. It provides dental
DentalUM Fall 2007

Dr. JuanJohnsonandfourth-year dental student NatheraBalachandranreviewradiographsanddiscussoptions
totreat apatient receivingcare.
students with learning opportunities
while offering services to patients,
many of whom feel they have no
where else to go.
Fourth-year dental students are
required to be in the Clinic for at least
10 half-day sessions. They triage,
examine, and administer emergency
care to walk-in patients.
However, dental students in other
classes may visit and observe as often
as they wish.
“We want the fourth-year students
to see as much pathology as possible,”
Jacobson says. “In fact, the sheer
volume of patients who are treated
here insures students will see cases
they generally don’t experience in one
of our comprehensive care clinics.”
Dental students agree. [See story,
page 22.]
Staff dentists attempt to frame
each experience in the context of
DentalUM Fall 2007
Jerry Mastey
how it might be handled in a private
practice.
Ja cob s o n w il l o ft e n pre s e n t
students with this situation: “Suppose
you’re in the middle of a crown prep
and a patient walks in…” at which
point he describes other activities
occurring in the dental office that
need resolution.
“We want students to look at these
urgencies with a creative problem
solving mindset,” he says. “It’s not a
case where there are necessarily right
answers. Instead, we would like them
to consider a number of options from
which to choose,” he says.
Jacobson, Rife, and Johnson work
with the dental students. More often
than not, however, they keep a low
profile so the dental student learns
how to manage the psychology of a
patient’s pain from the moment they
greet the patient. The reason for this
D E N T I S T RY
approach is to allow each student to
develop their skills, increase their
comfort level with difficult issues,
and, ultimately develop their own
style.
But when a procedure is beyond
the scope of a student’s training,
staff dentists are there to perform
the treatment. In these instances, the
student will watch, or perhaps assist
a staff dentist. However, in similar
future cases, they are expected to do
more.
“We’re there as a safety net for the
dental students and we know when
to intervene,” Jacobson says, “but
we want each to develop their own
style and their own way of working
with a patient.” That includes
explaining their findings, diagnoses,
and discussing treatment options
with each patient.
The staff dentists say all of these
experiences make it easy to remain
enthusiastic.
“I thoroughly enjoy the
opportunity to practice dentistry
here at Michigan, teaching students in
the Clinic, working with faculty, and
handling a large variety of patient
cases,” Dr. Juan Johnson says.
D r. Ve r n o n R i f e , w h o i s i n
private practice, but once thought
about becoming a teacher as an
undergraduate, says, “the opportunities
I have daily to educate new patients
who come to our Clinic for treatment,
as well as mentoring the dental
students who help here, is the best of
both worlds.”
19
 D E N T I S T RY

Jerry Mastey

Located on the first floor of the dental school, the PAES Clinic is
the gateway to better oral health that serves the public in two
important ways. One is to help patients who need emergency
care. The other is to screen patients seeking comprehensive
care who are interested in receiving longer-term, on-going
treatment at the dental school.

Crucial Collaboration and provide a student with a learning

Playing a major role in the success
of the PAES Clinic are the School’s
patient care coordinators (PCCs).
These individuals are
intermediaries between the students
and the patients. They work with
the clinic directors to ensure that all
patients receive the care they need,
and that the students get the support
and experiences they need to become
competent and are prepared to take
state-required licensing examinations
prior to graduation.
Jacobson, Rife, and Johnson
frequently work with the coordinators
to help patients and dental students.
Dental students who learn of an
appointment cancellation by one of
their patients have an opportunity
to “fill” their empty chair.
Working with the PCCs, the PAES
staff matches those students looking
for work with patients needing
help. “That dental student may be
able to proceed immediately with
a comprehensive oral exam and
treatment plan that otherwise would
occur during the patient’s next
visit,” Jacobson says. “It’s a win-win
situation. We save the patient a visit
and treatment opportunity.”
The PAES Clinic maintains an
open door policy. Anytime a dental
student has free time and is looking
for something to do, they can stop
at the PAES Clinic. “The patient care
coordinators have allowed us to try
this out, and it works,” Jacobson
says.
With all the activity in the Clinic,
Jacobson says, “we are constantly
measuring and trying to improve
what we are doing here.”
“It’s an exciting time to be here
in the PAES Clinic,” he adds. “We
have received a lot of support from
Dean Peter Polverini, patients tell
us they appreciate receiving the
quality of care they’re getting, and
the interaction with the students
continues to be highly rewarding. For
me, it’s incredibly gratifying when Dr.VernonRifeadjustsapatient’sdentureafter the
patient’smandiblewasfracturedinanaccident making
you can both help a patient and teach it difficult touse. Theadjustmentsallowedthepatient
a student something new about the tousethedentureuntil anewset of custom-made
art and science of dentistry.” dentureswasavailable.

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 D E N T I S T RY

Accommodating Special Needs

Soda
+ Although most patients seen at the PAES Clinic can walk into the Clinic
Caries =
“An Alarming Problem”
“An alarming problem we see in
patients that come to us for care
is caries caused by the excessive
consumption of soda and other soft
drinks,” says Clinic director Dr. David
Jacobson.
Jacobson says that he and dental
students in the Clinic still hear a
prevalent myth from patients that
low-calorie or no-calorie soft drinks
do not cause cavities. “Many believe
that if there is no sugar in the diet
soda, it’s like drinking water,” he
adds. “ When we hear that, we tell
the patient, ‘That definitely is not the
Patients
without assistance, there are those who can’t, primarily patients in wheelchairs.
Their special needs are being accommodated.
A special cubicle is available for those patients. In addition, a device is
being used that makes it easier for both the patient and the dentist.
The new device is a dental headrest. It’s clamped to the handles of a
wheelchair so these patients don’t have to be physically transferred from their
wheelchair to a conventional dental chair. The headrest allows patients to
comfortably tilt their heads backwards.
“We want our students to get more experience treating special needs patients
so they develop a sense of comfort and acceptance that will carry over to their
private practice,” says Dr. David Jacobson.
In May, 48-year-old Michael Flynn arrived in a wheelchair needing emergency
treatment. When he was 16, Flynn broke his neck and severed his spinal cord
in a diving accident.
Jacobson performed a pulpectomy on Flynn, much to his relief. When it was
over, Flynn thanked Jacobson telling him, “that was a very painless procedure.
Very well done.” “You’ve made my day, I appreciate that,” Jacobson said as
Flynn left the Clinic.
Jerry Mastey Jerry Mastey

case’.” In these instances, the culprits

are citric acid and the phosphoric
acid in the drinks.
When it comes to causing caries,
Jacobson says that on a scale of
zero to five, with water being
zero,“regular soda pop is five, but
patients are really surprised to learn
diet soda is three.”
“We tell patients that they will get
caries, but that it will take longer
than if they drink a sugar-laden
beverage,” he says.
In their role as educators, PAES
Clinic dentists and dental students
encourage all patients to read soft Aspecial cubicleinthePAESClinicallowspatientsusing Aheadrest that attachestowheelchairsmakesit easier for
drink labels. wheelchairstobetreated. boththepatient andthedentist.

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 D E N T I S T RY

Fourth-Year Dental Students Say PAES Clinic

“A Very Valuable Experience”
Jerry Mastey

Fourth-year dental student Sarah

Miller says she feels more confident
diagnosing and dealing with patients
who have emergency dental needs
following her experiences in the PAES
Clinic.
Instead of taking a month off
between the end of her third year
and the start of her fourth year in
the predoctoral program, Miller chose
to work in the PAES Clinic two days
a week. She did so to learn more
about the types of cases the Clinic
handles and also learn more about the
admitting process for new patients.
“The Clinic was much faster
paced, and I saw more patients than Fourth-year dental student SarahMiller andPAESClinicstaff dentist Dr. JuanJohnsonreviewapatient’s
usual, sometimes about ten a day,” she radiographstotrytolocatethesourceof thepatient’soral pain.
said.
Fourth-year dental student Nathera off, but there were some major trauma endodontic case within my patient
Balachandran agreed, adding the cases,” she said. pool in the comprehensive care clinic,
range of treatments patients needed One major trauma case involved and had no real dental emergencies to
was revealing. two anterior tooth avulsions with speak of,” she said.
maxillary alveolar fracture and nasal Miller’s experiences with dental
“More Variety” fracture. “I learned there are many emergencies in the PAES Clinic instilled
“There’s a lot more variety in the ways of dealing with a case like this, confidence. “I’m much more confident
PAES Clinic that you don’t see in the as well as many factors that go into in testing, diagnosing, and giving a
comprehensive care clinics,” she said. the prognosis of an avulsed tooth,” patient all the options available about
Balachandran said she often came she said. Because of the severity of their specific problem,” she said.
to the Clinic as a third-year student the case, the patient was ultimately Her PAES Clinic experiences were
when some of her patients didn’t referred to the hospital for follow-up beneficial for another reason.
show up for their appointments in the treatment and care. “It also allowed me to see what it
comprehensive care clinics. Mostly, however, Miller said she was like to be in a more ‘real life’ setting
In addition to learning more about saw and treated patients with a with numerous patients to examine
emergency dental situations, Miller said range of endodontic problems. Some and care for,” she said. “I feel much
she too observed and helped patients had reversible pulpitis. Others were more confident of my skills diagnosing
with a range of dental problems. irreversible. And there were many and dealing with emergency dental
“Some were minor, like questions patients with cases of pulpal necrosis. problems as a result.”
about bruxism or temporaries falling “Up to this point, I had not seen an

DentalUM Fall 2007

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 D E N T I S T RY

Medical Residents Learning About Dentistry First-Hand

The medical profession is gaining a better understanding and appreciation of the importance oral health plays in
a patient’s overall health and well being.
For the past year, several medical residents from the U-M Hospital have come to the dental school to learn more
about how to deal with common dental emergencies they often see in the hospital’s emergency room.
“This is an elective for them, so it’s totally voluntary if they want to be here, and they’re free to come and go as
they please,” said PAES Clinic director Dr. David Jacobson.
“However,” he continued, “most find the time they spend with dental students in our clinic and with specialists in
our oral surgery clinic is very informative and helpful.”
Jacobson said he, along with Drs. Vernon Rife and Juan Johnson and dental students, try to help the medical residents
recognize the reasons for a patient’s pain and offer advice on choosing the proper medication when necessary.
“We’re focused on the basics, primarily, how to help the patient and get him or her out of pain,” Jacobson said.

Brett Russell, MD Kurt Hessen, MD

Now in the third year of his four-
year residency program at U-M
Hospital, Dr. Brett Russell said, “We
see just about everything in the
hospital’s emergency room, but
having this opportunity to focus on
dental-related emergencies was very
helpful to me.”
Russell said he “was surprised at just how awesome
the PAES Clinic is and what the staff dentists and dental
students do to help patients in pain.” In addition to
observing what takes place in the Clinic, Russell also
spent time in the School’s oral surgery clinic.
The experiences, he said, helped him recently
evaluate a patient who came to the hospital’s
emergency room complaining of pain.
Russell said that probably the most important thing
he learned during his two weeks at the dental school
“was becoming familiar with the dental blocks that are
used to help patients in pain.”
He said he also learned important lessons about
distinguishing between patients “who are truly in pain
and need some kind of medication to lessen that pain
and those who may be complaining of pain but, upon
further questioning and examination, are not in pain
and may be trying to obtain a prescription for other
purposes.”
Dr. Kurt Hessen, now in the second year of his four-
year residency program at U-M Hospital, spent about
two weeks at the dental school earlier this year.
“It was a great learning experience,” he said, “not
just in the PAES Clinic, but also in the oral surgery
clinics at the hospital and the dental school.”
Hessen said he and others “see a fair amount of
pain with patients who come to the U-M Hospital,
problems like fractured teeth, pain from cavities,
and things like that. So learning more about these
conditions and what we as physicians might be able
to do in these cases was a great learning experience,”
he said.
Hessen said he also learned, from watching
dental students and their clinical supervisors, how
important it is for emergency room physicians to ask
patients about their oral history and any medications
they may be taking.

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 D E N T I S T RY

2 New Videos Produced for PAES Clinic

“It gives us more time to devote First Video Offers Patients Valuable Information
to the other functions of the PAES Jerry Mastey

Clinic while also precisely conveying

the same information to everyone
who seeks comprehensive care as a
new or returning patient,” said Dr.
David Jacobson of a video all new
patients see moments after arriving
at the PAES Clinic.
Produced by Jacobson with help
from the School’s Digital Learning
Laboratory, the six-minute video
includes still photos with Jacobson
explaining in detail what patients
can expect.
He begins with an overview of the
School’s dental education program
and how the dental students in the
PAES Clinic work with patients,
under faculty supervision, to provide Krystal Goreandher father, Larry, watchavideothat explains what takes placeinthePAESClinicandwhat
care; the process of treatment, that patientscanexpect whentheyaretreated.
begins with a comprehensive oral
exam; the treatment options that are are about half of what a private T h e s c re e n i n g , w h i c h t a ke s
available to a patient following their dentist in this region would charge less than five minutes in most
visit; and information about fees and for the same procedure.” cases, determines the patient’s
payment options. Before their treatment begins, overall needs and treatment options.
patients are told a comprehensive The vast majority of patients are
Time vs. Cost Tradeoffs oral examination is required. It assigned to predoctoral students
“Everything a student does must includes taking blood pressure and i n t h e S c h o o l ’ s c o m p re h e n s i v e
be evaluated and approved by a radiographs, if necessary; compiling care clinics. However, others may
clinical instructor,” Jacobson says in information about the patient’s be referred to one of the School’s
the video. He notes that students are medical and dental history; checking graduate specialty programs, such
required to stop at prescribed points the patient’s head and neck; as orthodontics or periodontics, or to
and ask an instructor to check and conducting an oral cancer screening; the Dental Faculty Associates Clinic,
evaluate their work. As a result, and assessing the patient’s oral a facility in the School where faculty
he adds, “this is a time-consuming hygiene. members with dental or specialty
process where appointments can I n t h e v i d e o, J a c o b s o n t e l l s degrees treat patients.
often last up to three hours.” patients there is no charge for a
However, in return for their brief screening exam or a limited
time, Jacobson says that patients are consultation with a staff dentist they
compensated with lower fees “that will receive.

DentalUM Fall 2007

24

Second Video Tells Dental Students What to Expect
“We want all of our fourth-year dental
students to get an idea of how closely the
PAES Clinic mimics what goes on in a private
practice while also giving them an idea of
what to expect before actually setting foot
in this Clinic.”
That’s how Dr. David Jacobson, PAES
Clinic director, describes a new half-hour
video fourth-year dental students must
watch before beginning their rotation in
the clinic on the main floor at the School of
Dentistry.
Crediting Dr. Stephen Stefanac “with
bringing us into the Twenty First Century as
dental educators,” Jacobson says the video,
now being used for a second year, has been
beneficial.
“Previously, we would present an
orientation to each new group of fourth-
year dental students,” he adds, “but that
slowed down taking care of patients and
also raised the possibility of omitting some
vital information.”
As part of their video orientation, dental
students also receive a list of questions to
answer before their first rotation.
The video has been so well received that
Jacobson also sends it to third-year dental
students to encourage them to stop by the
Clinic to observe or lend a hand.
Words of Wisdom and Suggestions
“The psychology of the patient in pain
is something you will be managing from the
moment you say ‘hello’,” Jacobson tells the
students in the video.
“These patients will pick up on your
cues. …They are looking for a sense that
DentalUM Fall 2007
D E N T I S T RY
Jerry Mastey
you have seen their distress before, that you
know what it is, that you know what you’re
going to do about it, that they are in good
hands, and that you’re going to get them
out of pain,” he adds.
S t u d e n t s a re t o l d t h a t t h e i r
responsibilities involve data gathering,
including information about a patient’s
medical and dental histories, conducting
diagnostic tests, making a diagnosis,
explaining the diagnosis, and discussing
treatment options.
However, before explaining their
findings to a patient, Jacobson advises
students to choose their words carefully.
Because they will not treat most of those
patients themselves, students are advised
not to make any promises that other
students or departments have to keep.
Although three staff dentists are
available to help, Jacobson says, “As time
goes on, we hope that you will gain an
awareness of your progress and development.
Ultimately, we want you to be able to refer
to yourself as ‘doctor’ with confidence.”
25
 D E N T I S T RY

Per Kjeldsen

Dr. David Jacobson

PAES Clinic Director

“My father practiced dentistry in New York City

for nearly forty years and I grew up thinking
I would become a dentist like him,” said Dr.
David Jacobson. “But a funny thing happened
to me on my way to dental school...I became
interested in other things I didn’t want to
preclude.”
After earning a bachelor’s degree from
U-C Berkeley, Jacobson came to U-M and
earned a master’s degree in environmental
education. He worked for non-profit
organizations on projects that included
recycling, food production and nutrition,
and “doing my part to save the planet while
working toward dentistry,” he said.
In Ann Arbor, he found outlets for his
other interests. A stained glass artist who
displayed at the annual Ann Arbor Art Fairs,
he has maintained a glass studio for 30 years,
is a self-taught musician, plays in a local band,
and builds instruments.
Hired as a clinical instructor in
prosthodontics and periodontics after
earning his DDS from U-M in 1988, Jacobson
has been PAES Clinic director since 1995.
He enjoys being an educator. “Every case
is a learning opportunity for the student. I hope
to challenge them to draw upon everything
they’ve learned, and set it in a context of their
own office someday,”he said. “When students
learn something new while helping patients
in pain, that’s a good day for me.”
Jacobson plans to leave dentistry and
pursue his other creative passions in three
years when he turns 56. “Meanwhile, I’m
having a fabulous time while looking forward
to the next chapter of my life.”

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 D E N T I S T RY

Per Kjeldsen

Dr. Juan Johnson

Staff Dentist
“I thought I would be here for a year, perhaps
two at most, but now it’s been ten years and
I’m still enjoying myself,” said Dr. Juan Johnson
(DDS 1991).
“I enjoy the opportunity to practice
dentistry at Michigan, teach students in the
Clinic, work with faculty, and handle a large
variety of patient cases,” he added.
Although he works forty hours a week in
the PAES Clinic, Johnson also has a part-time
private practice in Ann Arbor.
Raised on the island of Okinawa and
fluent in Japanese, Johnson said his interest in
dentistry began in high school.
“On Okinawa, I talked to many military
dentists and liked the fact they had a level of
autonomy while practicing,” he said.
Johnson also thought about becoming
a fighter pilot, but “they flew where and when
they were told,” he said. “When I told them I
was also considering dentistry, they suggested
becoming a dentist and earning a private
pilot’s license so I could fly whenever I wanted.”
Johnson hasn’t obtained a private pilot’s license,
but does return to Okinawa every year to spend
time with his family.
Johnson came to U-M for his bachelor’s
degree and then a dental degree. For the first
two years, he practiced dentistry in a public
health clinic and then learned about the need
for a staff dentist in the PAES Clinic. “I was
very interested in working in PAES, especially
since I knew the director, Dr. David Jacobson,”
Johnson said. “We have many similar interests
and that makes being in the Clinic even more
enjoyable.”
When he’s not practicing dentistry,
Johnson enjoys running, playing basketball,
chess, and his biggest passion, golf. “You might
say dentistry supports my golf habit,” he said.

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 D E N T I S T RY

Per Kjeldsen

Dr. Vernon Rife

PAES Clinic Dentist

“I’ve been a dentist here in the PAES

Clinic since 1993 and continue to enjoy
the interaction with the patients, helping
them understand their dental condition,
discussing optimal treatment plans, and
referring them to those in the School who
can best help them,” says Dr. Vernon Rife.
After earning his dental degree from
U-M in 1975, Rife practiced dentistry for
18 years in Hartland, Michigan, before
returning to his alma mater.
“I enjoyed dentistry, but disliked
doing the paperwork, making the hiring
decisions, and all the other things that are a
part of a private practice,”he said,“so when I
learned of the need for a staff dentist here,
I applied and sold my practice once I
accepted the job here.”
Rife said he enjoys another part of his
work in the PAES Clinic, teaching.
“I thought about becoming a teacher
when I was an undergraduate, or perhaps
working in medicine or dentistry,” he said.
“The opportunity I have daily to educate
new patients who come to our clinic for
treatment, as well as mentoring the dental
students who help the patients in the PAES
Clinic, is the best of both worlds.”
When he’s not at the School of
Dentistry, Rife works part-time at a
private practice in Belleville and directs
a men’s chorus at his church in Highland,
Michigan. “I also direct a volunteer choir
at Christmastime. I’ve been singing since
I was in grade school and still have a lot of
fun doing it,” he said.

DentalUM Fall 2007

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Adjunct Faculty Teach Students, Help Patients
In addition to three staff dentists in the PAES Clinic, several private practice dentists
return to the Clinic one day a week to teach students and help patients.
Justin Dugas, DDS
“I had some
amazing
instructors
when I was a
dental student,
especially Drs. Joe
Kolling and Dan
Edwards,” said
Dr. Justin Dugas (DDS 2005).
“They wanted me to succeed,
to understand what I was doing
and why. They took the time, even
after hours, to explain procedures or
techniques when I had questions. I’m
trying to emulate them, so that’s why,
since January, I have been here one
day a week,” he added.
Dugas, who practices in Dearborn
four days a week, spends Tuesdays
in the Clinic helping patients, when
needed, but mostly supervising dental
students and guiding them.
But his counsel extends beyond
dental plans and treatment.
“Because I’m so close in age to the
fourth-year dental students, I often
find that I’m a resource for career
advice,” he said. Many students,
he said, have questions about being
in a private practice or whether
they should enter an AEGD or GPR
program, “so I’m glad to answer those
questions too. I want to make the
same difference in their lives that Drs.
Kolling and Edwards made in mine.”
DentalUM Fall 2007
John Seago, DDS
“It’s a great
honor to give
something
back to this
School and
this University
for the great
education I
received,” said Dr. John Seago (DDS
1986).
“Being here in the PAES Clinic
every Wednesday is my way of
showing my appreciation and,
I hope, will inspire some dental
students to think about also doing
this as their way of giving back in
the future.”
Seago, who runs a private
practice in St. Clair Shores four
days a week, has been an adjunct
instructor in the Clinic for nearly
two years. “I keep returning because
it seems there’s something new
everyday,” he said. “This is also
a great learning environment for
the students and I enjoy the many
opportunities I have during the day
to pass along some of what I have
learned to help them.”
D E N T I S T RY
Aaron Ford, DDS
Unlike his two
other adjunct
colleagues, Drs.
Justin Dugas and
John Seago, Dr.
Aaron Ford is
“the new kid on
the block.” After
earning his dental degree in May, he
began working in the PAES Clinic a
month later.
“It feels a bit strange seeing
and talking to some of my former
dental classmates,” he said. “But I’m
excited to be here at the School and
helping patients.”
Ford, who is in the Clinic on
Thursdays, spends his other four
days providing oral health care in
downtown Detroit as a part of Dr.
Amid Ismail’s oral health disparities
program.
Eventually, Ford said he would
like to work in a private practice
after his wife completes her
emergency residency program at
Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.
From November 2000 to May
2001, Ford was with the U.S. Army
as a medical platoon leader at Camp
Doha, Kuwait, where he oversaw the
treatment of over 900 patients and
20 MEDEVAC situations.
29
 D E N T I S T RY

FA C U LT Y P R O F I L E

Per Kjeldsen

Stephen Stefanac, DDS, MS

Associate Dean for Patient Services
Clinical Professor of Dentistry

H e supervises one of the School’s largest departments

with more than 80 employees working in 11 different
areas. So there’s plenty to keep Dr. Stephen Stefanac
busy on any given day.
However, away from the School of Dentistry, there’s another
side not many see.
His hobbies…as a potter and restorer of old pinball
machines…are activities that help him “to get away from it all”
when he’s not at the School of Dentistry.
Stefanac returned to the U-M School of Dentistry in the
summer of 2004 as associate dean for patient services, a position
similar to the one he held for six years at the College of Dentistry
at the University of Iowa.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from U-M
in 1976 and a master’s degree in oral diagnosis and radiology 11
years later.

The Influence of a U-M Dentist

“Family and friends are here, and some of my fondest
memories are of my days here as a student, as well as when I
was living here in Ann Arbor and running my own practice in
South Lyon and practicing part time in Detroit. So it was natural
to want to return,” he said.
What Stefanac seems to especially cherish, now that he’s
back in Ann Arbor and at the School of Dentistry in a leadership
role, are the opportunities to meet and talk to Dr. William Gregory
(DDS 1953, MS 1983), an adjunct clinical professor.

DentalUM Fall 2007

30

“Sometimes I’m a clinical administrator, but minutes later I can be wearing a different
hat that finds me dealing with complaints or issues of quality control or a host of
other factors. But that’s to be expected because this department is so large.”
What’s Involved...
Office of Patient Services
• Four Comprehensive Care Clinics
• Patient Admitting and Emergency
Services (PAES) Clinic
• Patient/Student Monitors
• Patient Business Office
• Sterilization and Dispensing
• Dental Stores
• Records Room
• Information Desks
• Phone Room
• Dental Faculty Associates
• Community Dental Center
Stefanac said it was Gregory, and
others in his office, who sparked his
interest in dentistry.
“It seemed whenever I went to his
office for my annual checkup when I
was in grade school, he and everyone
who worked for him enjoyed what
they were doing and helping others,”
Stefanac said. “After seeing this
several times, I decided when I was in
sixth or seventh grade that I wanted
to become a dentist.”
Gregory said Stefanac was about
eight or nine years old when he first
came to his office for oral health care
and probably began to consider the
profession as a possible career not long
afterwards. “There were also a couple
of conversations with his parents
about Steve’s interest,” he said.
In high school, Stefanac told his
guidance counselor about his career
plans.
DentalUM Fall 2007
But the counselor told him to try
something else before pursuing his
plans.
“She told me to do something that
I thought was pretty unusual at the
time – taking a pottery and ceramics
class. She said since dentists work
with their hands, this would be a way
for me determine if I would feel the
same way,” Stefanac said. “I enjoyed
it then and still do today.”
A member of the Ann Arbor
Potters Guild, Stefanac is often at the
organization’s booth demonstrating
pottery making during the annual Ann
Arbor Art Fairs each July (page 34).
Stefanac’s teaching career, as a
part-time clinical instructor, began
at U-M in 1984, at the time he was
starting to pursue his master’s degree.
For the next two years, he was also a
research associate in biomaterials and
an adjunct lecturer in the Department
of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology.
What he remembers most about
his teaching experiences was the
o ppo rtun it y t o w o rk a l o n gs ide
Gregory.
“I had a lot of fun teaching with
Bill during my first year as a grad
student in the preclinic,” Stefanac said.
“Even though I never shadowed him
when I was in high school or college,
like many others do, he taught me
something very important that has
remained with me throughout my
career, ‘Put the patient first.’ Along
with that was another important
lesson, ‘Be good to your patients and
they’ll be good to you’,” he said.
“If I conveyed these ideas to Steve,
D E N T I S T RY
I am more than gratified,” Gregory
said. “But I would bet, though, that the
foundation for his personal philosophy
began at home and that I and others
merely supported it.”
From 1987 to 1998, Stefanac taught
at the University of Detroit Mercy dental
school, was acting director of clinics,
and also served as director and acting
associate dean for patient care.
His academic and administrative
credentials and private practice
experience led to his appointment
at Iowa, first, as assistant dean for
patient care in 1998, and, three years
later, as associate dean.
Michigan Differences
Insights gained and lessons
learned have been applied at Michigan
where Stefanac has supervised the
production of videos shown to dental
students, staff, and clinical faculty
on topics ranging from infection
control, to preparing a cubicle for a
patient visit, to communicating with
patients.
Two videos are described in the
story about the Patient Admitting and
Emergency Services Clinic (pages 24
and 25).
Stefanac’s six years at Iowa
prepared him for his current role at
the U-M School of Dentistry.
B u t t h e re a re s o m e m a j o r
differences.
“Here, at Michigan, we have about
thirty percent more dental students
and a staff of about eighty compared
to a staff of about fifty at Iowa,” he
said.
31
 D E N T I S T RY

FA C U LT Y P R O F I L E

Jerry Mastey

The greater number of students,

patients, and staff at Michigan “means
things are faster paced and that my
role often changes from day to day, if
not hour to hour,” he continued.
“Sometimes I’m a clinical
administrator, but minutes later I
can be wearing a different hat that
finds me dealing with complaints or
issues of quality control or a host of
other factors. But that’s to be expected
because this department is so large.”
As a result, Stefanac said his
approach is straightforward.
“When faced with an issue
or challenge, I want to address it
Dr. StephenStefanacsupervisesoneof theSchool’slargest departmentswithabout 80employeeswhoworkin11
immediately, look at all the angles, and
different areas.
see what we could have done better
or what we need to improve instead and dental hygiene students get an when they are in our clinics,” Stefanac
of letting an issue fester and become idea of what to expect in a clinical said. “So I’m willing to take the time
more of a problem later,” he said. setting long before they graduate. and make the effort to see that things
Another major difference in patient In addition, VICs are patient- are done right as well as trying to
care and education at Michigan, centered, a departure from an earlier make their experiences here even
Stefanac said, is the School’s Vertically approach to dental care and education better the next time.”
Integrated Clinics (VICs) program. which was procedure oriented. Gregory added that Stefanac’s
Launched in the summer of This approach, Stefanac said, sets openness to ideas from others,
1997, VICs combine classroom and the University of Michigan School of and willingness “to consider ideas
“real world” experience by offering Dentistry apart from other dental from the clinic floor,” enhances his
students – in all four dental classes schools around the country. effectiveness.
and all three hygiene classes – an “One of the reasons we are a top-
opportunity to work together, with tier dental school is because of the Outreach and Access to Care
faculty supervision, to achieve high VICs,” he said. “When problems or In his role as associate dean for
levels of clinical competence. concerns arise, I spend time with my patient services, Stefanac said the
With VICs, first-year dental and staff to review an issue and see what job requires him “to look at the big
dental hygiene students are in clinics we can do to improve the experiences picture. That’s why I get involved
almost from the moment they arrive of our students and our patients.” with other U-M units on campus,
on campus. They obtain basic clinical One can hear Gregory’s advice state governmental agencies, and our
training that prepares them for more being voiced as Stefanac discusses outreach partners.”
advanced clinical experiences during clinical education and patient care. One of Stefanac’s early roles
their final two years at Michigan. “I care a lot about our patients and involved the School’s community
Because they work as a team, dental how they are treated by our students o u t re a c h p ro g r a m u n t i l t h o s e

DentalUM Fall 2007

32
 D E N T I S T RY

Jerry Mastey

responsibilities were assumed by

Dr. Bill Piskorowski last summer.
[DentalUM, Spring & Summer 2006,
page 33.]
“Bill’s contributions to the outreach
program and the School have been
significant in the short time he’s been
here,” Stefanac said. “Outreach is an
important mission for us, and it will
continue to be an important part of
our curriculum because of the access to
care issue that many across our state
are facing given today’s economy.”
There is another reason for his
interest in the access to care issue.
“I’m afraid that if we, as dentists,
don’t make a concerted and long-
term effort to improve access to oral
health care to the least fortunate in
our communities, that we could wind Assupervisor of oneof theSchool’slargest departments, Dr. StephenStefanacmeetsregularlywiththoseresponsible
for ensuringthesmoothoperationof variousunitswithintheOfficeof Patient Services. Here, heleadsabiweekly
up losing a significant amount of our meetingof hisdepartment’sadministrativestaff.
autonomy,” he said. “No one wants
that to happen.”
Despite his schedule, Stefanac still Stefanac Authors Book
makes it a point to see patients. For
one-half day each week, he’s practicing Dr. Stephen Stefanac recently authored the second
in the Dentistry Faculty Associates edition of Treatment Planning in Dentistry, a 490-page
clinic at the School. publication that offers general practitioners useful
In retrospect, it’s understandable information about creating treatment plans for
why Stefanac enjoys taking clay adolescent and adult patients.
and shaping it…and taking an old Stefanac and coauthor Dr. Samuel Nesbit offer practitioners
pinball machine apart and seeing suggestions for devising treatment plans that blend the “ideal” and the
how it can be restored. There seems “practical.”
to be symmetry between his hobbies But they’re emphatic about one point. “We continue to emphasize the
and interests and what he does at the central role of the patient, whose needs and informed choices should drive the
dental school. treatment planning process,” they write.
Perhaps Gregory put it best when A CD-ROM that accompanies the book gives readers opportunities to practice
he said, “Steve has demonstrated his applying what they read. The exercises become more complex as you progress.
considerable skill in many facets of At the end, users learn whether the authors agree or disagree and why.
dentistry. We here at Michigan are The book, priced at $69.95 and which can be ordered online, is being used
fortunate to have him.” by over two-thirds of the dental schools in the U.S.

DentalUM Fall 2007

33
 D E N T I S T RY

FA C U LT Y P R O F I L E

Teaching Outdoors…at the Art Fairs

Jerry Mastey

“Would you make something?” a young girl asks Steve Stefanac as he sits
on a stool behind a pottery wheel at the Ann Arbor Art Fairs.
“Sure,” he replies with a smile. “What would you like me to make?”
“A cup,” the girl replies.
“OK, I can do that,” he says.
“Oh, wait, can you make a bowl or a vase?” she asks.
“Sure, I can do that,” he says. “Which would you like?”
“A vase,” she replies.
After gathering about a pound of clay in his hands and shaping it into
a ball, Stefanac places the material onto the wheel and presses a footpad
on an electric pedal that makes a wheel rotate. The girl, and others around
her, watch in fascination as the clay gradually takes shape.
After finishing, Stefanac looks up, smiles, and asks the girl, “What do
you think?”
“Nice,” she replies.

Jerry Mastey

Evenwhenheisnot inaclinic,
Dr. StephenStefanacisteaching.
Here, hedemonstratesand
answersquestionsabout making
potteryduringtheannual Ann
Arbor Art Fairs. Stefanacisa
member of thePottersGuild
whichhadaboothoutsideHill
Auditorium.

After shapingthe
clay, Dr. Stephen
Stefanacconveys
hisexhilarationto
youngsterswho
werethenallowed
totouchthevase
hemade.

DentalUM Fall 2007

34
 D E N T I S T RY

Dr. Stephen Stefanac

Professional Achievements
Selected Highlights
Education
• MS, Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, University of Michigan School of Dentistry (1987)
• DDS, University of Detroit School of Dentistry (1980)

Academic Appointments & Private Practice

• Associate Dean for Patient Services, U-M School of Dentistry (2004 to present)
• Faculty practice, U-M School of Dentistry (2004 to present)
• Associate Dean for Patient Care, College of Dentistry, University of Iowa (2001-2004)
• Assistant Dean for Patient Care, College of Dentistry, University of Iowa (1998-2001)
• Faculty practice and clinical professor of dentistry, University of Iowa (1998-2004)
• Associate, general dentistry, Plymouth, Michigan (1996-1998, 1984-1990)
• Associate/assistant professor and director of oral medicine, University of Detroit School of Dentistry
(1987-1998)
• Adjunct lecturer/clinical instructor, Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, U-M
School of Dentistry (1985-1987)
• Associate, general dentistry, Detroit (1982-1984)
• Owner, general dentistry practice, South Lyon, Michigan (1981-1984)

Professional Affiliations
• Omicron Kappa Upsilon (2000 to present)
• American Academy of Oral Medicine (1994 to present)
• American Association of Dental Schools (1987 to present)
• International Association of Dental Research (1986 to present)
• American Dental Association (1976 to present)
• Detroit District Dental Society (1976 to present)
• Michigan Dental Association (1976 to present)

Professional & U-M Dental School Leadership

• Site visitor, Council on Dental Accreditation, American Dental Association (2002 to present)
• Chair, Material and Instruments Committee, U-M School of Dentistry (2006 to present)
• Chair, Clinic Issues Committee, U-M School of Dentistry (2004 to present)
• Chair, Quality Assurance Committee, U-M School of Dentistry (2004 to present)
• Member, Examination Review Committee, Central Regional Dental Testing Service (1999-2002)
• Oral Diagnosis and Medicine Section, American Association of Dental Schools
- Chair (1999-2000)
- Chair-elect (1998-1999)
- Secretary (1997-1998)
• Organization of Teachers of Oral Diagnosis
- President (1996-1997)
- President-elect (1995-1996)
- Secretary-Treasurer (1993-1995)

DentalUM Fall 2007

35
 D E N T I S T RY
FA C U LT Y N E W S
Dr. Dan Edwards
Receives MDA’s
New Dentist Leadership
Award
Per Kjeldsen
Dr. Daniel Edwards
(DDS 1997), an
adjunct clinical
l e c t u re r i n t h e
Department
o f C a r i o l o g y,
Restorative
Dr. DanEdwards Sciences, and
Endodontics, and
a member of the School of Dentistry’s
Alumni Society Board of Governors,
recently received a major award
from the Michigan Dental Association
during its annual session.
Edwards received the organization’s
New Dentist Leadership Award
that recognizes new dentists who
demonstrate leadership and serve as
role models for other new dentists. In
addition to working in two private
practices and teaching part time at
U-M, his activities include assisting
dental students during Dental Health
Day and the annual Mouth Guard
Clinic. for his academic career. The award
In presenting the award, the MDA
noted, “he is a new dentist who really
possesses leadership qualities, ethics,
volunteerism, and a commitment to
professionalism.”
In 2004, Edwards created a Board
of Governors-sponsored Lunch & Learn
Program to help dental students
36
become more familiar with some of
the professional experiences they are
likely to encounter after graduation.
[DentalUM, Fall 2005, page 55.]
Edwards also chairs the MDA’s
Membership Committee, is active in
the Chicago Dental Society, and is a
host to visiting lecturers at the annual
Chicago Midwinter Meeting.
Dr. Sunil Kapila
Featured in AAO
Bulletin
Per Kjeldsen
Dr. Sunil Kapila,
chair of the
Department of
Orthodontics and
Pediatric Dentistry,
was featured in
the July issue of
Dr. Sunil Kapila the American
Association
of Orthodontists publication, The
Bulletin.
He discussed the major influence
a research grant he received from the
AAO Foundation in setting the stage
was one of thirteen the Foundation
presented for the first time in 1994.
Kapila, the Robert W. Browne
Endowed Professor of Dentistry, said in
the article, “To date, every single grant
that I have obtained from the NIH,
now totaling several million dollars,
is directly connected to an initial
investment made by the AAOF.”
Characterizing the grant
as “a great return on investment
for members’ contributions to the
AAOF,” Kapila added that the research
activities and knowledge generated
from those studies that have been
funded by the Foundation “helps in
the understanding of other medical
and craniofacial conditions, including
craniofacial anomalies, osteoporosis,
and arthritis, among others” and will
eventually result in a better quality of
life for patients.
AAP Award to
Dr. T.J. Oh
Jerry Mastey
Dr. T.J. Oh, clinical
associate professor
in the Department
of Periodontics and
Oral Medicine, is
the recipient of the
American Academy
Dr.Tae-JuOh of Periodontology’s
Award for
Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring
in Periodontics. Announcement of
the award was made at graduation
ceremonies in May.
Dr. Laurie McCauley, chair of
the department, said the award is
presented annually to a periodontal
educator at each dental school “who
has demonstrated a commitment to
excellence in providing education in the
full scope of clinical periodontics and
DentalUM Fall 2007

relays that enthusiasm to students.”
Oh, who has been at the School
of Dentistry since 1996, co-directs the
predoctoral implant program.
“ We a re f o r t u n a t e t o h a v e
outstanding faculty members like T.J.
Oh who are dedicated to excellence in
teaching periodontics and who can
connect with students in a positive
and lasting way,” she said.
Previous School of Dentistry award
recipients include Dr. Phil Richards and
Dr. Rodrigo Neiva.
Marunick Receives
Writing Award
Dr. Mark Marunick, an adjunct
clinical professor in the Department
of Biologic and Materials Sciences,
recently received the Judson C. Hickey
Scientific Writing Award from the
editorial council of the Journal of
Prosthetic Dentistry for his article that
appeared in the publication’s July 2006
issue. collaboration. He said Smith, a pulp
H i s a r t i c l e , “ P ro s t h o d o n t i c
Treatment During Active Osteonecrosis,”
offers suggestions to prosthodontists
as to how they might approach a
treatment plan for patients with
osteonecrosis in the jaws secondary to
treatment with oral bisphosphonates
and radiation therapy.
DentalUM Fall 2007
Nör “Honorary
Professor” in England
Keary Campbell
“It was totally
unexpected,”
said Dr. Jacques
Nör when he was
asked to become an
honorary professor
at the University
Dr. JacquesNör of Birmingham
(England).
Nör, a professor in the Department
of Cariology, Restorative Sciences, and
Endodontics, said Dr. Anthony Smith, a
professor at the university and editor
of the Journal of Dental Research,
extended the offer about a year ago.
As an honorary professor, Nör said
that once a year for the next three
years he will travel to the university
and, during the course of one or
two weeks, will present lectures and
talk to faculty members about his
research and learn more about theirs,
exploring opportunities for future
biology researcher and lecturer, “also
has a strong interest in angiogenesis,
my field of study and research.”
Since 2005, Nör has been a “visiting
professor” at the Universidade de Sao
Paulo and Universidade Federal do Rio
Grande do Sul in Brazil.
D E N T I S T RY
Snyder New 3-Blue
Clinic Director
Dr. Mark Snyder is the new director
of the School’s 3-Blue clinic.
Snyder, a clinical assistant
professor in the Department of
Biologic and Materials Sciences, will
be responsible for oversight of the work
done by dental students in the clinic,
meet with them to review patient care
needs, and work with both students
and faculty in the clinic.
Snyder received his DDS from
the University of Nebraska Medical
Center, College of Dentistry in 1988.
After earning the degree, he taught
at U-M, worked in a private practice,
and with a county health department
in Nebraska. In 1990, Snyder returned
to Michigan and practiced full time
in Grandville until becoming a full-
time faculty member at the School of
Dentistry in August 1996.
Snyder succeeds Dr. Jeffrey Shotwell
who will retire next spring.
The 3-Blue clinic, and three other
comprehensive care clinics, are a part
of the School’s Vertically Integrated
Clinics (VICs) which combine classroom
and real world experience by offering
students in all four dental classes and
all three dental hygiene classes an
opportunity to work together, with
faculty supervision, to achieve high
levels of clinical competence.
Other VIC directors are Drs. Donald
Heys (2-Blue), Ronald Heys (2-Green),
and Henry Temple (3-Green).
37
 A LU M N I

Alumna Profile

Dr. Patricia Lucas, DDS 1981 Photo courtesy of Dr. Patricia Lucas

• Daughter Crystal, a sophomore,

earned a theater scholarship at
Western Michigan University.
• Son Laval is a freshman at
Arizona who earned a
scholarship to play basketball
for Lute Olson and was “All
State” in the sport as a junior
and senior at Flint Powers High
School.
• Son Patrick, now a high school
freshman in Grand Blanc, was
a straight-A student in grade
school who played ice hockey,
football, basketball, and now
runs track.
“Highachieversall”maybethebestwaytodescribeDr.PatriciaLucas(seatedrightonthesofa), her husband, • Husband Laval Perry, who
Laval Perry, andtheir fivechildren: (left toright) Patrick, Laval, Victoria, Evelyn(standing), andCrystal. “My played basketball for Dick
parentswerestrict, wantedustogotocollege, earnadegree, andbecomeprofessionals,”Lucassaid. Vitale when he was at the
University of Detroit and
“She comes from a family that has ‘success’ written all over it,” said graduated with an engineering
Dr. Lee Jones as he talked about a School of Dentistry student he degree, is a retired auto dealer
remembers very well – Dr. Patricia Lucas. who owns and operates real
estate companies in Michigan
His comment is no exaggeration. Consider the following: and Florida.
• Lucas has been practicing dentistry in Detroit for 28 years.
• Her sister, Stephenie Lucas-Oney, is a physician in Detroit. Parents Very Influential
• Another sister, Jo-Ann Narcisse, is a college instructor. “My parents were strict, wanted
• Her brother, William R. Lucas, is an ophthalmologist in Detroit. us to go to college, earn a degree, and
• Another brother, Richard Lucas, is an investigator for the Detroit become professionals,” Lucas said.
Police Department. “They firmly believed and told us often
• Her 79-year-old father, William, was Wayne County Sheriff, the first that hard work and a good education
Wayne County Executive, and is currently a visiting judge in Wayne were the keys to success that would
County Circuit Court. allow you to control your own destiny
• Her 79-year-old mother, Evelyn, recently earned a degree with high instead of working for someone else,”
honors from Wayne County Community College in gerontology. she added.
“Success” and “achievement” are also in the DNA of the Lucas-Perry family: “ H e a r i n g t h a t w h e n y o u ’ re
• Daughter Evelyn is now a second-year dental student at U-M. growing up, you realize as you get
• Daughter Victoria is a first-year U-M dental student and Dental Scholar older that there is truth in their advice,
who received a women’s basketball scholarship to attend Michigan so it’s only natural when you become
State University. a parent that you, in turn, pass those

DentalUM Fall 2007

38

words of wisdom on to your children
as well,” she said.
Growing up in Detroit, Lucas
wasn’t sure what kind of professional
she wanted to become. Looking at
others in her family, she already had
several options to consider.
“Dad was an attorney when I was
younger and suggested I consider a
profession where I could get satisfaction
in helping others while also being my
own boss,” she said.
For two summers, following
her senior year in high school and
f re s h m a n y e a r a t Wa y n e S t a t e
University in Detroit, Lucas worked
summers at Hutzel Women’s Hospital.
Medicine, however, didn’t seem to fit
her personality or interests.
Her sister, Stephenie, offered a
suggestion that, in retrospect, was
prophetic.
“Stephenie seemed to know early
in life what she wanted to do, that is,
become a physician, and she suggested
I consider working in a dental office,”
Lucas said.
She took the advice to heart and
worked part time for Dr. Fred Cuthrell
and Dr. Robert Cline.
Lucas was an early admissions
student who caught the attention of
Dr. Lee Jones (DDS 1961), a member of
the U-M School of Dentistry’s faculty
as an adjunct lecturer and director of
the Office of Minority Affairs for 25
years.
Anonymity Didn’t Work
“I thought she had a lot of potential
and contacted her to see if she would
DentalUM Fall 2007
be interested in coming to the School of
Dentistry,” he said. “It turned out to be
a good fit for her and for Michigan.”
Reflecting on her four years in the
predoctoral program at U-M, Lucas
said “I tried to make it through dental
school as anonymously as possible.
But I was tall, a black female, and left-
handed, so that didn’t work,” she said
with a laugh.
Lucas gave much of the credit for
her success in the dental program to
Jones.
“He was always in my corner,
offering encouragement when I needed
it and always prodding me to do my
best,” she said.
“Dr. Jones was a safety net, not just
for me, but for other minority dental
students, since there were about ten
percent of us in a class of about two
hundred. So having someone who
understood what you were going
through, who could relate to you,
and be a liaison for you with staff or
faculty members was something I will
always be grateful for,” she added.
Lucas’ first job after receiving
her dental degree in 1981 was as an
associate in a Detroit dental practice.
Building a Practice
About two years later, she opened
her own office in a medical building
she shared with several others. “Space
was tight,” she said. “I remember
bringing my files to work in a small
crate because we were so crowded.”
Building the practice from the
ground up was, as she described it,
“hard work, but natural. I remember
A LU M N I
handing out a lot of business cards
regardless of where I was,” Lucas said.
“I never thought of it as ‘networking,’
to use today’s popular word. I just did
what came natural to me, meeting
people, introducing myself, telling
them a little about me, and most
important, taking an interest in
them.”
For the last 26 years, Lucas has
practiced general dentistry in the
Harper Professional Building on John
R in Detroit with her siblings, Dr.
Stephenie Lucas-Oney and Dr. William
Lucas.
The staff she began working with
remains with her today. Many of her
patients, who she treated when they
were children, now bring their children
to her to receive oral health care.
“I suppose I could have a bigger
practice, but I enjoy the relationships
I have with my staff and my patients,
and I don’t ever want to lose that
‘patient-friendly’ atmosphere we
have,” she said.
Asked if she encouraged her
daughters Evelyn and Victoria to
become dentists, Lucas said she
“encouraged them to consider all their
options.”
Two Daughters at U-M Dental
School
They did, working not only for her,
but also for her husband when he ran his
automobile dealership, learning valuable
lessons from both mother and father.
“Evelyn is a creative and talented
young woman, and dentistry seems
to be a natural for her,” Lucas said.
39
 A LU M N I
“Victoria, who earned a degree
in finance and worked with my
husband at his dealership, is
very analytical and talks about
opening dental facilities.”
When asked if she would
pass along her dental practice
to one or both daughters when
she retires, Lucas said she wants
them “to have other professional
experiences. But nothing will be
given to them, they will have
to buy me out,” she said with a
smile in her voice.
As proud as she is of her two
daughters studying dentistry at
Michigan, Lucas also takes pride
in the achievements of her other
daughter, Crystal, and two sons,
Laval and Patrick.
“Every one of them,
without exception, is intelligent,
wholesome, decent, and
inspiring in their own right.
That is what matters most to
me,” she said.
Lucas attributes the
successes her five children have
achieved to her husband, Laval.
“He’s had a major influence on
their growth and development
and so much of what our
children have achieved and
become in life is because of
Laval,” she said.
“But I think it really gets
back to my parents and their
influence on us when we
were growing up. They were
trailblazers who set the bar high
for all of us.”
40
Jerry Mastey
Evelyn Lucas-Perry, D2
“I have so much respect for my mother – what
she does and the person she is. I admire her
tremendously for the way she helps her patients
and the way she works with her staff,” said
Evelyn Lucas-Perry. “When she talks to people,
she has an uncanny ability to make them
the center of attention and make them feel
important. I aspire to be the person she is.”
Evelyn said her mother “never pushed me
to enter dentistry. Rather, she encouraged me
to consider a profession where I could make
a difference in people’s lives. She once told
me, ‘You have the compassion, you have the
empathy, you can do it,’ which is something I
still remember.”
Evelyn said she also remembers the
encouragement she received from her father,
Laval, and his “bedtime stories.”
“These stories, though, were about his work
and his job,” she said with a laugh. “We loved
hearing them when we were young because
they gave us insights about what we could do
when we were older.”
She also remembers some important
advice she received. “Dad always told us, ‘You
can’t stay complacent in life, you have to keep
learning new things and reinventing yourself’,”
she said.
Although currently unsure what she would
like to do after earning her dental degree,
Evelyn said eventually she would like to practice
somewhere in the Detroit area.
Jerry Mastey
Victoria Lucas-Perry, D1
“My mother is my best friend and my role model,
and she’s such a well-rounded individual to have
raised five kids and run her own business. She’s
phenomenal,” said Victoria Lucas-Perry.
Like her sister, Evelyn, Victoria said her mother
never pushed her to study dentistry.
“I wanted to be an entrepreneur and run a
business like my father, but then Evelyn told
me about the Pipeline program at the School of
Dentistry and encouraged me to give it a try,” she
said. “When I saw dentistry had a business angle
to it, I decided between my sophomore and junior
year of college to study dentistry.”
Her mother offered encouragement.
“She told me that dentistry is something I could
always do, that it was a profession and not a job,
and that I could be my own boss. That appealed to
me.”
Victoria, who attended Michigan State University
on a women’s basketball scholarship, said she’s
noticed at least one similarity between basketball
and her first few weeks of dental studies.
“In both instances, I was exhausted,” she said
with a smile. “In basketball, it’s because of the
physical strain; in the case of dental studies, it’s the
mental strain. But, like basketball, that goes with
the territory and you make adjustments if you want
to succeed.”
As one of 14 new Dental Scholars, Victoria said
she enjoys being a part of that program. “I’ve learned
that if you want to lead that there are times when
you will have to follow, you just can’t always give
orders. I think what I learn in the Dental Scholars
program will help me here and after I graduate.”
DentalUM Fall 2007
 D E N T I S T RY

Graduation
Friday, May 4, 2007

Per Kjeldsen

Graduates Challenged: “Use Oral Health to Improve Overall Health”

You’re graduates of a dental school that has a longstanding tradition of excellence
and innovation, so you have a responsibility to advance that tradition to benefit
society.
That was the theme of the message delivered to U-M School of Dentistry
graduates by this year’s commencement speaker, Dr. Dushanka Kleinman.
THE CLASS OF 2007 An associate dean for research and academic affairs at the University of
Maryland, Kleinman served in government for nearly three decades in roles
• 111 Doctor of Dental Surgery that included chief dental officer with the U.S. Public Health Service and deputy
degrees director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
• 27 Bachelor of Science
degrees indental hygiene “An Incredible Legacy”
• 28 Master of Science degrees “The State of Michigan, this University, this dental school, and the
(dental hygiene, orthodontics, practitioners in this state are all indelibly linked to health promotion and disease
periodontics, restorativedentistry, prevention,” she said. “They have created an incredible legacy for dentistry and
pediatric dentistry, prosthodontics) for dental public health.”
• 3 certificates (endodontics) She cited examples that included the beginning of community water
Includes those who completed formal fluoridation in Grand Rapids in 1945, the launching of dental epidemiology and
requirements and those who received public health, and more recently, recognition as a “best practices” model of the
degrees or certificates after completing
formal requirements. State of Michigan’s Children’s Health Insurance Program’s dental program.
Kleinman told students that excellence continued during their years of
education at U-M, citing their exposure to “cutting-edge research, studies by

DentalUM Fall 2007

41 41
 Graduation on the Web
You can listen to graduation remarks on the School of Dentistry’s Web
site: www.dent.umich.edu. On the homepage, under “Features,”
click the headline, “Listen to graduation remarks.” You then see a Web
page listing the names of speakers and the time of their remarks. You
can listen in any order you choose.

Keary Campbel

Ben Wickstra, Dental Class of 2007 president; Kathleen Gazsi, Dental Hygiene Class of 2007 president; and Prof. Wendy
Kerschbaum,director of thedental hygieneprogram,applaudgraduatesastheywalkdowntheaislesat Hill Auditorium
totaketheir seatsat graduationceremonies.

your faculty in expanding our understanding of health disparities,” as

well as participation in outreach programs to serve the underserved.
“It’s clear to me that you are a class with heart and soul,” she added.
“I know there are enormous benefits each of you will bring to the
profession,” she said. “We must make this a better place.”

Don’t Wait to Act

Citing the Surgeon General’s 2000 report on oral health that focused
on oral health disparities, a report which Kleinman helped write, she
told students oral health care professionals can’t wait to act.
“The dental profession did not wait in 1945 (to begin water
fluoridation), and I know it is not going to wait now (to deal with oral
health disparities). We have the skills to lead others in promoting the
public’s oral health.”
She told the students, “your challenge and your opportunity is to
use oral health to improve overall health and to integrate oral health
services and research into overall health care investigations. …Your
efforts will build on dentistry, but will take you beyond dentistry into
social services, education programs, and other areas.”
“With your passion and your dedication to oral health, I know we’re
in good hands,” she concluded. “I know you will carry on and expand
the public health legacy of this School, this University, and this State
with renewed innovation and courage.”

42
 D E N T I S T RY

Karam Receives
Posthumous DDS Awarded to Ryan Turner Paul Gibbons Award
Keary Campbell

Ryan E. Turner was posthumously presented with his

Doctor of Dental Surgery degree during graduation
ceremonies.
Turner unexpectedly passed away at the U-M
Medical Center on January 17 after working out at
the Central Campus Recreational Building. He was
27.
In presenting the degree, Dean Peter Polverini
said, “Ryan was an individual of great integrity,
Ryan Turner (1980-2007)
honesty, and professionalism. He was devoted to
his family, loyal to his friends, and he was most proud of his commitment Dr. LinaKaramspeakstostudentsafter beingpresentedwith
thePaul Gibbons Award for teachingexcellence.
in service to his country.”
Polverini cited Turner’s membership in the Delta Sigma Delta dental Graduating dental students
fraternity, membership on the Board of Trustees with the American Student presented the Paul Gibbons Award to
Dental Association, and service in the U.S. Army. “Ryan’s passion for Dr. Lina Karam this spring.
dentistry and life was exemplary,” he added, “and his passing was a great The annual award bestowed by
loss to all who knew him.” students recognizes a faculty member
Walking to the stage to receive his dental degree were Turner’s mother, who, in their opinion, contributes the
Kim Humble, and stepfather, Brian Humble. most to their learning during their
Following the program, both expressed their gratitude to the School of four years in the School’s predoctoral
Dentistry and the University of Michigan. program. Gibbons was a nationally
“If it was ever possible for this circumstance to be made easier, the known expert in prosthetic dentistry
University of Michigan, the dental school, the staff, and the students and cleft palate treatment and surgery
made that possible for us,” Brian Humble said. “There is no way we could until his untimely death in 1964 at the
have handled this without their help, their love, and their support. The age of 44.
graciousness of this University and this School is overwhelming. It is Karam, a clinical assistant
something we will never forget.” professor in the Department of Oral
The Humbles traveled from Eugene, Oregon to attend the ceremony and and Maxillofacial Surgery and Hospital
receive Ryan’s dental degree. Dentistry, said after receiving the
“I have never missed any of my kid’s functions (Ryan, Eric, Jeff, and award, “Dr. Gibbons set the standard
Sarah),” Kim Humble said, “and I wasn’t going to miss this, even though for teaching with the respect he had
the circumstances were not what we had hoped. It was good to be here.” for students as individuals, and I hope
Brian Humble said it was difficult for Ryan’s father, Gene Turner, to to continue in his footsteps.”
attend, “but he wants everyone to know that he appreciates everything Telling students their education
the University and this School did for him.” isn’t over, she said, “I challenge you to
A memorial award has been established in Turner’s name. Beginning further your education with continuing
next spring, each graduating dental class will recognize and honor a student education courses in the future. …And
who best exemplifies Turner’s character, compassion for patients, his passion remember, when doing surgery, stand
for life, and enthusiastic approach to the dental profession. The student’s up straight, save your back…pretend
name will be placed on the Ryan Eugene Turner Award plaque that will I’m watching you, and you’ll be just
hang in the Student Forum. fine.”

DentalUM Fall 2007

43
 Graduation
Alumni Hood Sons, Daughters at Graduation
Nine fathers and a mother had This year’s participants were: Future Plans
the honor of hooding a son • Katie Easton and her father,
or daughter onstage at Hill Jeffrey Easton (DDS 1983). The Dental Class
Auditorium during the School’s of 2007
• Andrew Green and his father,
commencement program. Robert Green (DDS 1977). Total: 111 students
• David Heys and his father, • Private Practice/General
Until last year, only a faculty Practice/Associate:
Ronald Heys (DDS 1972).
52 (46.8%)
member whose son or daughter • Michael McCoy and his father, • Specialty Training:
was graduating from the Steven McCoy (DDS 1981). 19 (17.1%)
- Periodontics: 6
School of Dentistry had the • Kathryn (Casey) Morley and her - Pedodontics: 5
opportunity to do so. But Dean father, Marshall Morley - Orthodontics: 4
(DDS 1976). - Oral Surgery: 3
Peter Polverini broke with
- Endodontics: 1
tradition last year allowing a • Kristina Santini and her father, • Military: 11 (9.9%)
parent who graduated from Dennis Santini (DDS 1979). - Army: 5
- Navy: 4
the School of Dentistry, even if • Brooke Schulz and her father, - Air Force: 2
they are not a faculty member, Wesson Schulz II (DDS 1972). • General Practice
Residency: 10 (9.0%)
to hood their son or daughter • Brett Walcott and his father, • AEGD: 9 (8.1%)
prior to being called to receiving Wayne (DDS 1975), and mother, • Community/Public
Ann (DDS 1975). Health: 5 (4.5%)
their dental degree and walking • No answer: 2 (1.8%)
across the stage. • Joelle Werschky and her father, • Not sure: 2 (1.8%)
Jay Werschky (DDS 1976). • Teaching: 1 (1.0%)

Brett Walcott was hoodedby his parents, Dr. WayneandDr. AnnWalcott, Dr. Jay Werschky (DDS 1976) beams with pride after hooding his daughter,
who received their dental degrees from U-M in 1975. Joelle. Ontheright isDr. DonaldHeys.
Keary Campbell Keary Campbell

DentalUM Fall 2007

44 44
 D E N T I S T RY

Distinguished Service Awards

to Christiansen, Bednarsh
Dr. Richard Christiansen
A former dean
of the School of
Dentistry and
director of the W.K.
Kellogg Foundation
Institute, Dr. Richard
Christiansen,
received the School’s
Distinguished
Jeffrey Freshcorn, director of development, presents Dr. Ser vice Award
RichardChristiansenwiththeDistinguished Service Award. at graduation.
P re s e n t i n g t h e
award, Jeffrey Freshcorn, the School’s director of development,
said Christiansen “is a gentleman who is well known in dentistry,
both nationally and internationally.”
The Distinguished Service Award is presented each year at
graduation by the School’s Alumni Society Board of Governors
to a living person who has made significant contributions to the
U-M School of Dentistry, the dental profession, or to the School’s
Alumni Society. Christiansen’s career spanned more than twenty
years at U-M and nearly twenty years at the National Institute
of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
After receiving the award, Christiansen told graduates,
“Congratulations to you, and wherever you go, Go Blue!”
Reflecting on his career, Christiansen said he had “many
wonderful memories of my years at the School of Dentistry.”
Among the achievements he said he was proudest of included
helping to realign the size of the School’s dental classes “to
better reflect the professional services demanded by the citizens
of Michigan” during the early 1980s, the growing recognition
for the School’s research program, and increased international
cooperation and worldwide recognition of the School.
In her opening remarks, commencement speaker Dr.
Dushanka Kleinman acknowledged Christiansen’s presence on
the stage and said, “It is a pleasure to have known you before
you came here to Michigan and to see you again.”
Helene Bednarsh
A School of Dentistry
alumna who has
been involved with
dozens of local, state,
and federal public
health programs also
received the School’s
Distinguished Service
Award.
HeleneBednarsh Helene Bednarsh,
w h o re c e i v e d h e r
dental hygiene certificate in 1974, was unable to
attend, but was recognized for her outstanding
achievements and dedication to the dental hygiene
profession.
Currently, she is the director of the Boston
Public Health Commission’s HIV Dental Ombudsman
program, consultant for the U.S. Public Health
Service’s Region I Head Start program, and
consultant for the Indian Health Service’s Indian
and Migrant Head Start programs.
Two years ago, Bednarsh received the Alfred
Fones Award from the American Dental Hygienists’
Association recognizing her outstanding
achievements and dedication to the dental hygiene
profession. In 1998, she received the School’s
Outstanding Dental Hygienist Alumnae Award
(DentalUM, Spring & Summer 1999, pages 16-18).
Besides participating in local, regional,
national, and international programs on infection
control and HIV/AIDS, Bednarsh has coauthored
articles for Access, a publication of ADHA; lectured
at colleges and universities; published chapters for
textbooks and book reviews; and has made more
than 70 presentations at colleges, universities,
seminars, and conferences.

DentalUM Fall 2007

45 45
 D E V E LO P M E N T

Dr. Jerry and Mrs. Jacquelyn Booth Make “Significant Gift”

to School of Dentistry

“T
Photo courtesy of Dr. Jerry and Mrs. Jacquelyn Booth

his has been in the back of my mind

for a while, and with a greater
appreciation for the University of
Michigan and the School of Dentistry,
my wife and I have decided to give
away our entire estate to several worthy
organizations that are important to both
of us,” said Dr. Jerry Booth (DDS 1961, MS
oral surgery 1964).
Booth and his wife, Jacquelyn,
who earned a bachelor’s degree and
a certificate in education from U-M in
1962, have made a “significant bequest
to insure that our gift will sustain a
number of programs at the School of
Dentistry.”
Included are gifts for the Department
of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and
an unrestricted gift to the School of
Dentistry Fund to support an array of
needs.
“There are three or four entities that
have been important to us, and Michigan
is at the top of our list,” Booth said. “I
haven’t found anything more gratifying
than serving in a philanthropic role. It
makes you feel good to be able to give
back.”
Among the other personal rewards
that come from including U-M in their
estate plan is the opportunity to build
on their maize and blue legacy.
Their son, Michael, and his wife,
Marla, are double U-M alumni. Michael
earned a bachelor’s degree in 1994
and an MBA in 1998; Marla earned a
bachelor’s in 1995 and an MBA in 2003.
Dr. JerryandMrs. JacquelynBooth
Booth said one of the reasons for
gifting to the dental school is because of
the influence of Dr. James Hayward. “He
was an outstanding educator and great
role model for all of us when we were
students.”
Another excellent role model and
instructor, Booth said, was Dr. Donald
Kerr. “I hope that our gift will help to
establish an endowed professorship that
will have his name attached to it,” he
said.
The Booths’ gift builds on the
support they have given as annual
donors and as reception hosts at the
Michigan Difference seminars in Naples,
Florida.
Booth said the School of Dentistry’s
development officer, Marty Bailey, has
also played a role in developing their
plans. “Marty deserves a lot of credit for
his efforts and the help he gave Jackie
and me as we were considering our
options.”
A resident of Jackson, Michigan
with a full-service oral and maxillofacial
practice in that community, Booth was
chief of surgery at Foote Hospital in
Jackson, chaired the hospital’s finance
committee, serves on the finance
committee of the Jackson Community
Foundation, and has been active in
numerous professional organizations,
including serving as president of the
Michigan Society of Oral Surgeons and
the Dental Society.
“This was an easy decision for us
to make. I hope it will inspire others
to reflect on their education, what it
has meant to them personally and
professionally, and give back so that
others will benefit in the future,” Booth
said.

DentalUM Fall 2007

46

“He Wanted All of Us to Be Critical
Thinkers”
Dr. Timothy Hanigan Explains His Johnston
Professorship Pledge
“He was the master of the hard
question. He knew what to ask
in class to determine if you really
understood what he was teaching,”
said Dr. Timothy Hanigan of Dr. Lysle
Johnston.
Hanigan earned a master’s degree
in orthodontics in 1995 and has pledged
$50,000 to the professorship that will
bear Johnston’s name. “It’s because of
him and what Lysle represents, namely
excellence, and what he did for me
while I was a student that I am making
this gift to the University of Michigan
School of Dentistry,” he said.
Arriving in Ann Arbor in 1992,
Hanigan said he “wanted to graduate
from an orthodontics program that
was one of the most prestigious in the
country.”
To do so would require plenty of
hard work. What Hanigan remembers
most about his three years at U-M was
Johnston’s statistics course.
Saying he struggled in math,
Hanigan said “I spent a lot of time
memorizing course material, thinking
that would help in the statistics
class. But Lysle had a way of quickly
determining who really understood
what he was teaching and who
didn’t.”
Johnston did that with frequent
questions in the classroom. “I dreaded
DentalUM Fall 2007
Photo courtesy of Dr. Timothy Hanigan
Dr.TimothyHanigan
it,” Hanigan said. “Being called on in
class to answer a question was always
intimidating, especially if you didn’t
know an answer or couldn’t explain
it,” he said.
Exams were equally challenging.
Hanigan said Johnston often
told students they could bring in
textbooks to help them with an exam.
But it rarely worked. “He wrote his
questions in such a way that whatever
you brought in to help you, it didn’t
do any good if you didn’t know the
rationale or the reasoning behind the
material.”
Realizing his quandary, Hanigan
asked Johnston for help.
“He spent one night a week helping
me, away from family and friends, for
about eight weeks until I understood
the material and got it right,” Hanigan
said. “He did it because he wanted
me, and everyone else, to not just pass
D E V E LO P M E N T
his course, but to take what he was
teaching us and apply it in our lives
once we left the classroom. He wanted
all of us to be critical thinkers.”
Hanigan said what Johnston
taught him has remained with him.
“He taught us to critically analyze
statistics that were being used to
support an argument or position,”
Hanigan said. “It was what I call ‘pure
drive’ on his part to want to accurately
answer a question regardless of where
the answer might take you,” he
continued. “I want to see that approach
to education and critical thinking
continued by the person who becomes
the Lysle Johnston professor.”
Hanigan practices orthodontics in
Garden City, Kansas.
Dr. Eric Hannapel Gifts
$25,000 for Johnston
Professorship
“Being a student of Dr. Lysle
Johnston holds a lot more weight
in the orthodontic community as a
practicing professional than I thought
it would when I was at Michigan
studying and working for my degree in
orthodontics,” said Dr. Eric Hannapel
(DDS 1992, orthodontics 1996).
Hannapel said he has pledged
$25,000 for the Lysle Johnston Collegiate
Professorship “because I want to
see the School of Dentistry continue
the excellence that Lysle established
scientifically and didactically. And
47
 D E V E LO P M E N T
Photo courtesy of Dr. Eric Hannapel
Dr. EricHannapel
although he was not a clinical
instructor, per se, his instruction helped
us in clinics, along with nationally-
recognized leaders in orthodontics he
would bring to Michigan.”
Recalling his three years of study
in the orthodontics program, Hannapel
said, “Lysle had high standards and
if you didn’t live up to them, you felt
it. He really was a beacon that all of
us tried to follow, and sometimes we
hated it, but we didn’t want to let him
down or the department down.”
Hannapel recalled once traveling
to St. Louis for data collection for his
thesis with Johnston. “He was meeting
some of his former colleagues while
I was measuring models for three
consecutive days for twelve hours a
day,” Hannapel said with a laugh. “But
if that’s what you needed to do, you did
it.”
Now in private practice in
Caledonia, Michigan, near Grand
Rapids, Hannapel said his interest in
dentistry, ironically, began with his
family’s orthodontist.
“I’m the son of a printer, but my
orthodontist knew of my interest
in dentistry at an early age and
48
Photo courtesy of Dr. Colin Mayers
encouraged me to pursue dentistry as
a career,” he said.
After earning his dental degree,
Hannapel did a general practice
residency for 16 months at U-M
Hospital.
“I think those experiences gave me
a step up in getting into Michigan’s
ortho program because I was involved
with a lot of facial surgeries and Dr. ColinMayers
reconstructions,” he said.
Mayers has gifted $25,000 for the
Being involved in the orofacial
endowed collegiate professorship that
cleft department at U-M Hospital “was
will bear Johnston’s name.
also a great experience that gave me
After earning his dental degree
the confidence and experience that I
at Michigan, Mayers went to Case
have been able to use in my private
Western Reserve University where
practice,” Hannapel said. Last year,
he earned his master’s degree in
he joined the Grand Rapids Cleft Lip
orthodontics in 1977.
and Palate Clinic that serves patients
The chair of the department at the
in western Michigan.
time was Dr. Lysle Johnston.
Hannapel said he is urging others
“He was one of the best teachers
to participate in the Lysle Johnston
I ever had,” Mayers said. “He was a
Collegiate Professorship. “I’ve told my
great lecturer, made subject matter
classmates when I see them that ‘this
clear and understandable, and, as
is something you have to do because
others have said, was difficult, but
none of us would be where we are
fair.”
without Lysle’,” he said.
Mayers, who practices in Hillsdale,
Michigan and is an adjunct clinical
Dr. Colin Mayers associate professor in the Department
Pledges $25,000 for of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry
at U-M, said Johnston taught him
Johnston Professorship valuable lessons.
“He stressed the importance of
“I don’t consider my ‘gift’ as a being a critical thinker, especially
gift. Instead, I think it’s our duty, scientifically, in how we practice and
our responsibility, as oral health care the techniques we use that I, in turn,
professionals to give back to the profession have tried to pass along to students
so we can continue to have outstanding when I’m in the clinic,” Mayers said.
teachers like Dr. Lysle Johnston,” said Dr.
Colin Mayers (DDS 1975).
DentalUM Fall 2007
 D E V E LO P M E N T

Looking For Leaders!

Alumni Society Board of Governors
Here’s your chance to make a difference.
In September 2008, five new members will be elected to the U-M School of Dentistry’s Alumni Society
Board of Governors. The group will include four dentistry graduates and one dental hygiene graduate. All
will serve a three-year term.
This is a perfect opportunity for you to become involved with the School, build relationships with students,
faculty, and staff, and perform a worthwhile and satisfying public service.
If you’re interested in serving, or if you would like to nominate someone, send in the form below. In the
event more than 10 individuals are nominated, the Board’s nominating committee will select a representative
slate.

Nomination Ballot
Please
clip I nominate for the Board: __________________________________________________
and
mail Class Year(s) ________________________________________________________

Address (if known) _____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2nd Name ___________________________________________________________

Class Year(s) _________________________________________________________

Address (if known) ______________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

If you nominate yourself, please send your biography (45 words or less) on a separate
sheet of paper. However, because of time constraints on our staff and limited
space in the magazine, we cannot accept a CV. Instead, please take a few
moments to highlight what you consider are major achievements, whether personal
or professional.

Return the ballot, and your biography if you’re nominating yourself, to:
Mary Jo Grand
Office of Alumni Relations
University of Michigan School of Dentistry
540 E. Liberty, Suite 204
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Nominations must be received at the School of Dentistry by December 31, 2007.

DentalUM Fall 2007

49
 Teaching on the High Seas
Cruise with CE
Dr. Jack Gobetti has presented
hundreds of continuing dental
education courses during his
career [DentalUM, Fall 2006,
pages 27-28].
But teaching on a cruise
ship in the eastern Caribbean
was, as he de scri b e d i t,
“ a u n i q u e a n d d i f f e re n t
experience. I loved it!”
Fro m M a rc h 2 4 - 3 1 ,
Gobetti taught five courses
in oral medicine, ranging
from cardiovascular disease
updates to evaluation and
control of pain.
“It was an excellent educational environment
that made for a great learning experience,” he
said. “Everyone was relaxed, people were not
rushing to get to class from their office, cell
phones weren’t ringing, and beepers weren’t
going off, so the setting allowed everyone to
focus more than they probably could have
otherwise.”
Gobetti taught in the morning between 7:30
and 11:30 and from two o’clock until six o’clock
in the afternoon.
That scheduling, he said, allowed for more
one-on-one interaction after class was over.
“I saw people after teaching a course and, in
every instance, we had opportunities for further
discussion about many of the topics I presented,”
he said. “I think the opportunity for give-and-
take in a more relaxed environment enhanced
their educational experience.”
Preparation for each class was time
consuming, Gobetti said. “I spent anywhere
5050
between 35 and 40 hours
updating information,
organizing it, and reviewing
thousands of slides for the
presentations.”
Debbie Montague,
continuing dental education
administrative manager who
was on the cruise, played a
significant role in the success
of the initiative.
In addition to spending more
than a year coordinating all the
“behind the scenes” activities
including class registration
and accommodations, she
was busy several hours before classes began,
following-up on earlier arrangements.
There were a few pleasant surprises along
the way.
Montague said a dental hygiene graduate
from Ohio State, who works for a dentist in
Michigan, learned about the CE courses and
asked to attend. She was admitted and attended
all of the lectures. Several dentists also brought
members of their staff.
Work is already underway on next year’s
program.
“Cruise with CE in 2008,” scheduled for
February 21-25, will include courses taught
by Dr. L. George Upton dealing with medical
emergencies in the dental office and TMJ and
its relationship to TMD.
To register for next spring’s cruise, contact
the School of Dentistry’s Office of Continuing
Dental Education by phone at (734) 763-5070 or
by e-mail: cde.umich@umich.edu.
DentalUM Fall 2007

DH Online Degree Program Begins in January
Program to Fill a Critical Need
A
new program leading to a
Bachelor of Science degree
in dental hygiene will be
offered by the School of
Dentistry beginning in January.
What’s new about this program is
that it will be offered online.
Dental hygiene students from
around the country who have earned
an associate’s degree or certificate
will be able to take the online courses,
formally called “Degree Completion
E-Learning Program,” at home or
elsewhere and at their convenience.
Filling a Critical Need
A c c o rd i n g t o P r o f . We n d y
Kerschbaum, director of the School’s
dental hygiene curriculum who
advocated the online initiative, there
is a critical need for the program.
“There are 285 dental hygiene
programs now being offered around
the country, mostly at community
colleges,” she said. “Approximately
6,000 graduate from these programs
annually, but only 12 percent confer a
bachelor’s degree.”
Yet, Kerschbaum said, studies
show that more than 70 percent of
those receiving an associate’s degree
or certificate are interested in pursuing
coursework that leads to a bachelor’s
degree.
But there are significant barriers
t h ese in terested stude nts face ,
geographical and financial.
“Most of these students are unable
to travel to a college or university
campus to take a course, and also
DentalUM Fall 2007
don’t want to quit their jobs to earn
that degree,” she said. “Our program
is set up to give them the best of both
worlds – the opportunity to learn from
home or other location, to keep their
jobs, and to study at times that are
convenient for them.”
Currently, about 15 dental hygiene
degree completion programs in the
U.S. are offered exclusively online. The
School of Dentistry’s would be the first
online program offered by U-M that
leads to a bachelor’s degree.
Bachelor’s Degree Vital
There is a growing need for dental
hygienists with a bachelor’s degree.
“ The bachelor’s degree is a
cornerstone requirement for dental
hygienists who may also want to
become educators,” Kerschbaum said.
“But the degree also gives dental
hygienists career options other than
D E N TA L H YG I E N E
the traditional private practice, such as
providing care to the underserved.”
The School of Dentistry’s online
dental hygiene education program
begins with a two-day orientation in
December.
“Those who wish to participate
will have to come here to learn more
about the program, meet our dental
hygiene faculty members who will be
teaching the eleven courses, and also
meet their colleagues,” Kerschbaum
said.
“Meeting their online colleagues
will be an important part of developing
that sense of community with their
peers and our faculty,” she added.
Students will also be required to
purchase a laptop computer. The cost
of the laptop, approximately $2,000, is
included in the student’s fees.
In-state tuition will be
approximately $3,000 per term, or
approximately $17,000 for the entire
program. Out-of-state residents will
pay approximately $8,000 per term or
about $44,000 for the entire program.
Dental Hygiene E-Learning
• Mini-semester format
• 33 credit hour program
• 2-year program
• January 2008 (1st entering
class begins)
• Fall 2008 (2nd entering
class beings)
51
 D E N TA L H YG I E N E
Curriculum: 11 Classes
• Leadership & Professional
Development
• Oral Diseases: Prevention
& Management
•
Health Promotion & Risk
Reduction
•
Research & Evidence-Based
Practice
• Community I
• Special Populations
• Dental Hygiene Education
(teaching)
• Community II – Practice
• Contemporary Dental Hygiene
Practice
• Practicum
• Mentored Professional
Experience (ePortfolio)
Kerschbaum advised interested
students that they should plan on
spending at least 18 hours per week
on coursework.
At the most recent meeting of
the American Dental Hygienists’
Association, several presentations on
the subject of Web-based education
leading to an undergraduate degree
were presented, Kerschbaum said.
She said that a program launched
by St. Petersburg College in Florida in
2004 has graduated 70 students, with
150 currently enrolled. Two other
programs, established the following
year by two other universities, enrolled
18 and 40 students in their respective
first-year classes. Kerschbaum hopes
that perhaps 10 students will enroll
in U-M’s first online dental hygiene
program that begins in January.
For more information, visit the
School of Dentistry Web site: www.
dent.umich.edu/depts/pom/hygiene/
dconline.html. Or you can send an
e-mail to: hygiene.info@umich.edu,
or call (734) 763-3392
52
Dental Hygiene Alumna Urges Congress
to Expand Healthy Kids Dental Program
Photo courtesy of Christine Farrell
A U-M School of dentistry dental
hygiene alumna, who is in a leadership
role with the Michigan Department of
Community Health, appeared before
a Congressional committee in April
urging lawmakers to help the State
of Michigan expand the Healthy Kids
Dental program.
Christine Farrell, a Medicaid
policy specialist who was chosen by
Gov. Jennifer Granholm to represent
Michigan Medicaid, was one of six
persons invited to testify before the
U.S. House Energy and Commerce
Committee’s Subcommittee on Health.
The full committee is chaired by Rep. ChristineFarrell (BSDH1981), MedicaidPolicySpecialist
for theStateof Michigan(right) andMargeGreen,
John Dingell (D-Michigan).
AmericanDental Hygienists’ Associationpresident, in
front of theHouseOfficeBuildinginWashington, D.C.
Improved Access to Care Needed Farrell spoketoaHouseAppropriationsSubcommittee
“We are in challenging economic onLabor, Health, andHumanServicesabout the
times in Michigan, and we continue importanceof improvingaccesstooral healthcarein
to look at innovative ways to improve theU.S.
access to oral health care,” Farrell told other states to emulate.
the legislators. “Additional federal Under the program, Medicaid
support would assist Michigan and dental benefits are offered through
other states in crafting solutions to Delta Dental in 59 of the state’s 83
improve and expand access to this counties to low-income children less
critical benefit for children.” than 21 years of age.
Healthy Kids Dental is a When the program was created
partnership that involves Michigan in 2000, the Michigan legislature
Medicaid and Delta Dental. The appropriated nearly $11 million to
program has been identified by the increase access to children’s oral health
American Dental Association and the care in rural counties. Currently, the
American Association of Pediatric appropriation is approximately $34
Dentists as a successful model for million.
DentalUM Fall 2007
 D E N TA L H YG I E N E

The subcommittee’s hearings

brought attention to the problem of
Janet Kinney – 2 Master’s Degrees
access to dental care for underserved “A Great Role Model”
children. The hearings were sparked by
the death of a 12-year-old in Maryland
who died from complications from an Jerry Mastey

abscessed tooth.

A First…and an Honor
In April, Dingell introduced the
Children’s Dental Health Improvement
Act of 2007, designed to expand dental
coverage to more low-income children,
ensure access to qualified dentists, and
improve the reporting and tracking of
dental diseases among children. He
also introduced the Children’s First
Health Act (HR 1535).
“This was the first time I testified
before a Congressional committee,”
Farrell said. “But I didn’t learn until
after I completed my testimony that
not many state Medicaid directors
have ever been invited to talk about
their state’s program, so it was an
honor for me to describe the Michigan
program to federal legislators.”
Farrell earned a bachelor’s degree
in dental hygiene from U-M in 1981
and a master’s degree in public
administration from U-M Flint in
2006.
She was president of the Michigan
Dental Hygienists’ Association
from 1993-1994 and national chair
of the Medicaid/State Child Health
Improvement Program from 2004 to
this year.
Janet Kinney
“It’s quite an achievement to
earn a master’s degree from the
University of Michigan. But to earn
two, and almost at the same time?
That’s a major achievement, and
I’m so proud of what Janet Kinney
has accomplished,” said Prof. Wendy
Kerschbaum, director of the School of
Dentistry’s dental hygiene program.
This spring, Kinney received her
master’s degree in dental hygiene.
This summer, she received a master’s
degree in clinical research design and
statistical analysis from the School of
Public Health.
Studies Interrupted
Kinney was accepted into the
School’s dental hygiene master’s
degree program in 1997. But a short
time later, she had to postpone her
studies and moved with her husband,
Steve, who began an overseas work
assignment in Switzerland and later
in England.
Although she was a dental
professional in both countries, Kinney
said she had a desire to finish working
on her master’s degree when she
returned to Ann Arbor.
Returning to U-M in 2004, Kinney
learned the master’s program had been
modified to include a clinical research
component.
To fulfill that requirement, she
worked with Dr. William Giannobile at
the School’s Michigan Center for Oral
Health Research.
At MCOHR , Kinney recr uited
patients with possible periodontal

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 D E N TA L H YG I E N E

disease for a saliva test kit Giannobile

was developing.
Karen Essel (DH 1969) – Outstanding
Those efforts fit nicely with what
she needed to do to earn a master’s
Alumnae Award
Keary Campbell
degree from the School of Public
Health.
Her work was funded with a K30
grant from the National Institutes of
Health. The K30 program is designed
to attract talented individuals to the
challenges of clinical research and to
provide them with the critical skills
they need to translate basic discoveries
into clinical treatments for patients.

No Regrets
Kinney was not only involved in
patient-oriented research, but also
conducting epidemiologic studies,
collecting data, and doing statistical
analysis. “It was total immersion,”
she said with a laugh.
Looking back on her two years in
both programs, Kinney said she had no
regrets.
Although she jokingly referred
to herself as “the guinea pig” for
the dental school’s clinical research
component of the master’s program,
Kerschbaum described Kinney as “the
dental school’s poster child.”
“Janet’s a great role model,”
Kerschbaum continued. “She has
given our dental hygiene students
an even better idea of what kinds of
possibilities are available to them
should they decide to pursue a master’s
degree.”
KarenEssel showsher delight after beingpresentedwiththeOutstanding Dental Hygiene Alumnae Award.
“When I think of outstanding
dental hygiene alumnae, I think of
people who are authors or instructors
or program directors or presidents of
professional organizations. I don’t think
of someone like myself,” said Karen
Essel after receiving the Outstanding
Dental Hygiene Alumnae Award
during the School’s commencement
program in May.
Jemma Allor, president of the U-M
Dental Hygiene Alumnae Association,
presented the award.
“Karen has proven to be a brilliant
representative and true champion
for the University of Michigan dental
school,” Allor said.
She cited Essel’s involvement in
dental hygiene organizations and her
leadership roles, including serving as
president of Sigma Phi Alpha, the U-M
honorary society, and the Washtenaw
District Dental Hygienists’ Society. Essel
also represented Michigan during the
American Dental Hygiene Association’s
annual meeting in 2005.
A clinical dental hygienist
since graduating in 1969, Essel told
graduates, “Participate in your
professional organization. It is your
voice and your network.”
She also urged volunteering. “There
is a huge access to care crisis that only
the profession can begin to solve.”

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 D E N TA L H YG I E N E

Ridley Honored by Gwozdek Receives

DH Class of ’07 AHDA Student Advisor Award
Keary Campbell
Keary Campbell

Anne Gwozdek was recently chosen by the

American Dental Hygienists’ Association to receive
that organization’s Student Advisor Award. The
award honors student advisors who exhibit
excellence and dedication in encouraging student
involvement in dental hygiene.
Gwozdek, a dental hygiene faculty member
and advisor to the Student American Dental
Hygienists’ Association, received the award at the
ADHA’s annual session in June. ADHA is the nation’s
largest organization representing the professional
interests of more than 120,000 dental hygienists.
Gwozdek earned a certificate in dental hygiene
Dental HygieneClassPresidentKathleenGazsi listsreasonsKaren from U-M in 1973.
RidleyreceivedtheOutstanding Instructor Award.
Sigma Phi Alpha Inducts 4
Graduating dental hygiene
students presented the Outstanding
Instructor Award to Karen Ridley.
Kathleen Gazsi, class president,
said Ridley received the award because
“we wanted to recognize her and thank
her for being so tough.”
Unable to attend because she
was at the Bay Cliff Health Camp
just outside of Marquette, Ridley
wrote remarks read by Prof. Wendy
Kerschbaum, director of the dental
hygiene program.
Ridley said that every time she
will look at the award, “I will be
reminded of how we worked together.
…I will remember a wonderful group Thelocal chapter of SigmaPhi Alpha, thenational dental hygienehonorarysociety, inductedfour new
of young women who found a way to membersthisspring. Inductedweredental hygienestudentsCourtnayGreen(left), KellyWagner (right),
reach their goal and I will always be and Kristen Hubbs (not pictured). Sue Garbarini (center, DH 1953) was inducted as an honorary member
proud to have helped you get there.” andrecognizedfor her contributionstotheadvancement of thedental hygieneprofession.

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 D E N TA L H YG I E N E

DH Class of ’07 Pledges $3,500

Keary Campbell

The dental hygiene Class of 2007 pledged more than $3,500 to the School’s Michigan Difference fundraising drive.
AlsointhephotoisProf.WendyKerschbaum,director of thedental hygieneprogram(secondrow,right), DeanPeter
Polverini, andDr. MarilynLantz, associatedeanfor academicaffairs.

This spring, the dental hygiene class of 2007 was praised for pledging to the
School of Dentistry’s fundraising drive that is a part of the University’s Michigan
Difference campaign.
Twenty-six of the 28 members of the class, 93 percent, made a financial
commitment.
At a celebration luncheon in the Sindecuse Atrium one month before
graduation, Prof. Wendy Kerschbaum thanked the students who collectively
pledged more than $3,500.
She told the students, “you have received a very special education here at
Michigan, but I don’t think you will realize just how special it has been until
after you graduate and are practicing in the communities where you will work
and live.”
“Your achievement is very special, and I, along with Dean Peter Polverini
and Dr. Marilyn Lantz, appreciate your commitment,” Kerschbaum added.
Polverini also thanked the students, saying, “Your pledge is an investment
in the future of the School and the dental hygiene program. I’m sure, for many
of you, it wasn’t easy, but the fact that you did pledge is impressive, and we
appreciate the example you have set for others to follow.”
Fourth-year dental hygiene student Jessica Betson, chair of the fundraising
effort, said, “We were more than happy to make a pledge because of all that we
have learned and received during the past three years of our education.”

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Saliva Test Kit Advances in Testing
R e s u l t s i n M i n u t e s i n a n O f f i ce, n o t H o u r s o f f - s i t e
N
ew test results show a
portable saliva test device
developed by a U-M School
of Dentistry professor could
tell patients in just minutes if they
have periodontal disease, which
would be a major improvement
over current methods which require
hours of analysis at an off-site lab.
The School of Dentistry’s Dr. William
Giannobile and Dr. Anup Singh of
Sandia National Laboratories jointly
developed the saliva test device.
Testing with the device has
progressed to the point where a
dentist would need only a drop of
saliva from a patient and less than
five minutes of time to analyze the
sample in his or her office. Current
sample analysis requires hours of
time at a laboratory away from a
dental office.
Giannobile, who also directs
the Michigan Center for Oral Health
Research, said that in recent months
the Center has been conducting
tests that are adaptable to using
microfluidic technology.
“Using a miniaturized lab-on-a-
chip approach, we have been able to
separate and analyze proteins quickly,
typically, within minutes of sample
separation,” he said. Established in
2003, the Center takes discoveries from
research laboratories and attempts to
DentalUM Fall 2007
RESEARCH
find ways to use them to benefit oral
health care professionals and their
patients.
The saliva test kit measures a
tissue-destructive enzyme, matrix
metalloproteinase-8, a molecule
which is released from cells that tend
to migrate to periodontal lesions.
How it Works
There are four different methods
used to collect a patient’s saliva.
In the first, patients provide a
saliva sample in a collector tube until
about a tablespoon of fluid has been
collected.
In the second, known as gingival
crevicular fluid rinse, patients are Oneof four
asked to rinse with tap water for
methodsusedto
30 seconds. They then rise with
sterile saline solution for another 30
collect apatient’s
seconds, and then spit the saline into salivainvolvesa
a collector tube, and finally rinse with patient providing
tap water. asampleina
The third method requires patients tubeuntil about
to keep a saliva collection device in atablespoonof
their mouth for 10 minutes. A cotton
fluidhasbeen
pad will soak fluid from the oral cavity
as well as from the mucosa since the
collected.
pad is enriched with salt solution.
Afterwards, the collector is placed into
a fabricated tube, broken in half, and is
prepared for a centrifuge. Afterwards,
fluids extracted from the cotton pad
are analyzed.
57
 RESEARCH
In the final method, oral fluid
samples are collected with paper strips
which are placed into the gingival
crevice for 30 seconds. The strips are
then removed and put into a freezer at
-80 degrees Celsius for storage and are
later analyzed in a lab.
Highly Accurate Results
“Using just a very small sample of
saliva, we found our tests to be highly
accurate in identifying patients with
periodontal disease, without the
need for a more time consuming and
comprehensive clinical examination,”
Giannobile said. “This method could
one day be used to screen large patient
populations which could have major
implications for oral health.”
From late 2005 through 2006, 130
patients were tested at MCOHR clinics
in northeast Ann Arbor.
Collaborating with Giannobile
are Dr. Mark Burns, professor with the
U-M School of Chemical Engineering,
and Dr. Christoph Ramseier and
Janet Kinney, both MCOHR research
fellows. The National Institutes of
Health provided funding for the test
studies. The lab-on-a-chip technology
was developed and manufactured by
Sandia National Laboratories, which
has major research and developmental
interests in national security, energy,
and environmental technologies.
The results of an analytical test
appeared in the March 27th issue
of the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences of the United
States.
58
Two New Programs
Put Money in Students’ Pockets,
Full-Year Summer Practicum
(12-Month) (12-Week)
Training Program Training Program
Basic Information Basic Information
• Deadline to apply: • Deadline to apply:
December 21, 2007 February1, 2008
• Accepts 9 full-time trainees • Accepts 10 trainees
• Each receives a Master of Science (predoctoral students)
degreeinclinical research • Program has four components
• Participants focus on one of • Stipend: $5,193
5 personalized specialty tracks • Online application available at
• Stipend: $20,772 + full tuition linkbelow
support andhealthcarecoverage
• All participants must be either a U.S. 4 Components
citizenornon-U.S.citizen,permanent • Orientation and required training
resident (NIHrequirement) inprotectinghumansubjectsand
• Online application available at responsibleconduct of research
linkbelow • Mentored participation in an
ongoingresearchproject
5 Specialty Tracks • Group project in clinical research
• Drug Development and Discovery • Weekly structured programs on
• Genomics and Proteomics different stagesof clinical research
• Tissue, Device, and Regenerative
Medicine MoreinformationontheWeb:
• Health Care Delivery and Outcomes www.med.umich.edu/cacr/
• Clinical Translation and Community- mcrit/summer.htm
BasedResearch
MoreinformationontheWeb:
www.med.umich.edu/cacr/
mcrit/year.htm
DentalUM Fall 2007

Provide Clinical Research Experiences and Insights
Here are two opportunities dental students may
wish to seriously consider.
The first — one year of dental school tuition fully
paid for and a stipend of about $20,000; total
value, approximately $50,000.
The second — a three-month
program offering a stipend of nearly
$5,200.
The full-year and three-month
opportunities are part of the U-M
Multidisciplinary Clinical Researchers
in Training Program (MCRiT) that is
designed to attract more students to
careers in clinical research.
At U-M, dental students…along with
those in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and
kinesiology…are eligible to participate.
The two programs began in the summer
of 2006. The second year of the programs
began in August.
Deadlines Approaching
However, to be considered for the full-year, 2008-
2009 program, students must apply before December
21, 2007. For next summer’s program, the deadline to
apply is February 1, 2008.
“Both programs are great opportunities for dental
students who are giving serious consideration to a
career in clinical research or have already decided to
pursue clinical research as a career after graduation,”
said Dr. William Giannobile, director of the Michigan
Center for Oral Health Research (MCOHR). Giannobile is
DentalUM Fall 2007
RESEARCH
a member of the Executive Committee for both training
programs.
In addition to receiving a full-year stipend of
approximately $50,000, Giannobile said the
opportunity to earn a master’s degree and
focus on one of five clinical tracks are
other reasons for strong interest in the
program.
Giannobile talked about the two
programs during a meeting with the
School’s Board of Governors this spring.
Several board members said they wished
they had these opportunities when they
were in dental school, adding they thought
there would be considerable interest among
dental students.
Nine students participated in the 12-
week summer practicum last year.
T h i s s u m m e r, t e n s t u d e n t s
participated including two who are now
first-year dental students at U-M, Lindsay
Rayburn and Meghan Dubois. [See page 60.]
Giannobile said that in addition to the clinical
research experiences the students receive, the
multidisciplinary elements of the program give them
exposure in areas they might not otherwise receive
including statistical analysis, data quality, and how
to design a clinical research study.
The programs are a part of the National Institutes
of Health’s “Roadmap Initiative for the Reengineering
of the Clinical Research Enterprise” launched by Elias
Zerhouni, NIH director since 2002.
59
 RESEARCH

Multidisciplinary Clinical Researchers in Training Program

Two Dental Student Perspectives
Lindsay Rayburn Meghan Dubois
First-year dental student Lindsay Rayburn sees several Meghan Dubois, who has been working at the Michigan
benefits from participating in the three-month summer Center for Oral Health Research for a little more than a year,
clinical research program. said Center director, Dr. William Giannobile, urged her to
Foremost is the opportunity to observe the impact apply for the three-month summer research program. She’s
clinical research has on patients. glad she did.
During the two years she worked in Dr. William “I’m beginning my first year as a dental student at U-M
G i a n n o b i l e ’ s l a b o r a t o r y, Jerry Mastey
in August and I think the three
Rayburn said she “enjoyed months I will be participating
the opportunity to see what’s in the summer program will
involved in planning and help me determine if clinical
conducting clinical research research is something I want
studies.” to do after I get my dental
What she learned there degree,” she said.
and what she is learning in the Dubois already has had
summer program, she added, some experience in a dental
will produce another benefit, environment. In high school,
“a head start in my dental she worked for her father, Dr.
studies,” as she described it. Matthew Dubois, in his dental
Rayburn, who earned a office in Southgate, Michigan.
LindsayRayburn(left) andMeghanDubois
bachelor’s degree in cellular “From those experiences, I
and molecular biology from knew I wanted to help people
U-M two years ago, said the summer program may also in some way, and I thought dentistry would be the way to
help her determine if she wants to pursue clinical research do it,” she said.
as a career after earning her dental degree. Since earning a bachelor’s degree from U-M with a
“Ultimately, I’d like to see if I can combine clinical concentration in biology and economics, Dubois has been
research with my dental studies and, in some way, reach working with Giannobile, Janet Kinney, and Dr. Christoph
out to help the underserved,” she said. Ramseier to develop the oral saliva test kit.
“My mother, Suzanne Johnston Rayburn, received her “It’s been interesting to see what takes place in doing
dental hygiene certificate from U-M in 1972, so I knew this kind of research, and all of the patients have been very
from an early age I wanted to be involved in health care in cooperative, especially since it’s a noninvasive experience
some way. But after volunteering at a local hospital and for them providing the saliva samples,” she said with a
observing what goes on in a dental practice, dentistry has laugh.
all the characteristics of a career I’m looking for. Clinical
research, I think, will be a bonus, not just for me, but for
those I help.”

DentalUM Fall 2007

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 RESEARCH

Per Kjeldsen

Dr. Darnell Kaigler Among 20 Nationwide

to Receive New Award
Only Dentist to be Recognized
A U-M School of Dentistry postdoctoral fellow is the first and only dentist in the
nation to receive a new award presented by a foundation committed to fostering
and developing the next generation of faculty members and research scientists.
Dr. Darnell Kaigler, who simultaneously pursued and earned a dental degree
and a PhD degree in the School’s Oral Health Sciences DDS/PhD program, was the
only dentist…and one of just 20 persons nationwide…to receive a Career Award
for Medical Scientists (CAMS) from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. Nationwide, Kaigler Receives
153 individuals applied. William Gies Award
Winning the award means Kaigler will receive $700,000 during the next five Dr. Darnell Kaigler, a research fellow in the
years to help him make the transition from postdoctoral researcher to becoming Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine
a junior faculty member. and adjunct clinical lecturer, received the
“I’m very honored to have been selected because it was a very competitive William Gies Award for the best paper published
process,” he said. Kaigler said each university and college, including the University in 2006 in the Journal of Dental Research.
of Michigan, had an opportunity to nominate five individuals before being selected Presented during the IADR’s annual
to advance to a second level of consideration. In the second phase of competition, session, Kaigler was recognized for his article,
Kaigler had to submit detailed information about his research, academic “Transplanted Endothelial Cells Enhance
achievements, and career plans, as well as agreeing to be interviewed. Orthotopic Bone Regeneration.”
“Being the only dentist in the nation to receive the award speaks highly of Kaigler described a study where he
this University and for the profession of dentistry,” Kaigler said. “It illustrates just examined the influence of blood vessel
how much of an impact dentistry is having on research, and to a great degree, precursor cells (endothelial cells) on bone
the high regard others have of the research that is being conducted here at this precursor cells (bone marrow stromal cells)
School.” when both types of cells were simultaneously
Kaigler’s research interests include cell therapy approaches to treat alveolar transplanted.
bone defects. In one approach, cells are taken from a patient, treated, multiplied The major finding was that the endothelial
in a laboratory environment, and eventually reimplanted in the patient’s oral cells enhance the activity of bone marrow
cavity. stromal cells by increasing their ability to
“Many times, when a person has a tooth extracted, there is insufficient bone regenerate and reconstruct bone.
remaining in the jaw to restore the area with a dental implant,” he said. “So I’m “By discovering a new mechanism that
trying to determine if there is a way that a small number of bone cells from a controls and modulates bone regeneration,
patient can be cultured externally and then transplanted back into the jaw so we’re not only strengthening our understanding
those cells grow and form new bone to replace the bone that has been lost.” of the role blood vessel formation plays in bone
Taking the research knowledge he gained during his postdoctoral studies, regeneration, but we’re also bringing the
Kaigler hopes to begin preliminary clinical studies at the Michigan Center for Oral novel tissue engineering approach of cell
Health Research within a year. Before any clinical trials can begin, however, the transplantation a step closer to clinical reality,”
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates new therapies and treatments, he said.
will have to review and give its approval.

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 RESEARCH

Grad Perio Resident Earns

1st Place in International
Competition
A resident in the School of
Dentistry’s graduate periodontics
program whose post-doctoral training
focuses on regenerative sciences,
recently won a first place award during
the 9th International Symposium on
Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry.
Dr. Hector Rios received the top
honor in research competition in June
in Boston for his poster presentation.
The poster competition recognizes
innovative clinical and translational
research in periodontics, restorative
dentistry, and implant dentistry.
Mentored by Dr. William Giannobile,
Rios’s work focuses on the molecular
mechanism that allows the periodontal
ligament (PDL) to absorb and distribute
the mechanical forces, as well as regulate
overall periodontal homeostasis.
Nan Hatch Wins National & International
Dr. Nan Hatch, a postdoctoral research fellow and a junior faculty member
in the School’s Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, won two
first-place Hatton Awards earlier this year for her work at the U-M School of
Dentistry.
The award is the preeminent dental research award given annually to
students and postdoctoral fellows.
Hatch won first prize in the postdoctoral category for her research
presentation during the annual session of the American Association for Dental
Research. She also qualified to compete in the international competition
against researchers from around the world, and then won first place during
the International Association for Dental Research. This was the first time in
eight years that someone from the U-M School of Dentistry won both first-place
awards. Dr. Jacques Nör won both awards in 1999.
Hatch’s research focuses on fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling in bone
mineralization and craniofacial development.
FGF signaling has long been known to play a crucial role in skeletal and
craniofacial development, yet the mechanism by which these factors cause
changes in bone formation has yet to be fully understood. It’s associated with
craniosynostosis, a debilitating clinical condition characterized by abnormal
Keary Campbell

Their work suggests that this

adaptive response may be due to the
influence of key molecules that control
the integrity of the PDL during occlusal
function. Periostin, an extracellular
matrix protein that is primarily
expressed in PDL, is likely to be one of
these key molecules. Their research
shows that the cementum, alveolar
bone, and PDL of mice lacking this gene
dramatically deteriorate after the teeth
erupt.
The symposium is held every
three years to allow for the testing and
evaluation of new treatments.

DentalUM Fall 2007

62

Hatton Awards
craniofacial development of the facial
skeleton and skull.
“ The long-term goal of this
research is to try and develop novel
diagnostic approaches and biologic
therapeutics to treat patients with
craniofacial abnormalities,” she
said.
Hatch received her DMD from
Harvard in 1999, an orthodontic
certificate from the University of
Washington three years later, and
a PhD in molecular and cell biology
from U-W in 2005. She then came
to Michigan for a full-time academic
position as a junior faculty member
and postdoctoral research fellow. She
also treats patients one-half day each
week in the orthodontic clinic.
Dr. Nan Hatch (left)
won two first-place
Hatton Awards earlier
this year for her
research. The award is
the preeminent dental
research award given
annually to students
and postdoctoral
fellows.
DentalUM Fall 2007
RESEARCH
Simmer Receives IADR Award for Basic Research
Per Kjeldsen
Dr. James Simmer, a
professor in the Department
of Biologic and Materials
Sciences, received IADR’s
2 0 0 7 Aw a rd f o r B a s i c
Research in Biological
Mineralization during the
group’s annual meeting
this spring.
The award is designed
to recognize and encourage
basic research in biological
mineralization.
S i m m e r ’ s re s e a rc h ,
featured in the School of
Dentistry’s 2005 annual Dr. James Simmer
re p o r t , f o c u s e s o n t h e
cellular and molecular biology of tooth enamel formation. He has
identified some of the factors that lead to genetic defects that cause nearly
one in 8,000 people to be born with bad teeth.
IADR noted that Simmer’s research led to basic science advances
that “led directly to improvements in our understanding of the genetic
etiologies of inherited enamel defects grouped under the designation of
amelogenesis imperfecta.”
Patients with this condition have difficulty brushing, breathing, or
even drinking cold water without experiencing pain in their teeth.
The burden is not only physical, it’s also psychological since disfigured
teeth often affect a patient’s quality of life.
Comprehensive dental work to correct these difficulties is often a
major expense since many, if not all, of a patient’s bad teeth must be
restored over an extended period of time. Both the cost of restoration and
the amount of time spent in dental clinics can be considerable.
Understanding the gene mutations and identifying the protein
molecules that result in bad teeth being passed from generation to
generation may one day help dentists develop customized treatment plans
for their patients.
63
 RESEARCH

Wanda Snyder

Jamie Luria Junior Hatton Award Winner

JamieLuria, asecond-year dental student, receivedasecond
placeJunior Hatton Award at thisspring’sAADRmeetingfor his
research. Withhimishismentor, Dr. Paul Krebsbach.
Second-year dental student Jamie Luria received a second place Junior
Hatton Award during the AADR’s annual meeting.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Paul Krebsbach, Luria is using bone morphogenetic
proteins (BMPs) to reconstruct craniomaxillofacial and mandibular defects due
to ablative cancer surgery.
These proteins have powerful bone-forming activity and have led to
dramatic improvements in treating patients with orthopedic problems.
In addition, Luria said BMP use in oral cancer defects is currently
contraindicated due to uncertainties about whether the proteins have adverse
biologic effects on human oral squamous cell carcinoma or contribute to
tumorigenesis.
Luria’s research is involved in testing the hypothesis that BMPs do not
produce adverse biologic effects on oral squamous cell carcinoma or enhance
the growth of residual tumor cells.
He also received an AADR Student Fellowship Award to fund an additional
year of research on the impact BMP exposure has on oral cancer’s ability to
spread from its primary site of development.

Research May Offer Insight into Stimulating Bone Formation

Research at the U-M School of
Dentistry may offer some new insights
into explaining how mechanical forces
stimulate bone formation.
In a paper published in the
February 26th issue of The Journal
of Cell Biology, Dr. Renny Franceschi
and his team reported that the
mechanical forces are transmitted to
the bone-forming cells, or osteoblasts,
by cell surface receptors (integrins)
that directly link osteoblasts to the
surrounding bone cellular matrix.
In studies with transgenic mice,
Franceschi’s group showed that
integrins stimulate bone formation
by activating the extracellular signal
regulated mitogen-activated protein
kinase pathway (ERK/MAPK pathway)
leading to the expression of bone-
forming genes. They also showed
that the ERK/MAPK functions by
specifically phosphorylating a nuclear
transcription factor, Runx2.
“Bone is known to be highly
responsive to mechanical forces. In
fact, weight-bearing exercise is one of
the most dramatic ways to stimulate
bone formation,” Franceschi said. “But
our research is the first demonstration
that this pathway can stimulate bone
formation in animals.”
Franceschi said the work also
suggests that pharmacological
manipulation of the ERK/MAPK
pathway in bone may be a way of
stimulating bone formation to treat
osteoporosis and periodontal disease.
Others participating in the
study were Dr. Chunxi Ge, the lead
author and research fellow in the
School’s Department of Periodontics
and Oral Medicine, and Drs. Guozhi
Xiao, assistant research scientist in
POM, and Di Jiang, student research
assistant.

DentalUM Fall 2007

64
 RESEARCH

Two Receive Dziewiatkowski Award for Their Research

Wanda Snyder

A fourth-year candidate in the etiology of their condition and

the School of Dentistry’s Oral the possibility of passing this along
Health Sciences/PhD program, to their children. “If we know the
and a fifth-year PhD candidate components of enamel and its
in the Department of Biomedical mineralization processes, we may
Engineering who is working in be able to develop biomaterials to
School of Dentistry laboratories, replace lost enamel,” she said.
were the recipients of this year’s
Dziewiatkowski Award. Joseph Wallace
Yong-Hee Chun and Joseph For the last five years, Wallace has
Wallace were presented with been researching the influences of
Yong-HeeChunandJosephWallacerecipientsof thisyear’s
the award this spring by Jane Dziewiatkowski Award. genetic and mechanical factors
Damren, daughter of the late Dr. on the composition and structure
Dominic Dziewiatkowski, for whom the in the human body, but the mechanism of mineralized tissues under the
award is named. of the mineralization process itself is mentorship of Dr. David Kohn in the
“Dr. J,” as he was affectionately unknown,” Chun said. “By identifying School’s biomimetic and biomechanics
known, taught at the School of Dentistry the proteins in the enamel matrix that laboratory.
for 18 years and directed the Dental are secreted by ameloblasts, and by “My investigations are focused on
Research Institute from 1967 to 1972. analyzing their biochemical structure, understanding changes that occur in
Damren and her husband, Samuel, eventually their biological function bone in response to the addition and
established the Dziewiatkowski Award might become clear.” removal of the extracellular matrix
in 1988 to recognize dental students for Chun is analyzing ameloblastin protein, biglycan,” he said. “Bones that
their excellence in research. [DentalUM, to try to determine if that protein is lack biglycan develop deficiencies in
Fall 2005, pages 74-75.] essential for enamel formation. quality and strength and fail to acquire
She said that understanding both normal peak bone mass, similar to what
Yong-Hee Chun the structure and function of enamel patients with osteoporosis experience.”
For the past two years, Chun, who proteins “allows dentists to appreciate Wallace said that his investigations
earned a master’s degree in periodontics the complexity of enamel formation. have led to a discovery that exercise of
from U-M in 2003, has been studying Knowledge gained from the research moderate intensity and duration can
enamel formation under the mentorship may help counseling and treating lead to changes in pre-existing tissue
of Drs. Jan Hu and James Simmer. patients with enamel malformations, without adding new bone.
C h u n’ s re s e a rc h f o c u s e s o n such as amelogenesis imperfecta, an “I’m seeking to learn if exercise can
ameloblastin, one of the three enamel inherited enamel defect.” compensate for deficiencies caused by
matrix major proteins (the two others Chun, a clinical instructor in one of the absence of biglycan,” he said. “If
are amelogenin and enamelin) that are the School’s comprehensive care clinics further research shows that to be the
secreted by ameloblasts during dental from 2001 to 2003 and from 2005 to the case, perhaps this could provide a unique
enamel formation. present, hopes her research will lead to a and noninvasive way of preventing or
“Mature enamel is the hardest tissue better understanding by patients about treating bone diseases in humans.”

DentalUM Fall 2007

65
 RESEARCH
“Research Fulfilling, I Want to Stay Involved”
Dental Hygienist Janet Kinney Describes
Jerry Mastey
Researchwasoneof several requirements
Janet Kinneyhadtocompletebefore
earningamaster’sdegreeindental
hygienefromtheSchool of Dentistryand
asecondfromtheSchool of Public
Healththisyear.
66
“I
t seemed the Michigan
Center for Oral Health
Research was my home
away from home,” Janet
Kinney said jokingly as she talked
about her 18 months of clinical
research. “I found research fulfilling,
and I want to remain involved with it
now that I have earned my master’s
degrees.”
Research was one of several
requirements Kinney had to complete
before earning two master’s degrees –
one in dental hygiene from the School
of Dentistry, the other in public health
from the School of Public Health. [See
story, pages 53-54.]
Kinney played an important role in
the clinical research part of Dr. William
Giannobile’s efforts to develop a saliva
test kit designed to detect periodontal
disease in patients.
“I gained a considerable amount
of experience at MCOHR, almost from
the moment I arrived,” Kinney said.
Her work included patient
recruiting conducted during outreach
efforts at the dental school, elsewhere
in Ann Arbor, in Ypsilanti and other
communities in a three county area
of southeast Michigan, and telephone
contacts with directors of various
dental hygiene programs in the state
advising them of MCOHR’s role and
how patients could participate in a
dental clinic research study.
Applying What’s Learned in the
Classroom
B e s i d e s s c re e n i n g p o t e n t i a l
patients on the telephone to determine
if they might qualify for Giannobile’s
clinical trial, Kinney was involved in
countless other ways after a patient
was enrolled in the study.
During each patient’s visit, she
obtained their medical histories,
conducted oral health examinations
that included oral cancer screenings,
completed extensive clinical
periodontal charting information;
collected and cataloged sample fluids
for the study, provided intervention
therapy such as scaling and root
planing, took standardized digital
radiographs, and arranged patient
follow-up visits.
Each study visit lasted between
two and four hours, which did not
include time needed to complete study
paperwork and clinical research forms.
Kinney said she probably collected
“thousands of vials of fluids. But doing
that, and the other experiences I had,
gave me great opportunities to apply in
a clinical environment what I learned
in the classroom,” she said. “My clinical
research experiences at MCOHR taught
DentalUM Fall 2007

MCOHR Experiences
me a lot about patient management,
data collection, and more.”
Giannobile, who was Kinney’s
advisor for her master’s thesis awarded
by the School of Dentistry, agreed.
“Janet had a full plate during
the time she was here,” he said. “She
collected approximately 860,000 data
points for the saliva test kit study. That
alone was a lot of work, but she was
dedicated to gaining the experiences
she needed to successfully complete
the requirements for her two master’s
degrees.”
However, the saliva test kit clinical
research was not the only study in
which Kinney was involved.
Another research project she
assisted with was Dr. Laurie McCauley’s
research investigating the impact of
parathyroid hormone on regeneration
in the oral cavity.
Other Research Efforts
McCauley, chair of the Department
of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, is
attempting to determine if the drug
Fortero, which has been approved by
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
for use in patients with osteoporosis,
can increase the build-up of bone and
the strengthening of bone over an
extended period of time.
It is not known, however, if Fortero
DentalUM Fall 2007
Janet Kinneyplayedanimportant roleinDr.WilliamGiannobile’s efforts todevelopasalivatest kit todetect periodontal disease
inpatients.
will have the same bone-building and
bone-strengthening effects for patients
with periodontal disease. [DentalUM,
Spring & Summer 2007, page 77.]
Kinney also assisted Dr. Tae-ju
Oh with his research to determine
if the local delivery of the antibiotic
periocline, combined with scaling
and root planing, helps reduce pocket
depths in teeth with periodontal
disease.
The gel has not yet been approved
for use by the FDA, but results from
the clinical laboratory research could
help determine the effectiveness of
antibacterial treatment of periodontal
disease. [DentalUM, Spring & Summer
2007, page 77.]
Consider Research as a Career
Kinney praised many at the dental
school for encouraging her research at
MCOHR.
“Professor Kerschbaum, Karen
R i d l e y, D r. G i a n n o b i l e , a n d D r.
RESEARCH
Jerry Mastey
McCauley all played significant
roles in my professional growth and
development as a dental hygienist
with their encouragement to get as
involved as I did in clinical research,”
she said.
“One of my goals is to offer dental
hygiene students a glimpse of what a
clinical research dental hygienist does
and how he or she can contribute to the
overall success of a research project,”
she added.
“It’s both exciting and rewarding
to see how one’s individual efforts,
combined with the efforts from other
members of the study team, converge
into interesting study results that
could, ultimately, change the course
of clinical practice.”
As for her future plans, Kinney
hopes to use her classroom knowledge,
clinical education and research skills
in a combined teaching and research
position in the School’s dental hygiene
program.
67
 RESEARCH

Tooth Whiteners Work, Short Term

U-M Clinical Associate Professor Evaluates Studies Attitudes

You see commercials for them on

Jerry Mastey
Jared Wadley, U-M News Service
television and ads in newspapers and
ral health disparities

magazines.
Tooth whiteners — whitening
strips, guards filled with gel placed
over the teeth, and paint-on films
— are available at almost every drug
and food store as well as from many
dental offices.
But how effective are they?
Tooth whiteners appear to be
effective, short term. But their long-
term effectiveness has yet to be
determined.
Those are the findings of a review
of all published studies through
2006 by Dr. Hana Hasson, a clinical
associate professor at the U-M School
of Dentistry.
More than 400 studies about
the effectiveness of the whiteners
have been published in recent years.
Hasson reviewed 25 of the higher-
quality studies and evaluated their
effectiveness after two weeks. Studies
encompassed controlled and semi-
controlled situations that involved
products recommended by dentists
and products that could be purchased
over the counter. Tooth-whitening
toothpastes were not included in the
assessment.
Her conclusion of the review is that
there is evidence whitening products
work. However, there are differences in
Dr. HanaHassondiscussestheresultsof her evaluationsof
toothwhiteningstudieswithareporter fromIvanhoeTV
at theSchool of Dentistry. IvanhoeTVhasbeenproviding
televisionstationswithnewsstoriesabout medicineand
dentistrysince1982.
the efficacy of products, due primarily
to the levels of active ingredients,
including hydrogen peroxide and
carbamide peroxide.
All trials were short term and
involved high-risk bias since they
were sponsored or conducted by the
manufacturers of the products.
Hasson said there is a need for
long-term and independent clinical
studies that include participants from
various groups, as well as a need to
better measure common side effects
of tooth sensitivity and gingival
irritation.
The result of the research appeared
last fall in The Cochrane Library, a
publication produced by The Cochrane
Collaboration, an international
organization that evaluates research.
O
are common among pre-
school aged children, but
more needs to be done to
combat the prevalence of tooth decay
among low-income and minority
populations where the problem is
severe, according to a new study
that involved two School of Dentistry
faculty members.
In an analysis of low-income,
African-American households in
Detroit, U-M researchers found that
children ages 4 and 5, and those who
had restorative dental visits, were
more likely to develop tooth decay
or early childhood caries.
The study looked at maternal
health beliefs, behaviors, and
p s y c h o s o c i a l f a c t o r s re l a t e d t o
African-American children with
tooth decay living in low-income
homes. Sugar exposure and mouth
bacteria can trigger severe tooth
decay. Cavities can result from
inappropriate bottle or sippy cup use,
and sugary snack foods.
Tracy Finlayson, who analyzed
the first wave of a longitudinal study
as a U-M doctoral student, was the

DentalUM Fall 2007

68

May Affect Prevalence of Tooth Decay in Children
lead author. Now a scholar at the
University of California-Berkeley,
she wrote the study with Drs. Amid
Ismail and Woosung Sohn, both with
the U-M School of Dentistry, and
Kristin Siefert with the U-M School
of Social Work.
S u b s e q u e n t t o F i n l a y s o n’ s
analysis and using data from two
time periods, researchers at the
Detroit Dental Health Project found
that when parents and caregivers
believe that tooth decay is inevitable,
the children are more likely to suffer
from it.
Data were collected by the Detroit
Dental Health Project (DDHP), a
National Institutes of Health-funded
study of more than 1,000 African-
American families with at least one
child 5 years or younger and living
in 39 low-income communities. The
DDHP project seeks to investigate
the association between childhood
cavities and tooth decay later in life.
Finlayson’s analysis was limited to
719 children between the ages of 1
and 5 whose mothers were examined
in the first of the three-wave cycle of
the study.
DentalUM Fall 2007
Trained staff conducted personal
interviews with caregivers in Detroit.
All children and caregivers received
dental examinations in the DDHP’s
Dental Assessment Center.
C a re g i v e r s w e re a s ke d h o w
confident they were about ensuring
children’s teeth were brushed before
bedtime, including situations
where a child was tired. Mothers
reported relatively high levels of
understanding appropriate bottle
use and children’s oral hygiene needs.
However, more than three quarters
of the sample endorsed a fatalistic
oral health belief, as indicated in
one sample item: “Cavities in baby
teeth don’t matter since they fall out
anyway.”
I s m a i l s a i d , “C h i l d re n w h o
suffer from early childhood cavities,
a condition more common than
asthma, most likely will end up
being treated under sedation or even
general anesthesia. This negative
experience early in life may have
a significant impact on children’s
dental experience.”
Researchers examined three
factors potentially influencing
RESEARCH
mothers’ behaviors toward oral
health: symptoms of depression,
parenting stress, and social support.
Maternal symptoms of depression
were highly prevalent, but were not
directly related to early childhood
cavities. Parents stressing the need
for proper oral health had a positive
influence on preventing cavities,
they found.
“Parenting stress was inversely
associated with children’s (oral
health) status. For each unit increase
on the stress scale, the odds of the
child having cavities reduced by
about one-third,” Siefert said. “It
may be that parents who are more
conscientious about their children’s
health habits are also those who
worry more and are more stressed.
This is an important area for future
research.” The income level of
parents, employment, and education
play a role in the outcomes, they
added.
The findings appeared in the May
issue of Community Dentistry and
Oral Epidemiology.
69
 RESEARCH
School of Dentistry Honoring Pioneering Researcher
Exhibits Mark 100 Year Anniversary of Death of Dr. Willoughby Miller
More than 100 years ago, Dr.
Willoughby Dayton Miller advanced a
novel theory that dental caries was an
infectious process caused by bacteria.
At the time, 1890, he also suggested
the mouth harbors bacteria that may
influence not just oral health but
general health too.
Those ideas, based on his extensive
research, were radical at the time.
Over time, however, they profoundly
affected how biologists, dentists, and
medical professionals worldwide
viewed disease.
Dr. Miller’s pioneering research
and international reputation led to an
offer from the University of Michigan
Dental College, as it was known in the
early 20th century, to become its dean.
Dr. Miller arrived in Ann Arbor in July
1907 and met with dental faculty to
discuss his plans for the fall. But he
died on July 27, following an attack of
appendicitis before he could assume
his duties as dean. He was 54.
To m a r k t h e c e n t e n n i a l
anniversary of Miller’s death, the
U-M School of Dentistry is sponsoring
an exhibition, W.D. Miller: Scientific
Pioneer of Dentistry (1853-1907), that
focuses on his pioneering research
and contributions to oral health.
One exhibit case is on display in the
School’s Sindecuse Museum on the
70
first floor lobby of the Kellogg Institute
Building. Another is in the School’s
library.
Sindecuse Museum Exhibit
Among the items being displayed
in the Museum through December
are Miller’s microscope, which was
donated to the School of Dentistry by
his widow, Caroline Miller, after his
death, and other laboratory artifacts
including an English Bunsen burner,
hand instruments, tweezers, litmus
vials, bottles, and test tubes. The
English binocular microscope dating
from the 1880s, according to Sindecuse
Museum curator Shannon O’Dell, gave
Miller a clear stereoscopic view of his
specimens.
As visitors look at the artifacts and
displays in the Museum, O’Dell said,
“they will gain a better understanding
of how Miller set up his laboratory
in Germany, where he worked for
28 years, and learn more about who
he was and why he is still so highly
regarded.”
O’Dell added that the Museum
expects to show pages from Miller’s
laboratory notebook (ca. 1900) which
are now housed at the Bentley Library
on the U-M campus. The notebook,
she said, includes information about
litmus samples of saliva and mucous
tests.
For more information about the
exhibit, contact Sindecuse Museum
Curator Shannon O’Dell at (734) 763-
0767 or by e-mail: dentalmuseum@
umich.edu. More information about
the Museum is available at: www.
dent.umich.edu/museum.
Dental Library Collection
Miller’s work is also on display
at the School of Dentistry library.
Patricia Anderson, senior associate
librarian, notes that Miller’s original
research is still a valuable resource for
DentalUM Fall 2007

Amonument honoringtheachievements of Dr. Willoughby Miller is inthe front of the KelloggBuildingat
NorthUniversityAvenue.
researchers worldwide with over 50
articles published in the past decade
citing his book, The Micro-organisms
of the Human Mouth, where he
advanced his theory.
“Miller’s research is so well known
and so pioneering that requests come
from researchers and historians around
the world to use Miller’s personal
library which is housed here in the U-M
Dentistry Library,” Anderson said.
“These requests,” she continued,
“inspired the University Libraries
to make Miller’s personal library
collection available online.” The
scanning portion of the project was
recently completed by University
Libraries Digital Library’s production
services. It is now available as a
part of the Dental Historic Collections
DentalUM Fall 2007
RESEARCH
Jerry Mastey
at http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/
dentalj.
Information about Miller and his
work is online www.lib.umich.edu/
dentlib/about/other/WDMiller/
Other Recognition
Although he never assumed
the deanship at Michigan, Miller’s
achievements have been recognized by
the School of Dentistry in two notable
ways.
In 1940, a monument honoring
him was unveiled in front of the
Kellogg Building just off of North
University Avenue. Around the same
time, a bust of Miller was unveiled. It
currently sits atop a pedestal in the
lobby of the Kellogg Building at the
base of a glass brick wall.
71
 D E N T I S T RY
DEPARTMENT UPDATE
Per Kjeldsen
Dr. Sunil Kapila, chair
New ABPD Diplomates
from U-M Program
This year, 13 U-M pediatric dentistry
alumni became Diplomates of the
American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
Their names and the year they
completed our programare listed below.
• James R. Boynton (2004)
• Jon A. Dallman (1997)
• AnnaMarie (Malavolti) Defeo (2003)
• Heather E. Gormley (2004)
• Catherine H. Hong (2003)
• Jennifer L. MacLellan (2005)
• Shonna L. Masse (2000)
• Steven K. Rayes (2003)
• Daniela R. Silva (2002)
• Michelle J. (Opalka) Tiberia (2001)
• Aleco Tujios (2005)
• James M. VanWingen (2000)
• Vanessa Q. Velilla (2002)
72
Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry
T
h e re h a v e b e e n m a n y
noteworthy achievements
among faculty, residents,
and staff in the Department
of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry
since my last report in the Spring &
Summer 2005 issue of DentalUM. The
arrival of new faculty members and
significant accomplishments in a
range of endeavors continue to fuel our
progress. Our department’s clinical
operations also continue to improve
to enhance the clinical experiences of
our students.
Faculty Updates
Several new faculty members have
recently joined us. Dr. Nan E. Hatch
arrived as a full-time faculty member
in October 2005 after completing
her orthodontics and PhD studies
at the University of Washington.
She has focused on establishing her
research in the first two years of her
appointment and has also begun her
faculty practice.
Dr. R. Scott Conley joined us
as a full-time clinical assistant
professor last July. Formerly an
assistant professor in orthodontics at
Vanderbilt University Medical Center,
Dr. Conley’s expertise is in orthodontic
management of orthognathic surgery,
distraction osteogenesis, craniofacial
anomalies, and sleep apnea patients.
He is a member of the Angle Society
and will add tremendous strength
to our curriculum in orthognathic
surgery.
Drs. Eric S. DeVries and Yu-
Ju (Rita) Yang were appointed as
clinical lecturers early this year
after completing their pediatric
dentistry training at the University
of Michigan last December. Their
primar y responsibilities include
predoctoral clinical teaching and
patient care both at the U-M School
of Dentistry and hospital clinics.
Additionally, Dr. Thomas Pink has
become pediatric dentistry clinic
director. His goal is to expand patient
care activities and refine the clinic’s
business procedures.
Considering that there is a severe
shortage of full-time academics,
recruiting these capable individuals
to our faculty is a major feat for us.
A number of new part-time faculty
have also joined our department
including Drs. Andre Haérian and
Ulla Crouse in orthodontics and Drs.
Kevin L. Boyd, Suzanne K. Port, and
Toral Gandhi in pediatric dentistry.
Awards & Recognition
Faculty
Dr. James R. Boynton successfully
completed the American Board of
Pediatric Dentistry certification process
despite a very busy year managing the
predoctoral program and sustaining
a practice. In addition to Dr. Boynton,
twelve other U-M pediatric dental alumni
were also “Board certified” within the
last year. [See Col. 1, this page.]
O n e o f D r. S c o t t C o n l e y ’ s
manuscripts published in the
DentalUM Fall 2007

American Journal of Orthodontics
and Dentofacial Orthopedics was
recognized by the College of Diplomates
of the American Board of Orthodontics
as the best case report published last
year.
Dr. Nan Hatch received the
Robert E. Gaylord Teaching Fellowship
Award from the AAOF last year and
postdoctoral fellowship grant. Nan
was also awarded the first-place
Hatton Award in the postdoctoral
categories from both the American and
International Associations for Dental
Research. [See story, pages 62-63.]
Dr. Lysle E. Johnston Jr. received
the Louise Ada Jarabak Memorial
Orthodontic Teachers and Research
Award at the recently concluded
AAO meeting. This prestigious award
recognizes an individual who has
made significant contributions to
orthodontic education and research.
Dr. Sunil D. Kapila received a
$1.2 million five-year research grant
from the National Institute for Dental
and Craniofacial Research to study the
contribution of periodontal ligament
cells and osteoblasts to periodontal
bone breakdown.
Dr. James A. McNamara was
selected to receive the 2007 World
Prize from the Italian Society of
Orthodontists and the 2008 Ketcham
Award from the American Board of
Orthodontics.
Dr. Josephine C. Weeden, Dr.
H. Ludia Kim, and six of our alumni
from the class of 2005 – Drs. Jerome
B. Schuman, Heather L. Zablocki,
Laurie M. McClatchey, Marsha L.
Beattie, Jason F. Hall, and Steven W.
Charchut – successfully completed the
DentalUM Fall 2007
American Board of Orthodontics exams
to become Diplomates of the ABO.
Residents
Two of our 2005 orthodontic
graduates, Dr. Jerome Schuman and
Dr. Heather Zablocki, were awarded
the Thomas M. Graber Award of
Special Merit at the 2006 AAO Meeting
for their master’s thesis research.
Dr. Matthew D. Dunn (Ortho
2006) received an award in the Resident
Scholars Research Competition for
his master’s thesis: “Local Delivery
of Osteoprotegerin for Orthodontic
Anchorage.” Matt was also awarded
the Thomas Graber Award of Special
Merit for this research at this year’s
AAO meeting.
Dr. Orest J. Pilipowicz (Ped Dent
2006) received a graduate student
research award from the American
Academy of Pediatric Dentistry to
attend this year’s annual meeting and
compete for the Ralph MacDonald
Award for outstanding resident
research. Among the competitors
from many different programs, Orest’s
project received the top award, the
Ralph MacDonald Award. This is
the same award that Dr. Heather
E. Gormley (Ped Dent 2004) received
two years ago. The title of Orest’s
presentation was “The Effects of
Nitrous Oxide During Pediatric Dental
Sedation with Oral Transmucosal
Fentanyl Citrate and Hydroxyzine
Pamoate.” His chief mentor is Dr.
Daniel M. Briskie and advisory mentors
are Drs. Robert F. Majewski, Jan C. Hu
and Paul Reynolds.
Dr. Yu-Ju (Rita)Yang (Ped Dent
2006) also received a graduate student
D E N T I S T RY
research award to attend the 2007
AAPD meeting and present her research
entitled “Long Term Success of Fissure
Sealant Placement on Newly Erupted
Hypoplastic First Permanent Molars.”
Her chief mentor is Dr. Ruwaida Tootla,
and thesis advisors are Drs. Lloyd
Straffon, Steve Eckland, and Kathy
Welch.
Program News
Graduate Orthodontics
In the past year, the Lysle E.
Johnston Jr. Endowed Collegiate
Professorship was launched and has
received strong support from several
of Lysle’s former students, colleagues,
and friends. [See pages 47-48.]
S i m i l a r l y, t h e c o l l e g i a t e
professorship in honor of James E.
Harris needs a final boost to make
it a reality. These endowments will
help us maintain our competitiveness
in recruiting and retaining top-notch
faculty in this era of faculty shortages.
It would be wonderful to bring these
two collegiate professorships to
fruition in the near future. Your
support is needed to achieve these
goals. I am very thankful to so many
of our loyal alumni who continue to
support us in these times of dwindling
state support.
Launching the “Paperless Clinic”
Since 2004, we have been working to
implement a paperless clinic in graduate
orthodontics. Our efforts began with
digital photography and radiography,
and continued with the streamlining
of the software management programs
from two to one.
In the past two years, we laid
73
 D E N T I S T RY
the groundwork to go to electronic
charting. This involved selecting
the hardware through trials with
a number of systems and the
development of appropriate modules
in the MiDent software. The computers
were purchased and installed in our
clinic in May this year [See story, page
7]. Most of the modules including
patient health histor y, clinical
findings, treatment planning, and
daily treatment notes, are now ready
for use. The business and scheduling
modules of this software program have
been used since last summer. Final
components of a totally electronic
chart, that include the incorporation of
extraction and retainer prescriptions,
will begin shortly.
The graduate orthodontics clinic is
now the first in the school to convert
to completely paperless records. The
pioneering of electronic charting in
orthodontics is an excellent “pilot”
for other clinics in the School as they
move towards the same goal. We are
extremely proud of the lead taken by
graduate orthodontics in this endeavor.
Our goal is to similarly transition the
graduate pediatric dentistry clinic to
electronic charts.
Graduate Pediatric Dentistry
The graduate pediatric dentistry
program admitted six from a large
pool of competitive applicants. They
are Dr. Amy Buehler and Dr. Oshmi
Dutta from the University of Southern
California, Dr. Damien Kaiser and
Dr. Michelle Kurkowski from the
University of Michigan, Dr. Elizabeth
Miller from the University of Virginia,
7474
and Dr. Shirim Sheiny from Azad
University, Iran.
Our current graduate students,
Drs. Beth Nelson, Sam Malcheff, and
Tim Seto were successful in obtaining
Delta Dental funds to support their
research projects investigating issues
related to access to dental care, infant
oral health care provider education,
and incidence of pneumonia among
children with cerebral palsy.
Dr. Rita Yang (2006) and Dr. Eric
DeVries (2006) stayed on to serve
as clinical lecturers, which greatly
stabilized our teaching program and
filled the gaps left by Drs. Davenport
and Kaiser. Dr. Yang also maintained
the level of patient care at the Hospital
Dentistry Clinic while Dr. Ruwaida
Tootla was on maternity leave.
The Kenneth A. Easlick Society
sponsored a well-attended alumni
reception during the American
Academy of Pediatric Dentistry in
May in San Antonio.
Many of our alumni are doing
well and looking for associates to
expand their practices. In addition,
we were happy to note that four of our
alumni in academia are involved in
directing either graduate or predoctoral
programs. The program continues to
carry out the mission of educating
excellent clinicians and nurturing
academicians in the field of pediatric
dentistry. Dr. Hu and I expressed our
sincerest thanks to the alumni who
attended for joining the program
faculty at this event and for making
themselves available to our residents
as excellent role models.
Research
The Department continues its
sound research program with a strong
record of publication, grant funding,
and continued recognition of the work
done by our faculty and students
through research awards. These
accomplishments, besides enhancing
the scientific basis of orthodontic
practice, bring prestige and recognition
to our program, the faculty, and the
students.
Research objectives for our
department include an emphasis
on understanding novel clinical
issues utilizing contemporary
scientific approaches and
technologies that will help advance
our profession. Interdepartmental
and intradepartmental collaborative
research is also being encouraged. Drs.
Jan Hu, Nan Hatch, and I maintain
actively funded basic and translational
research activities in topics ranging from
dental dysplasias, craniosynostosis, TMJ
pathobiology, tissue engineering and
bone, dentine, and enamel biology. Dr.
Hu’s research and mine are funded by
the National Institute of Health while Dr.
Hatch has grant funding from the AAO
Foundation. Drs. Conley, McNamara,
Arruda, Boynton and Tootla continue
to perform clinical studies on various
topics and to mentor many master’s
theses and dental student research
projects.
DentalUM Fall 2007

Classroom Lecture Podcasts Top 1,100...
New Initiatives Underway
There’s been plenty of “buzz” in
the media the past two years following
the School of Dentistry’s partnership
with Apple, Inc. that enables students
to listen to classroom lectures on
their iPods or other portable listening
devices.
The School was the first
professional school in the nation that
partnered with the company to offer
education-related content. [DentalUM,
Fall 2005, pages 6-7.]
A milestone was reached this
spring when the number of dental
and dental hygiene classroom lectures
recorded and available as podcasts for
review surpassed 1,000. At press time,
the number exceeded 1,130.
The audio recordings, or podcasts,
are available at a special School of
Dentistry Web site, “Learning via
iTunes U.” Dental and dental hygiene
DentalUM Fall 2007
and graduate students can listen by
logging on to the site using their valid
U-M names and passwords.
Downloading of classroom lectures
has steadily increased.
Since course lectures have been
available for downloading beginning
two years ago, School of Dentistry
students have been to the Web site
approximately 30,000 times to listen
to lectures.
Recently, a new feature was added
– videos.
Building on the success of the
audio-only files, the videos are very
short, typically three or four minutes,
and focus on a specific topic that is
clinically relevant. By comparison, the
audio-only files can be 30, 60, or even
90 minutes in length.
“Because this process is entirely
student driven, it’s impressive to
T E C H N O LO G Y
see how active the different classes
have been,” said Dr. Lynn Johnson,
the School’s director of Dental
Informatics.
For example, by August, the Class of
2008 had created 286 different podcasts
for downloading and listening; the Class
of 2009, 431 tracks; and the Class of 2010,
388 tracks, bringing the total to 1,105.
Add to that 26 dental hygiene podcasts,
and the number increases to 1,131.
Among class lectures recorded by
the Class of 2008 that are available
for listening include 66 in Integrated
Medical Sciences III.
In that category, a student can
scroll down and see the list of all
66 lectures by School of Dentistry
faculty members and the time of each
lecture.
When a student finds a lecture of
interest, he or she simply clicks, waits
for the material to be downloaded, and
then clicks “start” on their listening
device. Students listen to the lectures
anywhere and at any time – in their
apartments, automobiles, while
walking on campus, or even working
out.
Johnson, however, continues to be
emphatic about one point.
“These recordings are not designed
to replace going to class,” she said.
“Instead, they’re to be considered a
‘safety net’ allowing students to hone
in on any topic they may have missed
while in the classroom or want to
review prior to taking a test.”
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 T E C H N O LO G Y
I-P Video Conferencing Enhancing
Dental School Communications
The role evolving Internet technology
might play in education was noted in the
School of Dentistry’s 2003 annual report,
New Beginnings. In a simulation, two
U-M dental students were depicted
“attending class” in Ann Arbor as they
were presented with information by a
faculty member from the University of
Iowa.
With the advances in Internet speeds
that have occurred since then, the School
has found a way to make that idea of
four years ago become reality.
Recently, Dr. Paul Krebsbach used
the School’s new Internet protocol (IP)
video conferencing unit to participate
in the thesis defense of one of his
graduate students living in Switzerland.
The student conducted her research
in Krebsbach’s lab in Ann Arbor but
completed her coursework in Lausanne.
Instead of traveling to Switzerland,
Krebsbach used IP video conferencing
technology (H.323) that allows users
to exchange audio, video, and data
communications across networks such
as the Internet.
“Doing this saved a lot of time
and expense since he didn’t have to
travel,” said Sharon Grayden, faculty
development coordinator in the
Department of Dental Informatics.
What Makes This Different
How then, you might ask, does this
technology differ from video conferencing
which has been in use for decades?
There are some notable differences,
Grayden said.
IP video conferencing eliminates
7676
costs to either senders or receivers.
Think of an e-mail you send to a friend
in another part of the world. You or your
friend do not pay to send or receive that
long-distance message.
Or, think of instant messaging (IM)
where individuals can “chat” as long
as they want while online and not
incur any costs. “My parents, who are
both in their mid eighties, frequently
IM with their friends, as do my friends
who have college-age kids. They use
instant messaging technology instead
of the telephone to stay connected. And
it doesn’t cost them a thing,” Grayden
said.
The IP video conferencing technology
is different and better compared to the
desktop and Web-cam technology that
many now use.
Web cam technology, she explained,
offers limited image quality and is
primarily designed to allow one
individual, sitting in front of his or her
computer, to share information with one
or more individuals who are sitting in
front of their computer monitors.
The IP video conferencing is different
and better.
“This technology we are now
starting to use delivers high-quality
images and sound, and is better for
groups, seminars, or classes in small-,
medium-, or large-size lecture halls,”
she said. “It’s an extremely efficient and
cost effective way of doing business in an
academic setting.”
What makes the communications
possible is a portable device, about the
size of an office desk phone, that sits atop
a 32-inch monitor on a cart which can
be easily transported.
Other Dental School Applications
The School has used the technology
and device in interesting ways in recent
months.
Dr. Lynn Johnson, dental informatics
director, was the first to use the system
to bring an expert guest lecturer from
the University of Pittsburgh to graduate
students. In another, Dr. Marilyn Lantz,
associate dean for academic affairs,
made a presentation to colleagues in
Minnesota and the U.S. Health Services
in Washington, D.C.
Multiple locations are also involved.
Dr. Amid Ismail, director of the
Detroit Oral Cancer Project, used the
system to test potential collaboration
with a group that allows AEGD residents
to take dental courses and participate
in case and project discussions with
individuals at ten other sites across the
country.
This is just a start, Grayden
said, because future applications are
unlimited.
“As Internet technology continues to
evolve, along with advances in hardware
and software, I think we could see other
potential uses in our dental, dental
hygiene, and graduate programs; in
research; by those in study clubs or
continuing dental education,” she said.
“The capabilities and uses are infinite
in terms of tapping into the wealth of
knowledge we have here and accessing
the expertise of others, anywhere in the
world.”
DentalUM Fall 2007
 T E C H N O LO G Y

New Director of Desktop Support

Jerry Mastey

H
appy to be back on campus. That’s
how Kerry Flynn feels about her new
position as director of I-T infrastructure
and desktop support at the U-M School of
Dentistry. She joined the team in June.
Though Flynn graduated from college planning to
teach high school biology, she quickly found a job as a
software trainer instead.
She brings to the position I-T experience from
several Ann Arbor companies, including three and
a half years as a network administrator at the Ross
School of Business.
Flynn will be responsible for desktop support
activities and projects that support hundreds of
faculty, staff, and students.
“One of my goals is to streamline our internal
KerryFlynn work processes to enhance our productivity and
effectiveness,” she said.
Flynn will also be responsible for the installation
of an offsite data center, improving and upgrading
the School’s communications network, working
to support the electronic storage and distribution
of patient dental records, and supervising a staff
of seven who support the daily operations of the
School’s computing activities. She also hopes to
enhance wireless transmission and reception of data
throughout the School.
“Overall, my goal is to provide sound, state-of-
the-art services and technology, yet remain nimble
enough to respond to growing needs and demands.
To begin doing this, we will need to enhance our
network infrastructure by increasing the speed at
which data is transmitted and received throughout
the School, as well as make our network even more
reliable,” Flynn said.
“This is a great group,” she added. “Lynn
Johnson, director of Dental Informatics, has done a
fantastic job, and I’m looking forward to building on
her successes.”

DentalUM Fall 2007

7777
 D E N T I S T RY

Alpha Omega International President

Impressed with U-M School of Dentistry Dental School
Diane McFarland

The School of
Dentistry thanked
22 employees for
at least ten years
of service to the
University during an
awards ceremony
this spring.

“We are grateful

for all you do for
Left to right: Dr. Mark Luria, president of the Detroit chapter of Alpha Omega; Dean Peter Polverini; Linda Wolffe; Dr. John Wolffe, our School,” said
president of Alma Omega International; and Dr. Marvin Sonne, secretary.
Dean Peter Polverini
The University of Michigan School of Dentistry had quite an impact on during the Staff
them.
Service Awards
Executives from the Alpha Omega International dental fraternity were
impressed with what they heard and observed during a visit to the School in ceremony.
July when they met with Dean Peter Polverini, other administrators, students,
and toured the School’s facilities.
President, Dr. John Wolffe; his wife, Linda; Secretary, Dr. Marvin Sonne (DDS
1973); and Dr. Mark Luria (DDS 1978), president of the Detroit chapter of Alpha
Omega, visited the School as part of the organization’s centennial celebration.
“The time we spent visiting with you privately, viewing the spectacular
video on the School, and touring the School, left everyone with an outstanding
feeling of warmth and keenly aware of the dedication and devotion you have to
our profession,” Sonne wrote in a message to Polverini. “Even more obvious,”
he added, “is the professionalism displayed by those involved with educating
our future dental professionals.”

DentalUM Fall 2007

78
 D E N T I S T RY

Staff Employees Honored, Lauded

Recognized for their 10 years of service were (left to right):
• Thalia Jaimez, Office of Development and Alumni Relations
• Wanda Modica, Patient Services
• Amy Jackson, Clinical Billing Office
• Nancy Damberg, Cariology, Restorative Sciences, and Endodontics
• Mary Zizza, Periodontics and Oral Medicine
Not picturedandalsorecognizedfor 10yearsof servicewere: Traci Cooper, Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgery & Hospital Dentistry; Juan Johnson, Patient Services; Michelle Krebs,
Financial Services; Maureen O’Reilly, Patient Services; and Teresa Patterson, Patient Services.
20 Year Award recipients included (left to right):
• Deborah Keedy, Biologic and Materials Sciences
• Gail Baumgarten, Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry
• Richard Fetchiet, External Relations and Continuing Dental Education
• Sythinia Pryor, Human Resources
• Randall Ainley, Patient Services
• Ann Somppi, Patient Services
Not pictured, but also recognized were Michelle Jones, Continuing Education;
andRui-FengWang, Prosthodontics.

DeanPeter Polverini
congratulatedJon
Sniderman, with
theOfficeof Patient
Services, for his40
yearsof serviceto
U-M,including33
at theSchool of
Dentistry.

30 Year Award recipients were (left to right):

• John Squires, Dental Informatics
• Nancy Kooperman, Endodontics
• Valerie Etchison, Patient Services

DentalUM Fall 2007

79
 A LU M N I
News
Howard Golan (DDS 1998) of Hyde
Park, New York, said he has graduated
from Concord Law School and passed
the California bar examination this
spring. He was also appointed chief of
laser dentistry at North Shore University
Hospital in Manhasset, New York, and is
a faculty member at Biolase University
training dentists in laser-assisted
dentistry.
Ray Sanai (DDS
1992) of Highland
Park, Illinois,
recently became a
Diplomate of the
American Board of
Periodontology. After
completing his oral and maxillofacial
surgery internship at Northwestern
University, he opened two general
practices in the Chicago area and also
taught at the University of Illinois-
Chicago (UIC) dental college until 2003.
He entered the UIC periodontal program
and passed the NERB periodontics
examination in 2005. His wife, Nina,
is a dentist.
Elizabeth (Betsy)
Bakeman (DDS
1983) of Grand
Rapids, Michigan,
has achieved
Fellowship status
in the American
Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. She’s
the first dentist in Michigan to have
attained the designation, the group’s
highest level of clinical achievement.
Only 40 others worldwide have achieved
the designation.
80
Joanne Dawley
(DDS 1980) of
Northville, Michigan,
was recently elected
president-elect of
the Michigan Dental
Association during
the organization’s annual meeting in
Detroit. She was elected to the 5,800
member group’s Board of Trustees in
2001 and served three years as secretary
and one year as vice president before
becoming president-elect. She also serves
on the MDA’s executive committee. A past
president of the Detroit District Dental
Society and member of the ADA and
delegate to the ADA’s House of Delegates,
Dawley is a fellow of the Academy of
General Dentistry, the American College
of Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry
International, and the International
College of Dentists.
Alita Marlowe
(DH certificate 1980),
of Farmington Hills,
Michigan, recently
received a consulting
contract with
Ameriprise Financial
Advisory in Farmington Hills. She is
president of Marlowe & Associates, a
consulting firm she founded that works
with dentists and their staff to increase
their efficiency and profitability.
Since he retired about two years ago,
George Missias (DDS 1965) of Ocean
View, Hawaii, said he’s enjoying living
in a rural part of the state “on two acres
of land with trees and lava.”
George Goodis
(DDS 1964) of Grosse
P o i n t e Wo o d s ,
Michigan, was one
of four members
of the American
Association of
Endodontists appointed to the
organization’s Board of Directors in
April. Founded in 1943, the organization
represents more than 6,900 members
worldwide, including approximately
95 percent of all eligible endodontists in
the U.S. Goodis, speaker at the School
of Dentistry’s White Coat ceremony in
the fall of 2004, represents AAE District
IV, which includes Michigan, Illinois,
Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia,
and Wisconsin.
He also was the first recipient of
the organization’s Lifetime Spirit of
Service Award bestowed earlier this
year. Goodis, who has held numerous
positions with the ADA and the Michigan
Dental Association, is chair of the AAE’s
continuing education committee.
Verne P rimack (DDS 1956) of
Greenwood Village, Colorado, wrote
to say he’s keeping busy in his new
environment. In addition to teaching
adults how to read, he’s been a court-
appointed advocate for abused children,
and teaches immigrants how to study
for and pass their citizenship exam. He
also participates in children’s Dental
Health Week by visiting schools in the
area and teaching good dental health
habits. “I enjoy traveling, cycling, and
being with my family,” he added.
DentalUM Fall 2007

Jack Bates (DDS
1941) [DentalUM,
Fall 2001, p. 20-25]
and his wife, Janet,
recently moved to a
retirement home in
Grand Rapids. “I’m
keeping the computer humming with
my e-mails and the work I do here,”
he wrote. “I suggested, and received
approval, to write the many stories
that people here were anxious to tell
me about events during their early
days. They publish five in their monthly
newsletter, and I have enough to get
published into the fall.”
He continued, “As an extra, I
suggested they start a pictorial directory,
and guess who is chairman of that? I’ve
done six of them for various churches,
so I know the ropes.”
“I’m still keeping track of my
Class of ’41 and not happy that the
count is continually diminishing. One
classmate, at 92, is still playing bridge,
plays golf, and drives a car. He should
outlast the rest of us.”
In addition to writing the newsletter,
he also wrote, “I’m still doing nearly a
quarter mile a day jog every morning
as I have been doing for the past sixty
years. Gotta keep the rust out of my
pipes. In July, I hit the big 9-0.”
DentalUM Fall 2007
A LU M N I
In Memoriam
’36 Dr. Leo O. Beldo
Marquette, Michigan
April 26, 2007
’40 Dr. Robert Glaesner
Stuart, Florida
May 7, 2007
’48 Dr. Thomas S. Bander
Dr. Thomas S. Bander, whose dental
career spanned more than 50 years
and served as a mentor to his son,
Samuel (DDS 1981), died July 21,
2007, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He
was 83. During his career, Bander
served as president of the Kent
County Dental Society and the West
Michigan Dental Society.
’50 Roslyn Tamler
(Dental Hygiene certificate)
Los Angeles
April 29, 2007
’51 Dr. Paul T. DeWitt
Delta Township, Michigan
August 18, 2007
Dr. Winfield Scott, Jr.
DDS 1981, MS 1985
Dr. Winfield Scott, Jr., who earned
four degrees from the University of
Michigan, died July 15, 2007. He was
55. After receiving both a bachelor’s
degree in zoology and a master’s in
biology in 1977, he earned his DDS
from U-M in 1981. Four years later,
Dr. Scott received a master’s degree in
orthodontics from U-M.
81
 A LU M N I
In Memoriam
Dr. Thomas M. Graber (1917-2007)
Internationally renowned orthodontics
researcher and clinician, Dr. Thomas
M. Graber, who was the only person
from the U-M School of Dentistry to
receive an honorary degree from the
University of Michigan, died at the age
of 90 on June 26.
Dr. Graber’s affiliation with the
U-M School of Dentistry began in 1958 when he was asked
by Dr. Robert E. Moyers, then chair of the Department of
Orthodontics, to serve as a visiting faculty member.
He served as a visiting faculty member under two
successive chairs, including Dr. Lysle Johnston, Jr.
For nearly 20 years, Dr. Graber was a participant in
the annual Moyers Symposium, sponsored jointly by the
School of Dentistry and the Center for Human Growth and
Development, which he helped found, and the School of
Dentistry.
In 1994, he delivered the Jarabak Lecture, one of the
School’s most prestigious named lectures. In December of
that year, he received an honorary Doctor of Science degree
at the University’s Winter Commencement ceremonies.
In 1995, Dr. Graber formalized a $1.2 million commitment
to the School of Dentistry to fund the Thomas M. Graber
Professorship in Orthodontics. Dr. James McNamara holds
that professorship.
When he made the gift to fund the professorship in his
name, Dr. Graber, in an interview in the Summer/Fall 1995
issue of the School of Dentistry’s alumni magazine, DentalUM,
said, “I’m not trying to leave a monument in my name. …
Despite the fact that I’m affiliated with the University of
Illinois, I consider Michigan’s Department of Orthodontics to
be the best in the country. …Very few schools in the entire
country can say they have people the caliber of Lysle Johnston
and Jim McNamara.”
McNamara, the Thomas M. and Doris Graber Endowed
Professor of Dentistry, said, “Tom was a tireless worker, a
personal friend, and a great role model for all of us. We’ll
miss him.”
82
Keary Campbell (1952-2007)
School of Dentistr y
photographer for 32
years, Keary Campbell,
died on his way to work
May 8. He was 55.
Born in Detroit,
he lived and attended
college in San Francisco,
and later returned to southeast Michigan to
study biology at the University of Michigan.
He excelled as a darkroom technician and
later was involved extensively in scientific
photography.
“I feel like I’ve lost a brother, rather than a
coworker,” said Per Kjeldsen, who worked with
Campbell for more than 30 years. “He was an
excellent technician, and a perfectionist to boot.
But he was also a quick study, and it didn’t take
him long to bring the same perfectionism from
the darkroom (before digital photography) to
the clinic.”
Aside from a passion for photography,
Kjeldsen said “we shared a multitude of tastes
and interests. It was a good thing, too, because
he liked a steady diet of Bach, Debussy, and
Shostakovich, and he liked it loud.”
Jerry Mastey, editor, who worked with
Campbell on many occasions, said, “Keary had
a great work ethic. He knew what I was hoping
to achieve with photos, yet he was flexible and
always on the lookout for a different angle
that would make a picture pop. His photo
composition was outstanding, especially his
marvelous full-page photos that appeared in
our annual report about the Dental Scholars
program. Those were probably his best that I
had ever seen.”
DentalUM Fall 2007
 A LU M N I

The School of Dentistry on the Web…

www.dent.umich.edu
Be sure to visit the U-M School of Dentistry Web site to learn more
about news and events taking place.

When you click “more news” on the homepage, you have an

opportunity to review other news and publications that will be of
interest.

DentalUM Fall 2007

83
 What’s New with You?
Your Classmates Want to Know! Please
clip
and
Send news about your latest personal or professional achievement, award, or honor, mail
along with a picture (black and white or color) to: Jerry Mastey, editor DentalUM,
University of Michigan, School of Dentistry, 1011 N. University Avenue, Room G532,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1078.

Name ___________________________________________________________________

Address __________________________________________________________________

City ________________________________ State ______ Zip Code __________________

Telephone __________________________Fax (if available) ___________________________

e-mail __________________________________________________________________

Can we use your email address in our publications? ____ Yes ____ No

Is this an address change? ____ Yes ____ No

What type of address change? ____ Home ____ Office

(Please list only University of Michigan degrees and the year earned.)
DDS ________
DH Certificate ________
BS ________
MS ________
PhD ________
Specialization __________________________________________________________

News: ___________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Get Involved!
_____ I would like to help plan my next reunion.
_____ I would like to be considered for the Alumni Society Board of Governors.

DentalUM Spring
DentalUM
& Summer
Fall 2007
8484
84

Mark Your Calendar:
Upcoming Continuing Dental Education Courses
December 7, 2007 (Friday)
Evidence-Based Dentistry and Dental Practice
This coursewill defineandcritiquetheconcept of “evidence-baseddentistry.”
Aprotocol for practicingevidence-baseddentistry (EBD) will bedescribedand
howit canbeusedtoprovideinformationtopatients. Thecoursewill focus on
theprocess of conductingevidence-basedpractice, howtoprevent theabuseof
EBDina clinical practice, sources of critical information, thenewADANational
Library of Medicineproject, andhowpractitioners caninteract toprovide
feedback andask questions onbest evidencefor clinical care.
Location: U-MSchool of Dentistry, AnnArbor
January 25, 2008 (Friday)
Innovative Strategies for the Prevention, Early Detection, and
Treatment of Oral Cancer
Inthis course, DeanPeter Polverini will present themost current information
about thecauses of oral cancer, describenewchairsidemethods torapidly
detect premalignant oral lesions, anddiscuss someexcitingnewstrategies
designedtoprevent recurrent oral cancer. Thedevelopment of somenew
therapies for this diseasewill alsobediscussed.
Location: U-MSchool of Dentistry, AnnArbor
March 28, 2008 (Friday)
Dialogues in Orthodontics: Mini-Pins and Mini-Plates as Skeletal
Anchorage
Dr. Axel BumannandDr. HugoDeClerck, whowerewell receivedat the
School of Dentistry’s Moyers Symposiumearlier this year andspokeabout
microimplants as temporary anchorageinorthodontics, arereturningtoAnn
Arbor topresent their material ingreater detail.
Dr. Bumannwill focus onthefundamentals of mini-pinanchorageinthe
correctionof a variety of malocclusiontypes, discussingsiteselectionand
theuseof self-tappingvs. self-drillingscrews. Dr. DeClerck will focus onthe
useof modifiedmini-plates for skeletal anchorage, includingthedetails of
orthodonticandsurgical management.
Location: TheMichiganLeague, U-MCentral Campus, AnnArbor
Jerry Mastey
Student Athletes Fitted for
Free Mouth Guards
Nine-year-old Alex Herrero of Ann Arbor, who plays for
his school’s soccer team, the Leopards, will be using his
new blue mouth guard this season. He was among 50
student athletes from across southeast Michigan who
came to the School’s annual mouth guard clinic in July
to be fitted for the free, customized protective piece of
equipment. Dr. Kenneth May made sure the mouth guard
For more information about fitted properly before Alex left.
these and other continuing
dental education courses
contact:
University of Michigan
School of Dentistry Jerry Mastey
Office of Continuing
Dental Education Books For Armenia
1011 N. University Avenue
Room G508 More than 1,160 boxes containing 22,514 items, mostly
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1078 academic journals and some texts, were stacked in two
www.dent.umich.edu.
hallways on the ground floor of the Kellogg Building this
summer. The publications were donated to the National
Institute of Health of Armenia. Nearly all were duplicates,
a subset of items that were given to the dentistry library in
recent years. Also included were some volumes no longer
needed.
Preparing the items for donation took nine months.
Whitney Field, operations coordinator for U-M’s Health
Sciences Libraries, said,“Dr. Robert Bagramian played a
crucial role in ensuring this material could be donated to an
institution that could make good use of them.”
Noting that Armenia, a small country of about 3million
is attempting to modernize, Bagramian, a professor of
dentistry, said, “ The contribution of books and journals will
make available a wealth of materials for academic health
institutions in Armenia.”