Kenneth Berg, D.M.D., assistant professor of operative dentistry (left) and Peter Morita, D.M.D., associate dean for patient services, help guide the dental students in the “Steel” group practice, for which Dr. Morita is group leader.

The first clinics under the School of Dentistry’s new integrated group practice structure have gone exceptionally well, thanks to the positive approach and commitment to education and patient care exhibited by dental students, faculty, and staff.

“We are fortunate to have such an accomplished and dedicated group of people at the school,” said Denice Stewart, D.D.S., M.H.S.A., associate dean for clinical affairs.

Dental students, staff, and faculty officially began serving patients within an integrated group practice structure on Sept. 24, the start of the fall term.

“This is one of those memorable times,” said School of Dentistry Dean Jack Clinton, D.M.D. “The way dentistry has been taught since 1946 hasn’t changed significantly, particularly our clinical enterprise. I am absolutely convinced that we’re going to be changing for the better from this day forward.”

The group practice dental experience is a major goal of an intensive two-year Strategic Change planning process charged with reviewing and revising the School of Dentistry curriculum. The School of Dentistry’s Strategic Change committee was led by Jack Ferracane, Ph.D., chair of restorative dentistry.

“Those of us who worked on the strategic change plan are really excited about the curriculum changes,” said Dr. Ferracane. “Nationally, there are calls for change in the way dental students are taught. Being ahead of the curve, rather than having curriculum changes dictated, means that we’re changing for the right reasons.”

During the Strategic Change planning process, OHSU School of Dentistry faculty visited such dental schools as the University of Colorado School of Dentistry and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) to gain ideas for the group practice structure.   Several other schools provided insight via telephone interviews.

“Not only did we look at other programs to enhance our group practices,
but we hope to utilize their experiences in planning for our new building,” said Peter Morita, D.M.D., associate dean for patient services, referring to the School of Dentistry’s planned new building on South Waterfront slated for approximately 2012.

The goal of the integrated group practice structure is to enhance interaction among students, faculty, staff and patients, says Dr. Stewart.  Patients will identify not only with their assigned student dentist, she says, but with the faculty and staff, as well.  At a recent presentation on how OHSU implemented the group practices to the Business, Finance and Clinic Administration Section of the American Dental Education Association by Dr. Stewart there was a great deal of interest from other schools in learning from OHSU’s approach.

In the past months, dental students, staff, and faculty were distributed into six group practices. Each group practice was assigned a faculty group leader, faculty from both clinical disciplines and basic sciences and associated support staff.  Each group practice includes a ‘care coordinator’ to help schedule patients and monitor care, a dental team educator to teach dental auxiliary utilization.  First- and second-year students participate in patient care appropriate to their skill level in the practice. Activities such as patient screening and admission which formerly took place in a separate clinic have been integrated into the group to establish the relationship of the patient and the practice from the first visit.

Modifications to the School of Dentistry’s patient clinic—faculty and staff workstations in the new groups and admitting clinic reorganization--were made over the summer to facilitate the group practice structure.

Each group practice is named after a Portland-area bridge:  Broadway, Fremont, Hawthorne, Sellwood, St. Johns, and Steel.

The groups have daily team meetings and monthly group seminars. Group leaders monitor student progress and performance, manage patient distribution to students based on need and experience, provide clinical oversight of patient care, serve as role models, and approve treatment plans.

The current faculty group leaders are:

Frank Stroud, D.D.S., assistant professor of operative dentistry (Broadway); Rose McPharlin, D.D.S., assistant professor of operative dentistry (Fremont); Eric Anderson, D.M.D., assistant professor of prosthodontics and Carolyn Harakal, D.D.S., assistant professor of prosthodontics (Hawthorne); Lynn Whitley, D.M.D., assistant professor of operative dentistry (Sellwood); Stacy Lomeli, D.D.S., assistant professor of restorative dentistry (St. Johns); and Peter Morita, D.M.D., associate dean for patient services (Steel).

Group leaders were selected for their energy, experiences, awareness of the OHSU culture, and vision for the School of Dentistry, says Dr. Stewart. All group leaders were active volunteers in the school’s strategic change planning process.

“I’m pumped,” said Dean Clinton. “These changes are really exciting!”

PORTLAND, Ore. —OHSU School of Dentistry (www.ohsu.edu/sod) announces the following new appointments and awards:

*Kevin Arce, D.M.D., M.D., has joined the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial surgery as an assistant professor. Prior to joining OHSU School of Dentistry, Arce was an associate oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Facial and Oral Surgery Associates in Forth Worth, Texas, and a clinical instructor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at John Peter Smith Hospital in Forth Worth. Previously, Arce completed a fellowship in head and neck surgery at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland and was an associate oral and maxillofacial surgeon at a private practice in Salem, Ore. Arce received his medical degree from the Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minn., and his doctor of dental medicine at Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia, Penn., where he graduated with honors (Omicron Kappa Upsilon). Arce’s research interests are in diagnosing and treating oral cancers and assessing the impact of cancer therapy on oral health. He speaks fluent Spanish.

*Howard Freedman, D.D.S., P.C., has joined the Department of Orthodontics as an adjunct assistant professor. Freedman is in private practice in Canby, Ore. He received his certificate in orthodontics from the University of California, San Francisco, and his doctor of dental surgery from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he graduated cum laude.

*Michael Plunkett, D.D.S., M.P.H., has joined the Department of Community Dentistry as an assistant professor. Plunkett is a clinical dentist with Willamette Dental Group in Portland, Ore. Prior to moving to Oregon in April 2007, Plunkett was a clinical dentist at the Cabot Westside Health Center in Kansas City, Mo. He received his master’s in public health from the University of Kansas School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in Kansas City, Kansas, and his doctor of dental surgery from the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Dentistry in Kansas City, Mo.

*The School of Dentistry recently received a $50,000 community benefit grant from Kaiser Permanente. The grant will support OHSU’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry, enhancing programs for comprehensive dental care for children, particularly those from low-income families who receive care in the school’s Dr. and Mrs. Carl Rietman Pediatric Dental Clinic.

*The School of Dentistry’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry recently received a $15,000 grant from Tom’s of Maine. The grant is for purchasing new dental equipment in the Dr. and Mrs. Carl Rietman Pediatric Dental Clinic.

The Beaverton Rotary Club celebrates a 10-year partnership with the OHSU School of Dentistry, providing care to hundreds of uninsured children annually

PORTLAND, Ore. — Diego Trujillo, 8, is happy to see his dentist. The William Walker Elementary School soon-to-be third-grader has visited the OHSU School of Dentistry’s Dr. and Mrs. Carl Rietman Pediatric Dentistry Clinic about 10 times since the beginning of the year, thanks to the Beaverton Rotary Club, and he considers himself an old hand at being a dental patient.  In early May, Diego had a space maintainer removed and replaced to keep his molars from moving while new teeth grow in.

Fourth-year dental student Erica Kelly (left) cares for Diego Trujillo, 8, in the School of Dentistry's Dr. and Mrs. Carl Rietman Pediatric Dentistry Clinic.

“I like coming,” said Diego. “They make my teeth feel good.”

Like 95 percent of children seen at the OHSU School of Dentistry through the Beaverton Rotary Club, Diego’s parents are migrant farm workers and have no health insurance. Without the free oral health care provided by Beaverton Rotary, in partnership with OHSU, Diego wouldn’t have regular access to oral care, and with a growing mouth, he would almost certainly be faced with overcrowding, tooth decay and, consequently, poor overall health into adulthood.

“Our oral health program through Beaverton Rotary is so important,” said Prashant Gagneja, D.D.S., chairman of pediatric dentistry. “By preventing dental problems now, children have a much better chance of maintaining good health and being successful in school, which later serves them well as adults.”

The Beaverton Rotary Club began its Dental Check/Dental Aid Program in September 1997. Two dentists — OHSU School of Dentistry alumus Jon Goodwin, D.M.D., and Carl Voorhies, D.D.S., -- initiated the program after seeing so many Beaverton-area young people in their private practices with dental pain and poor dental health. Goodwin and Voorhies suggested to their fellow Rotary Club members that providing funds for low-income, uninsured children to see a dentist would be a good community service project.

Since then, about 2,670 children have received dental screenings by volunteer dental professionals and 702 children have received needed dental treatment, a $242,453 value — about $345 per child.

Children who receive free and reduced-fee school lunches and permission from their parents are eligible for the Dental Check/Dental Aid Program and are screened at four Beaverton, Ore., elementary schools by volunteer dental professionals through Northwest Medical Teams. Participating schools include Barnes, Vose, Beaver Acres and William Walker elementaries.

Each child screened receives instruction in proper dental hygiene, a toothbrush, toothpaste and a dental mirror. A dental chart is prepared for each child to reflect any dental problems. Some children who do not have dental problems receive decay-preventing tooth sealants that same day. Children with more complicated dental needs, like cavities or tooth decay, are scheduled for care at the OHSU School of Dentistry.

The children who receive care at the OHSU School of Dentistry often have no means of transportation and are brought to the dental school by the Red Cross and a school nurse. Each child is assigned to a student dentist (who is overseen by a pediatric dentistry resident and faculty pediatric dentists) and continue to see the same student dentist until the student dentist either graduates or the child’s dental care is finished.

“I really enjoy working in the pediatric dentistry clinic,” said Erica Kelly, a fourth-year OHSU dental student who helped Diego in May. “It’s a lot of fun and there is always something new to learn. The kids are great and I enjoy the challenge of trying to make going to the dentists a fun event. The Beaverton Rotary Club children are especially great to work with.”

“This is a very rewarding program with which to be involved,” said Leroy Bentley, a retired businessman and Beaverton Rotary Club member who coordinates the Dental Check/Dental Aid Program. “The teachers have told us that the children are missing less school because their oral health needs are met. Helping young people become successful adults is a great feeling and the program also benefits student dentists and pediatric residents who are learning how to care for children.” 

The Beaverton Rotary Club pays for the project through grants from the City of Beaverton’s Social Services Fund, The Oregon Dental Foundation, The Northwest Health Foundation, The Juan Young Trust, The Beaverton Rotary Foundation, American Dental Foundation, the Morgan Stanley Foundation, the Spirit Mountain Community Fund, and the Oregon Community Foundation, among others. All funds received are used to provide dental care for the children, said Bentley.

Between July 1, 2005, and June 30, 2006, 1,590 children were treated at the School of Dentistry’s Dr. and Mrs. Carl Rietman Pediatric Dentistry Clinic. About 20 percent of pediatric dentistry patients are referred from the Beaverton Rotary Club.

“We greatly value our partnership with the Beaverton Rotary Club,” said Gagneja. “It is heartwarming to see a community really step up to the plate and take action to make a difference for children. This is a perfect example of how a simple initiative by adults can go a long way in helping children succeed.”

A summer study at Oregon Health & Science University explores dental professionals' hearing and ear protection habits to document the prevalence of hearing loss.

PORTLAND, Ore. -After 36 years in private dental practice, Fred Kreutzer, D.M.D., began struggling to hear. It's been five years since he retired from his practice and Kreutzer now wears hearing aids in both ears. Although he has a family history of hearing loss, he believes the high-speed tools he worked with eight hours a day for so many years may have played a role in his hearing troubles. "I think if you listen to any high-pitched noise for any length of time, it will get to you eventually," said Kreutzer, an assistant professor in operative dentistry at the OHSU School of Dentistry (www.ohsu.edu/sod). "But in my case, with a family history of hearing loss, it may be hereditary, as well."

Whether high-speed dental tools contribute to long-term hearing loss is the subject of a study currently under way in the OHSU Tinnitus Clinic and the School of Dentistry. According to Robert Folmer, Ph.D., one of the study leaders, published research is mixed about whether high-speed dental tools contribute to noise-induced hearing loss over time.

"Over the years, we have seen dentists in the OHSU Tinnitus Clinic who were convinced that long-term exposure to sound from high-speed hand pieces contributed to their high-frequency hearing loss and tinnitus," said Folmer. "These anecdotes, in combination with the research being divided about high-speed hand pieces playing a role in hearing loss, prompted our study. We hope the study is a good first step toward scientific evidence behind the anecdotes we've been hearing." Fulmer is associate professor of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery, School of Medicine, and chief of clinical services at the OHSU Tinnitus Clinic, Oregon Hearing Research Center.

Tinnitus, or ringing of the ears, can be constant or intermittent and can include buzzing, hissing or sizzling sounds. Many people experience momentary tinnitus, a high-pitched tone that lasts up to 30 seconds. Acute tinnitus, however, can last days or weeks and is most commonly caused by exposure to loud noise such as music at a rock concert, power tools or gunfire. The subsequent ringing indicates damage to the tiny hair-like structures within the inner ear and if exposure to loud  noise continues, permanent hearing loss is likely.

Most of the current high-speed hand pieces, such as high-speed drills and scalers used by dental professionals, are between 90 to 100 decibels, says Folmer. That's the equivalent of a gas lawnmower or other power tools, which are loud enough to cause hearing loss over time. And hand pieces have actually gotten "quieter" over the years with the advent of modern technologies. However, very few dental professionals or students interviewed for the study so far, wear earplugs to protect themselves from this noise. None of the 54 dental schools nationally are known to require dental students to wear ear protection while treating patients.

School of Dentistry Dean Jack Clinton, D.M.D., welcomed Folmer's study. "Any research that can help us keep students healthy and safe is a top priority," said Clinton. "We hope just the fact that the study is being done will continue to help raise awareness within the dental school about the possible hearing loss from high-speed dental instruments so dental professionals can make good decisions as they go through their careers."

Folmer is conducting his research this summer with Clackamas High School senior April Kaelin, a student he is mentoring through Portland State University's Apprenticeships in Science and Engineering (ASE) program. Folmer and April are investigating noise-induced hearing loss by conducting hearing tests with a portable audiometer, examining ear canals with an otoscope and asking participants to answer questions about occupational and recreational noise exposure. They also have measured the sound levels of different hand pieces while they're used on patients.

"We want to compare the hearing tests of dentists, dental assistants, and dental hygienists to those of dental students and people of comparable age in other professions," said Folmer. "We also want to examine whether there's a correlation between hearing thresholds and the amount of time that dental professionals are exposed to loud devices at work. And if dental professionals exhibit evidence of noise-induced hearing loss, can it be correlated with occupational or recreational noise exposure? Our hypothesis is that if dental professionals utilize hearing protective devices, they will exhibit less noise-induced hearing loss than dental professionals who do not protect their ears."

Charles (Mark) Malloy, D.M.D., M.S., assistant professor of prosthodontics at the OHSU School of Dentistry, wore ear protection for most of his 21 years of dentistry in the military. "Hearing loss from high-speed hand pieces has been a suggestion in dentistry for as long as I can remember," said Malloy. "My dad was a dentist so I grew up around dentists and there were a lot of them that couldn't hear. It sounds reasonable to me that high-speed hand pieces may contribute to long-term hearing loss." Malloy said he stopped wearing ear protection a decade ago when he joined the School of Dentistry and began seeing patients only one day a week, but the study is making him consider using ear protection again. "Ears are pretty nice!" said Malloy, with a chuckle.

Rita Patterson, D.M.D., an assistant professor of prosthodontics who introduces the hand pieces to first-year students, also is interested in the study. "We tell the students that they can wear earplugs, which are supplied to students as a standard part of their dental equipment. There are times during the course that I teach that we have 75 high-speed hand pieces running at the same time [there are 75 dental students] for more than two hours at a time. Many instructors, including myself, wonder if we have had some hearing loss from the exposure."

So far, about 40 School of Dentistry professionals and students have had their hearing tested and more data is needed before any conclusions can be drawn.

As part of the ASE program, April will present her research August 19 at a PSU symposium.

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry announces the following new appointments and awards: 

* Robert Johnson, D.M.D., has been appointed interim head of the community dentistry department at OHSU School of Dentistry. In this role, Johnson will oversee the day-to-day operations of the school's North Russell Street Clinic, a 30-year-old clinic for the underserved. He replaces David Rosenstein, D.M.D., the original community dentistry department head and founder of Russell Street Clinic, who is retiring. Johnson graduated from the School of Dentistry in 1977. After graduation, he opened a private practice in general dentistry and in 1990 he began volunteering twice a week at Russell Street. Three years after he began volunteering at Russell Street, Johnson sold his practice and began treating patients there full time. A longtime advocate of the underserved, Johnson is immediate past president of Neighborhood House, a social services agency for Southwest Portland-area children, families and seniors. Johnson also is a member of the Oregon Oral Health Advisory Board, chairman of the planning committee for the HIV Planning Council, and a member of the Oregon Dental Association's Access to Care Committee.  

* Weston Heringer Jr., D.M.D., OHSU School of Dentistry's pediatric dentistry residency program director, recently was appointed to the Oregon State Senate Commission on Health Care Access and Affordability, a new bipartisan panel of legislators, business leaders, community leaders and health care experts charged with recommending ways for the Legislature to cut costs and provide more access to health care. Heringer is one of 16 non-legislative members on the new commission. He is currently the Oregon Dental Association president and is in private dental practice with his son in Salem, Ore.

 * Agnieszka Balkowiec, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of integrative biosciences, Michael Danilchik, Ph.D., professor of integrative biosciences, and John Mitchell, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomaterials and biomechanics, each recently received a $14,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The grant, through the Murdock Trust's Partners in Science Program, will enable Balkowiec, Danilchik and Mitchell to host local science teachers in their respective labs for two summers. Balkowiec will host Central Catholic High School's Elizabeth Pino, Danilchik will host Beth Deal from the School of Science and Technology at Merlo Station (Beaverton), and Mitchell will host Reynolds High School's Amy Rudich. The high school teachers will conduct research for three months during 2006 and 2007, as well as travel to scientific meetings. Balkowiec studies a group of molecules known as neurotrophins to determine their role in the part of the nervous system that controls the heart and blood vessels. Such research may shed light on how the nerve supply to the cardiovascular system is established during development, which could someday help scientists better understand cardiorespiratory development disorders such as sudden infant death syndrome. Danilchik studies a network of cytoplasmic protein filaments (the cytoskeleton), which all cells use to regulate dynamic cell behaviors. The large and rapidly developing cells of frog embryos provide a particularly useful research model for studying the cytoskeleton's role in important cellular movements like cell division. Mitchell's research examines the interaction of materials and tissues at the microscopic level. In particular, the Murdock collaboration will focus on the development of a novel tooth desensitizing agent which may serve to permanently alleviate dental hypersensitivity, a problem that plagues up to 35 percent of the United States population.

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry announces the following awards:

Prashant Gagneja, D.D.S., chairman of the OHSU School of Dentistry's pediatric dentistry department, recently was named one of the Portland Business Journal's Forty Under 40 Award winners. The Forty Under 40 Awards recognize 40 of the most successful and civic-minded businesspeople in Portland younger than 40. Gagneja, 35, will be profiled in the April 13 Business Journal and will receive an award that evening. He is the youngest person to lead a department at Oregon Health & Science University. Gagneja became chairman of pediatric dentistry in late 2004 (at the age of 34), after serving as interim chairman for nearly a year. He joined OHSU in 2003 and was instrumental in helping to kick off the School of Dentistry's long-awaited new pediatric dental clinic, the Dr. and Mrs. Carl Rietman Pediatric Dental Clinic, which now sees a record number of patients. Gagneja played a large role in reviving the dental school's pediatric dentistry residency program, which closed in 1994 due to state budget cuts. He also has been active in promoting oral health care within the community and is a proponent of early childhood tooth decay prevention programs, focusing on prenatal care and the role of mothers and caregivers in preventing childhood tooth decay. For the past three years, he has organized the School of Dentistry's participation in Give Kids a Smile day, a one-day event in which OHSU dentists along with local dental societies and dentists collaborate to provide oral health screenings and comprehensive treatment to hundreds of uninsured Portland-area, school-aged children who do not have access to dental care. He also coordinated the School of Dentistry's Celebration of Smiles 2006, a one-day event to help children learn how to better care for their teeth. Prior to joining the School of Dentistry, Gagneja was associate professor of pediatric dentistry at the Sri Guru Ram Dass Institute of Dental Sciences and Research in Amritsar, PB, India.

Kelly Bradley, a second-year dental student in the School of Dentistry, is the 2006 recipient of the American Dental Education Association/Listerine Preventive Dentistry Scholarship. Bradley will pick up her award at the ADEA meeting in Orlando this March. ADEA/Listerine awards 12 scholarships nationally to predoctoral students with superior academic records who are strongly interested in preventive dentistry. Each winner receives $2,500 for tuition and fees.

Anonymous gift is the largest cash donation in the dental school's history

PORTLAND, Ore. - The OHSU School of Dentistry has received $2 million from an anonymous donor. The gift, from a prominent Portland-area businessman, is the largest cash donation in the 105-year-old dental school's history.

"We are so grateful to our anonymous benefactor for graciously writing the kind of check that will help us continue in our strategic direction of building a caring, committed and excellent dental school community," said School of Dentistry Dean Jack Clinton, D.M.D. "That our donor is not a dentist or an alum really speaks volumes about his sincerity in seeking worthy local educational programs to support."

The $2 million unrestricted gift supports the Dean's Fund for Excellence, a School of Dentistry discretionary account that provides the dean flexibility to respond quickly to changes in the academic environment and help the school take advantage of unexpected opportunities for growth. Although Dean Clinton does not yet know how the gift will be used, "there is huge opportunity for us to invest in new initiatives that would form the foundation for our continued distinction as a premier dental school," he said.

The $2 million gift also will push the School of Dentistry beyond its $14 million Oregon Opportunity goal. The Oregon Opportunity campaign, which began in March 2000, is a statewide public-private partnership designed to make Oregon a leader in biomedical research and to support key projects and priorities. The $500 million effort is being funded by an innovative combination of public and private dollars: $200 million in public funding through a voter-approved bond initiative and $300 million generated through private donations.

"I never imagined five years ago when we started the campaign that we would not only meet our $14 million goal, but surpass it with time to spare," said Rick Wilson, D.D.S., chairman of the School of Dentistry Fundraising Council. "This is a very exciting time for OHSU and I am proud the dental school was able to raise more than its share of the Oregon Opportunity goal to help the university and dental school continue to grow."

The $2 million gift comes at a critical time for the OHSU School of Dentistry. "With state funding at a low, philanthropy is extremely important to our success," said Dean Clinton. "Breaking fund-raising records is great, but we will need to continue surpassing our records for many years to come if we are to be a truly healthy educational institution."

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry announces the following appointments and awards:

Cynthia L. Kleinegger, D.D.S., M.S., recently joined the Department of Pathology and Radiology as an associate professor. Prior to joining OHSU, Kleinegger was on faculty at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry for nine years. Most recently, she was an associate professor and directed the graduate education programs and the sterilization monitoring program in the University of Iowa College of Dentistry's Department of Oral Pathology, Radiology and Medicine. Kleinegger also has served as assistant professor in the Department of Diagnostic Services at the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry and a clinical instructor at the University of Colorado School of Dentistry. She received her doctorate in dental surgery at the University of Colorado School of Dentistry and her master’s in stomatology and certificate in oral and maxillofacial pathology at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. Her clinical practice involves the diagnosis and management of mucosal diseases, non-odontogenic head and neck pain, and salivary gland dysfunction.

Jill Mason, M.P.H., R.D.H., associate professor of undergraduate periodontology, recently received three appointments: student ambassador for the National Health Service Corps. to recruit and mentor students interested in public health practice; member of the Dental Hygiene National Board Case Selection Committee coordinated by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations; and member of the Oregon Board of Dentistry, a four-year term that she began in April. Mason joined the OHSU faculty in 1989.

Rosemary P. McPharlin, D.D.S., recently joined the Department of Restorative Dentistry as an assistant professor in operative dentistry. McPharlin has been a preclinical instructor in operative dentistry for the past year. Previously, she was a dental care provider at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., and in private practice in California. McPharlin received her doctor of dental surgery from Louisiana State University Medical Center School of Dentistry in New Orleans.

Brett Allen Ueeck, D.M.D., M.D., recently was appointed assistant professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery. After graduating with high honors from the OHSU School of Dentistry, Ueeck completed an internship in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, partly while attending the OHSU School of Medicine. After graduating from medical school in 2003 and completing a general surgery internship there, Ueeck rejoined the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery as a resident. Ueeck is a member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon, Delta Chapter, and in 1999 received the American Association of Oral and Maxilofacial Surgeons Clinical Award, as well as several recent and prestigious School of Medicine scholarships.

The 105-year-old School of Dentistry is Oregon’s only dental school and one of two dental schools in the Northwest. More than 80 percent of Oregon’s dentists graduated from the OHSU School of Dentistry. For more information about the OHSU School of Dentistry, visit www.ohsu.edu/sod

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry announces the following appointments and awards:

Ranier M. Adarve, D.M.D., M.H.P., Ed., has joined the Department of Restorative Dentistry as an assistant professor in prosthodontics. Adarve was most recently a dental fellow, resident and teaching assistant in the graduate prosthodontic department at the University of Minnesota. He received his doctor of dental medicine and a master's in health professions education degrees from the University of the Philippines, as well as a Certificate of Proficiency in prosthodontics and a master's in the science of dentistry degree from the University of Minnesota. He also completed a certificate in multimedia design and development from the University of Minnesota's School of Education. His current interest is developing teaching and learning tools using technology to enhance learning.

Leon A. Assael, D.M.D., interim chairman of oral and maxillofacial surgery, was named the 2005 Harrigan Award Recipient by the William F. Harrigan Society. Harrigan was the founding member of the Bellevue Oral Surgery Alumni Association and director of the Oral Surgery program at Bellevue Hospital, Nassau County Medical Center. The society's focus is to stimulate and advance the science and art of oral and maxillofacial surgery and to elevate the standards of the practice. Assael is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

J. Henry Clarke, D.M.D., recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH). In selecting Clarke, the society representative acknowledged Clarke's decades of contributions as a teacher and committee member and his advocacy of hypnosis as an innovative tool in the field of dentistry. Clarke also recently participated in a book-signing ceremony as one of the authors of The History of Anesthesia in Oregon. Clarke's chapter is titled “Dentists and Anesthesia in Oregon.”

The 105-year-old School of Dentistry is Oregon's only dental school and one of two dental schools in the Northwest. More than 80 percent of Oregon's dentists graduated from the OHSU School of Dentistry. For more information about the OHSU School of Dentistry, visit www.ohsu.edu/sod

Attend the Alumni Reception at the ADA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia,
Saturday, October 8, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., the Philadelphia Marriott.

Call the Alumni Office for details, (503) 494-0983.

Mark your calendar and plan to attend the 2005 Back-To-School Weekend featuring:

The Cantwell Memorial Golf Tournament, Friday, September 16
The Cantwell Memorial Lecture, Saturday, September 17
The Dean's Gold Circle Dinner, Saturday, September 17

Contact the Alumni Office for further details (503) 494-0983

Dental researchers at OHSU will team with their counterparts at the University of Washington to establish a practice-based research network for oral health in Oregon, Washington, Utah, Montana and Idaho, part of a seven-year, $22-million award

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Dental researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and University of Washington (UW) have been awarded one of three, seven-year grants worth $75 million from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health. The OHSU-UW grant, worth $22 million, will enable dental researchers to establish a regional practice-based research network (PBRN) for oral health care in five Western states. The OHSU share of the grant is $2.7 million.

"This is really exciting news," said Jack Ferracane, Ph.D., professor and chairman of restorative dentistry, OHSU School of Dentistry and principal investigator for OHSU (www.ohsu.edu/sod). "Practice-based research networks have been big in medicine for a long time, but not in dentistry. OHSU School of Dentistry has been at the forefront of using this concept in dentistry, having established one of the first PBRN's in the country. With this grant, we will have the opportunity to expand this concept into one of the first regional practice-based research networks for dentistry in the United States. Ultimately, we hope to enhance the practice of dentistry and improve patient care."

Under the new grant, practicing dentists in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Utah, and Idaho, will be able to propose and conduct short-term clinical trials in close collaboration with their network colleagues. An independent NIH panel will select which trials are funded. The University of Washington (http://www.dental.washington.edu) will provide clinical training for the practitioners that are chosen, on such issues as scientific principles in clinical research, data collection, statistical methods, and the ethical conduct of research. Each practice-based regional network will conduct approximately 15 to 20 short-term clinical trials over the next seven years."

The clinical trials proposed could be anything from how many people have sensitive teeth after a certain dental procedure to a comparison of outcomes of several dental treatment options under a range of patient and clinical conditions," said Ferracane. "We'll be looking for clinical trials where the results and data can be collected chair-side or by contacting patients post-procedure, versus studies that require a lot of time-consuming protocols or lab work." The networks also will be involved in anonymous chart reviews, as allowed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, to generate data on disease, treatment trends, and the prevalence of less common oral conditions.

NIH also awarded practice-based research grants to New York University, which will oversee the East Coast network, and to the University of Alabama at Birmingham and University of Florida in Gainesville which will jointly coordinate studies in the South. (For a copy of the NIH press release on regional PBRN grants, go to http://www.nidcr.nih.gov and click on the first link under "Highlights.")

The impetus for regionally-based oral health research networks, according to Lawrence Tabak, Ph.D., director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, is the long-standing lack of high-quality research data to guide treatment decisions in the dentist's office. "This data shortfall has led some dentists and hygienists in some instances to rely on clinical experience alone to guide their treatment decisions, a valuable though inherently empirical approach to dental care."

Added Ferracane, "Research conducted in private practice is more realistic than the typical university research or lab setting. When you're doing research in a real-world environment, you often get information that is more immediately translatable to practitioners and their patients. Creating a research network for clinical trials also will enable us to get a larger sampling of more diverse populations."

Ferracane and colleagues Thomas J. Hilton, D.M.D., M.S., (a co-investigator on the grant) and Theresa Madden, D.D.S., Ph.D., have good experience setting up an oral health practice-based network. Beginning with a grant from 3M Dental and substantial funding from the Oregon Opportunity, the OHSU School of Dentistry in 2003 initiated a practice-based research in oral health (PROH) network in the state, with Hilton as director.

"So far, we've had 100 practitioners in 20 communities express interest in participating in our one-and-a-half-year-old practice-based network for Oregon," said Ferracane. "We have held one training session at our annual conference that was attended by about 45 practitioners. We're now selecting studies for the Oregon practice-based network and we expect to use the experience gained with PROH for the new regional practice-based network that we'll be developing with University of Washington."

Tom Walker, D.M.D., who is in private practice in Beaverton is one Oregon practitioner who has been an active participant in PROH. He says, "I like the concept of conducting research in the same practice setting where most dental care is provided. I have confidence in data obtained in the dental practice because I believe I can extrapolate those results into my own practice. I enjoy participating in practice-based research because it allows me to give back to the profession."

(For more information about OHSU's practice-based research in oral health (PROH), please contact Cindy Gibb Barnes, R.D.H., M.B.A., 503-418-1410, barnesc@ohsu.edu.)

OHSU's new grant is another example of the Dental School's increasing commitment to research. The School of Dentistry currently has more than $5 million in research funding. During the past several years, the School has recruited more than a dozen new fulltime faculty members, most of whom are active in research, and has converted more than 7,500 square feet into research laboratories. A good portion of the School of Dentistry's new building, slated for South Waterfront, also is expected to be dedicated to research.

"We are very pleased to receive this new NIH grant as it will help us continue to play a leadership role in educating Northwest dental professionals. We hope to increase the number of cutting-edge advances in oral health that will help us not only treat patients, but enable dentists throughout the Northwest to provide the very best care," said Jack Clinton, D.M.D., dean, OHSU School of Dentistry. "Continuing education for dental professionals is extremely important and participating in a practice-based regional network is a great way for dentists and dental hygienists to incorporate current dental research and technologies for the benefit of their patients."

The 105-year-old School of Dentistry is the only dental school in Oregon and one of two dental schools in the Northwest. More than 80 percent of Oregon's dentists graduated from the OHSU School of Dentistry.