The Student Research Group’s annual fall competition highlighted the range of questions students are exploring at the CU Anschutz School of Dental Medicine, from denture microbiomes and dental materials to embryology, public health and dental education. Five of the seven presenters participated in the Summer Research Scholarship Program, which gives incoming first-year students an opportunity to immersively participate in research before beginning dental school.
This year’s winners were Nicole Mullen, Sascha Cooney and Peyton Shepard. The winners have opportunities to advance and present their projects at the school and national levels.
Nicole Mullen presented a project exploring the oral microbiome of denture patients and how that information could inform the development of improved 3D-printed denture materials.
The topic connected not only to her previous experience working in a microbiology lab, but also to two of her grandparents who wear partial dentures.
As part of the project, the research team compared bacterial communities in saliva and denture biofilms and studied AHA, an antimicrobial material designed to selectively target harmful bacteria.
Findings showed that saliva and denture surfaces contained significantly different microbial communities. Partial-denture patients also showed approximately twice the bacterial species richness of complete-denture patients. In a laboratory model, AHA selectively reduced S. mutans without causing a major disruption to the broader microbial community.
“As our population ages, more people will rely on dentures,” Mullen said. “Our research could help develop dentures that not only replace missing teeth but also reduce harmful bacterial buildup and support better long-term oral health.”
The research team, including CU Anschutz faculty experts Devatha Nair, PhD, Jeffrey Stansbury, PhD, and Michael Schurr, PhD, plans to continue studying AHA and its potential incorporation into 3D-printed denture materials.
Originally interested in craniofacial development through experience working as a surgical technician in an oral and maxillofacial surgery practice, Sascha Cooney presented a research project examining how the face and jaws form during embryonic development. That experience sparked an interest in how these complex structures develop and what happens when the biological processes guiding their formation are disrupted.
Under the direction of faculty adviser David Clouthier, PhD, Cooney examined Gata3, a gene involved in craniofacial development, and its relationship with BMP signaling, a molecular pathway that helps regulate how tissues and structures form. Specifically, the study examined whether reducing BMP activity could partially correct or “rescue” developmental changes caused by the loss of Gata3. By comparing those changes, the team could learn more about how Gata3 and BMP signaling interact as craniofacial structures develop.
For Cooney, participating in the project provided an opportunity to explore questions about the face and jaws at a molecular level and gain experience in basic science research. More broadly, understanding how genes and signaling pathways work together during embryonic development can help build the foundational knowledge needed to better understand congenital craniofacial abnormalities.
Peyton Shepard presented as part of a student team examining empathy and burnout among dental students during emergency dental clinic rotations. After clinic sessions, students completed brief, anonymous surveys measuring cognitive, emotional and compassionate empathy, as well as burnout related to the patient encounter.
Preliminary results compared responses from the DDS Classes of 2026 and 2027. Students in the Class of 2026 reported lower compassionate empathy and higher burnout than students in the Class of 2027, while cognitive and emotional empathy did not differ significantly between the two classes.
Because the findings compare two groups of students at one stage of data analysis, they do not yet show that empathy decreases or burnout increases as students advance through dental school.
The research team consists of students Duyen Tran, Diana Torosyan, Claire Nielson and Shepard, working alongside their faculty mentor Jay Tippets, DDS. They plan to continue collecting data over time to examine how empathy and burnout may change as students progress through dental school.
This competition is one way the Student Research Group helps dental students explore research opportunities. The organization is open to students who are involved in or interested in research and helps connect students with faculty seeking students to participate in their projects.
Student Research Group President Nisali Piyasena said research opportunities were an important factor in her decision to attend CU Anschutz Dental.
“As dental students, the opportunities to get involved in research are nearly endless, ranging from wet lab bench work to public health data collection and academia-focused projects,” Piyasena said.
Students can also gain experience presenting their work at the annual CU Anschutz Dental Research Day and at national conferences such as the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) and the American Dental Education Association (ADEA).
For participants, the Fall Student Research Competition provides an opportunity to practice another important part of the research process: communicating what they have learned and why it matters.