Dental Medicine News and Stories

University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus are once again being recognized as a Military Friendly® School. Together, we are the only universities in Colorado to rank in the tier 2 research category, moving up to the no. 6 spot nationwide. We have been included in these rankings for over 10 years.

Susan Somerset, DMD, Pharm D, MS
Assistant Professor (C/T), Director, Senior & Special Care Clinic
University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine

You are a first-generation college graduate—what influenced your decision to pursue multiple advanced degrees?
My parents. I always had a desire to pursue a professional degree in healthcare. My mother suggested an undergraduate degree in pharmacy because it is usually on of the most challenging classes in healthcare education. She also figured I would be able to work while pursuing other degrees. It was great advice. My pharmacy education really taught me how to adjust for and to be comfortable managing medications in unconventional situations.

Self-reflection can be one of the most meaningful components of continuous improvement as a dentist, and it starts in school. The American Dental Association (ADA) states in the accreditation standards for predoctoral dental education programs that becoming a competent professional involves "reflection in daily practice for the benefit of the individuals and communities served."

Volunteering offers opportunities to build skills that you may not necessarily learn just by going to dental school. It also provides something to think about besides yourself, according to CU dental students: Riley Spillar and Zach Zylstra.

Both Spillar and Zylstra volunteer for the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine.

Following news reports about the liquidation of a manufacturer and marketer of teeth aligners sold directly to consumers, the ADA has reaffirmed its policy stating its opposition to direct-to-consumer dentistry. 

In this report from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, authors Tamanna Tiwari, BDS, MDS, MPH, Lisa Heaton, PhD, and Eric Tranby, PhD, discuss how medical-dental integration (MDI) can improve access to care, health outcomes, and health care costs. To increase the success of MDI, the report recommends education for the health care workforce, changing the scope of practice for dentists, and increasing patient awareness. 

During the episode we speak with Lindsey J. Yates, DDS - Associate Professor, Department of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine and Assistant Director, Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus - about the benefits and challenges of interprofessional education.  There are lots of natural connections and topics that faculty, practitioners, and students could explore together... but often, the incentives are misaligned.  

CHICAGO, Oct. 5, 2023 — The American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Association for Dental, Oral & Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) today announced the winners of the annual Evidence-Based Dentistry (EBD) Faculty & Practice Awards. The awards, which are supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Colgate, are presented to educators and clinicians who have made significant contributions to implement and advance EBD. The winners will be recognized at the ADA Science & Research Institute’s (ADASRI) Science Social event at SmileCon™ 2023 in Orlando, Fla.

Denver7 News interviewed CU School of Dental Medicine student Mohita Sharma as she prepares for her first half marathon in Boulder this Sunday. Sharma, a dentist from India, is passionate about helping people understand how regular dental checkups can catch medical issues, just as she was able to catch hers early. Thankfully she has been in remission almost three years now. 

Dental schools are more diverse than they have ever been, but there is still work to do before the dental workforce reflects the diversity of the overall U.S. population. Here, the American Dental Association (ADA) takes a closer look at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, which have made strides in diversifying their student bodies.

Good oral health is one of the keys to healthy aging, but a sobering new study shows that many U.S. nursing home residents have significant dental issues. Professor and Chair of the Department of Community Dentistry and Population Health Bruce Dye, DDS, MPH, wrote an editorial accompanying the JAMA Network Open study. 

Author Bruce Dye, DDS, MPH, wrote this editorial to accompany a recent study from the Journal of the American Medicine Association (JAMA) Network Open. He said, "...the prevalence of untreated oral diseases has remained high among older adults, with substantial disparities persisting, especially among older adults living in poverty." 

Tooth pain can bring anyone down. Anyone who's ever felt this debilitating pain -- from the toughest athlete to the everyday citizen -- knows a bad toothache can be the difference between winning the game or falling behind. Cue the root canal treatment to the rescue! That's why endodontists are known as the superheroes of saving teeth. And we're giving them an entire month of recognition.

"One major barrier to oral healthcare utilization is dental anxiety: the apprehension that occurs in anticipation of a dental situation." Lexi Dunnells, dental student at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, presents research findings on the use of therapy dogs in the dental setting.

The American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) announced the 2023 AADOCR Fellows during the Opening Ceremonies of the 52nd Annual Meeting of the AADOCR, which was held in conjunction with the 47th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research (CADR), that took place on March 15, 2023. Among the 2023 Fellows is CU School of Dental Medicine Assistant Professor Tamanna Tiwari, BDS, MDS, MPH.

Stefanie Walker, DMD
General Dentist
Denver, CO

What drew you to a career in dentistry?
As a girl, I loved arts, crafts, painting and creating anything where I could skillfully use my hands. I was an art major in high school in Germany and loved all areas of design. I have always paid a lot of attention to detail. At the same time, I was interested in the medical field and wanted to help people become and stay healthy. Dentistry best combined these areas of passion for me. Once I did an internship in the dental field, it became clear dentistry was the right career choice for me.

Congratulations to CU School of Dental Medicine alumna Saniya Setia, BDS, DDS Class of 2016. Developed by the ADA New Dentist Committee in 2017, this award recognizes 10 amazing dentists who graduated from a dental school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation less than 10 years ago. We're celebrating dentists who demonstrate excellence and inspire other in science, research & education, practice excellence, philanthropy, leadership and advocacy.

By: Sheila Stille, DDS; Karen Foster, DDS; and Joann LeClaire, RDH, MS

“Disability” is defined as any physical, developmental, sensory, behavioral, cognitive, or emotional impairment or limiting condition that requires medical management, health care intervention, and/or use of specialized services or programs... Every dentist in Colorado should be able to treat this patient population. With the following suggestions, it can be a fun and rewarding experience for the dentist and their team.

Artemis Khazaie, DDS
General Dentist
Arvada, CO

What influenced your decision to choose dentistry as a career?
From palatal expanders to braces and headgear, I spent a lot of time in the dental chair. The treatment process was always intriguing, and I often wondered what it would be like from the dentist’s perspective.

It feels like a cliff, a steep and sudden drop off into a fog of melancholy clouds. I have experienced burnout in dentistry, and I never saw it coming, even when I was right on the edge. I thought I was fine. I thought I could manage. I thought I was just busy. But it was a lot more than just the management of daily stress and being overwhelmed. It was a pervasive feeling of sadness and apathy that I just could not shake. It was deep breaths and the brink of sanity in between patients. It was a longing I could not quantify or, at times, even acknowledge. I was losing myself in it.

Tamanna Tiwari is a dentist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Dentistry and Population Health, and Associate Director, Center for Oral Disease Prevention and Population Health Research at the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Colorado.

A fine, black powder emergency room physicians sometimes use for treating patients with overdoses, has entered the health and beauty world in the form of shampoos and soaps to deodorants and toothpaste.

AB Nexus announced its fifth round of grant awards to researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the University of Colorado Boulder. These teams are comprised of experts from a range of disciplines to advance basic science and translational research that improves human health and well-being, from taking on the most complex forms of cancer to exploring unexpected relationships between periodontal disease and stroke.

Amisha Singh, DDS
Director of Diversity & Inclusion Programming
University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine

AURORA, CO and WASHINGTON, D.C. — SEPTEMBER 20, 2022 — Increasing communication between dental and medical providers reduces barriers to care. According to a new report from the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, Medical-Dental Integration (MDI) improves positive health outcomes in vulnerable populations, such as at-risk children, pregnant women, seniors, and those in need of chronic disease management.

NIDCR Director Rena D’Souza, DDS, PhD, along with editors of the NIH report Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges, have authored a series of perspective papers and accompanying editorials that draw on the report’s findings to propose strategies for addressing the nation’s oral health challenges. The papers, published in four dental specialty journals, offer audience-specific recommendations for dental practitioners, educators, researchers, and public health specialists. The recommendations focus on changes needed in dental health care, education, research, and policy to adapt to a changing oral health landscape, including an older and more diverse population, new ways of delivering care, and an emerging understanding of social determinants of oral health.

For the first time in three years, the lively New Venture Challenge (NVC) championship returned to an in-person format at the Boulder Theater this week to recognize CU Boulder’s top emerging entrepreneurs. 

Five startup ventures, led by CU Boulder students and faculty, competed for more than $100,000 in prize money Tuesday evening at the 14th annual New Venture Challenge championship, CU Boulder's premier entrepreneurial program and competition. Since its inception in 2009, more than 900 CU Boulder startups have participated with over $700,000 in NVC funding awarded.

Seven university companies pitched to investors during the Pandemic Hyper-Accelerator for Science and Technology (PHAST) Demo Day on Jan. 25, hosted by Venture Partners at CU Boulder and Rockies Venture Club (RVC). This capstone event provided a chance for angel investors, venture capitalists and the startup community to evaluate pitches and discuss deal opportunities.

Applying to dental school can be an arduous process. If you find that you were not accepted to any dental schools this past cycle, you're not alone. Your dream is still attainable, and I believe that you should put your best foot forward to reapplying. Reapplicants should consider the following tips below. 

In partnership with the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine (SDM) and Colorado dental providers, adult patients (18 or older) contemplating tooth extraction to avoid endodontic costs can be referred to the CU SDM’s Division of Endodontics for low-cost treatment. If an examination reveals the patient is eligible for a root canal in the student clinic, it will be performed at the same price as an extraction: $102.

Dr. Patterson mentions, "The importance of safe prescribing and educating patients on the proper use of pain medication cannot be overstated. As an oral-maxillofacial surgeon who provides treatments that occasionally requires the prescribing of narcotics, I’m acutely aware of the potential risk of opioid abuse."

Growth, collaboration and COVID-19 marked the second annual State of Research Address on Dec. 7, with Thomas Flaig, MD, vice chancellor for research, highlighting some of the groundbreaking science that netted the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus nearly $654 million in research awards this year.

There’s not much “typical” about Olesya Prystayko. The 36-year-old Longmont resident speaks five languages. As a young woman, she routinely ran 10-kilometer (6.21-mile) races at a 5:50-mile pace. That was after swimming 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles), and biking another 40 kilometers (about 25 miles). Add those distances up and you get an Olympic-distance triathlon, and her times were fast enough to land her on the Ukrainian national triathlon team.

On an undeniably STEM-oriented campus, the AMC Orchestra offers a unique opportunity for artistic release. The group is part of the ‘Music and Medicine Initiative’ in the University of Colorado Center for Bioethics and Humanities and, as of fall semester, has a new director, Jeremy D. Cuebas.

The women on this campus teach tomorrow’s healthcare experts, move science forward with breakthrough discoveries and care for patients during their most challenging times. They are medical pioneers, wives, daughters, sisters, friends, mothers, role models and heroes.

Celebrating exceptional women on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus? No problem.

There’s a new option for ATLAS seniors enrolled in the yearlong capstone course. Aimed at giving Creative Technology and Design (CTD) undergraduates practical experience while letting industries benefit from the cutting-edge creativity that ATLAS students are known for, seniors enrolled in the capstone course can now choose a sponsored option for their projects. In past years students developed their capstone projects solely from personal interests. 

Research and treatment of head and neck cancers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center reached a new level this month with a highly competitive Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The SPORE was approved by NCI Scientific Program leadership for FY2021 funding; the projected starting date is July 1

Growing up, Dalal Alnassar rarely smiled. Behind her seemingly sad demeanor was the immense weight of embarrassment due to her imperfect smile. But after receiving dental care, the Kuwait native felt her shame evaporate and her confidence and happiness grow. Now she could unabashedly smile, a feeling that would ignite her passion for dentistry. 

When Mohammad Alshemali witnessed a near-fatal accident as a teen in Kuwait, his decision to work in the healthcare field was solidified. He was playing soccer with his family, and his cousin ran into the road after a ball and was hit by a car.

Dental students stuck off-campus – because of a pandemic or any reason – can soon log in to their laptops or tablets and rotate, maneuver and inspect the shiny tools of their trade from homes.

CU dental school teams with Inworks in creating COVID-protective design that cuts cost and waste

Postdocs and faculty in the CU School of Dental Medicine's Department of Craniofacial Biology reflect on starting a family during COVID-19

Isra Ahmed, of Denver, is moving a new practice to Parker to fulfill a need that has been a dream of hers since she started dental school at the University of Colorado - a "community hub" for dental work.

Medical schools around the country have seen a surge in applications this year, that some have dubbed the “Fauci effect,” after the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

NVIDIA helped provide graphics-rich virtual workstations to enable CU School of Dental Medicine students and staff to access dental applications.

2020 marks the Centennial of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR). In celebration of this milestone, the IADR Board of Directors launched the IADR Centennial Emerging Leaders Award to recognize young investigators who will lead the research field into the next century.

Closed mine blamed for fluoride shortage in Longmont, Colorado.

Geneva often makes the headlines as the setting for peace talks. Should it also take credit and be recognised for our small personal victories in the daily battle to prevent tooth decay?

School was out and the student doctor was in – as was the ophthalmologist, the dentist, the pharmacist and others in the health field. The Urban Underserved Track (UUT) at the CU School of Medicine held its second health fair in partnership with the Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning and the Lions Club at the New America School in Denver, providing mostly immigrant students and their communities free health and vision screenings after the bell and before bedtime.