One of the five founders of UK College of Dentistry, Dr. Stephen Dachi, passed away July 2, 2017, at age 84 after a long battle with cancer. In 1961, when Dr. Alvin Morris was named UKCD’s first dean, he hired Dachi to be the college’s first chairman of the Department of Oral Diagnosis and Oral Medicine. On July 1, 1961, the team gathered to develop a battle plan.
Research is the fuel of productive science. This sentiment, shared by students and faculty alike, applies to any discipline. The University of Kentucky has long embraced the value of discovery through research — a commitment that has earned UK an R1 Carnegie Classification, the highest ranking among research institutions. For students in the UK College of Dentistry, engaging in research often proves to be of critical importance to their experience.
University of Kentucky College of Dentistry Predoctoral Implant Program Director Dr. Ahmad Kutkut was recently promoted to Associate Professor with tenure.
For Andrea Crookston, taking photos used to mean hiding her smile. Fear and anxiety kept Crookston from going to the dentist every six months as recommended. Instead, she'd only go when the pain was too much for her to bear. "I'd been in pain for a long time, but I was afraid of the dentist," she said. "The sound of the drill gives me cold chills." Unfortunately, this aversion to the dentist led to deterioration and many of Crookston's teeth breaking and needing to be extracted.
This summer, the third floor DMD Student Clinic underwent a complete transformation. Patients will now experience leading-edge care in a facility outfitted with updated operatories, upgraded computer systems, and even a milling room and digital design center.
Being a DMD student is a full-time job. Navigating rigorous coursework while managing one’s personal health and wellness can seem like an intimidating task to handle. Luckily, the Office of Academic and Student Affairs has dedicated a week-long series of programming to welcoming new students and equipping them with the necessary knowledge and tools to succeed in the DMD program. S.M.I.L.E. Week — “Students Matriculating into the Learning Experience” — begins on Monday, July 31 and continues through Friday, Aug. 4.
On July 28, the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry (UKCD) will celebrate the inaugural cohort of participants as they complete the college’s dental assistant training initiative. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the demand for dental assistants is expected to grow 18 percent by 2024. UK Dentistry’s dental assistant training is designed to provide interested individuals with the knowledge and experience necessary to join one of the fastest growing occupations in the field in only six months.
Advanced digital technology is challenging the limits of what is possible in oral health, function and beauty. Beginning this fall, the UK College of Dentistry will join a select group of pilot institutions in launching the American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) Digital Dentistry Curriculum.
On July 3, Dr. Ronald Singer joined the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry as an assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Dentistry. Singer will also serve as director of the Seal Kentucky program. Singer brings decades of experience to his new role, and is excited for his future with UK Dentistry.
Since joining the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry 18 months ago, Dean Stephanos Kyrkanides has worked with faculty, students and the community to make his vision for increasing the use of digital dentistry at UKCD a reality. Kyrkanides’s goals are three-pronged; he wants to utilize leading edge technology to educate clinical dentists, reduce wait time for patients and establish UKCD as leaders in the field of dentistry.