As a final step before leaving the United States to serve abroad, U.S. Army Logistical Chief Warrant Officer Four Josie Evans went for a routine medical exam at her base in Fort Knox, Kentucky. Expecting to be found medically fit for deployment, instead Evans was given much different news. “They first thought it was a cyst,” said Evans. “After going to a doctor in Elizabethtown to have it cleaned out, a biopsy came back that it was odontogenic myxoma.” Odontogenic myxoma is a rare abnormal growth in tissue, in many cases, seen in the lower jaw area.
Dr. Enrique Bimstein, professor and University of Kentucky College of Dentistry Division Chief of Pediatric Dentistry, has been named as the first holder of the John Mink Endowed Chair in Pediatric Dentistry.
Governor Steve Beshear and Congressman Hal Rogers joined public health and university officials today to announce a new dentist recruitment program aimed at promoting sustained oral health and well-being in eastern Kentucky. The new loan forgiveness program is supported by $500,000 in state funds and is available for dental students who practice in the region. The dental schools at the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville will administer the program, providing two to five awardees $100,000 each for a two-year commitment.
When the University of Kentucky opened its doors 150 years ago, the space where the College of Dentistry (UKCD) now stands was a cornfield. Upon being appointed dean in February 1961, Dr. Alvin L. Morris, with the support of a very dedicated group, worked hard to build a program from scratch, very quickly in order to welcome the first class of 20 students to the college in September 1962.
University of Kentucky College of Dentistry graduate Jonathan Francis and Assistant Professor Lina Sharab were recognized for their research efforts by the American Association of Orthodontists(AAO), and they presented their research during the recent 2015 AAO Annual Session in San Francisco. The AAO is the world’s oldest and largest dental specialty organization, representing more than 17,000 orthodontist members throughout the United States, Canada, and abroad.
The University of Kentucky Students United withAmerica’s ToothFairy (SUAT) chapter was recently spotlighted by the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation for their passion to supply oral health education to elementary and middle schools in Kentucky.Through the America’s ToothFairy® program, the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation works to eliminate children’s preventable suffering from pediatric dental disease by providing programs and comprehensive resources to deliver community-based critical preventive, educational and treatment services.
Click here to read "Your mouth, your health" in the June issue of Kentucky Living magazine-oral health tips provided by Dr. Jeffrey Ebersole, director of the Center for Oral Health Research at the Univeristy of Kentucky College of Dentistry.
University of Kentucky College of Dentistry Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Chief Dr. Larry Cunningham has accepted the position of UK College of Dentistry Department of Oral Health Science Interim Chair. The chair oversees seven divisions of UK College of Dentistry, which include adult dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral pathology, orofacial pain, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry and public health. He will continue to serve in his role as division chief.
In the summer before her high school senior year, Joy Andrade underwent reconstructive jaw surgery to correct a skeletal malformation. The surgery was supposed to be one of the final steps in years of orthodontic treatments, which had included three sets of braces, starting in the fifth grade, and the removal of several permanent teeth to allow for more space in Joy’s mouth.
The University of Kentucky College of Dentistry is working to introduce tomorrow’s dentists to the profession now — offering students a glimpse into the world of a practicing dentist. Undergraduate students from Morehead State University, enrolled in a special online pre-dental lecture course, visited UK to take part in several hands-on dental exercises using the latest instruments in dental technology. UKCD faculty members Dr. Rodrigo Fuentealba and Dr. Gitanjali Pinto-Sinai led the simulation lab, assisted by second-year UKCD student Mackenzie Bentley, a graduate of MSU.