2007 Archives

December 2007

Al Dente: How to become a dentist - "...Mark Gonthier, Assistant Dean for admissions of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM), offers a description of the ideal dental school applicant. 'We are looking for mature, well-rounded students capable of handling the rigor of the basic sciences curriculum and are equally adept at and committed to providing quality comprehensive patient oral health care,' he said..."

Dental Educators Complete 2007 ADEA/AAL Institute for Teaching and Learning - "...Four of the ITL Scholars - Dr. Robert Goldman, Dr. Y. Natalie Jeong, Dr. Stephen Mackler, and Dr. Preston D. Miller, Jr. - were awarded fellowships from the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) Foundation to participate in the program..."

November 2007

How a Visit To The Dentist May Be Just What The Doctor Ordered - "...'Integrating dental expertise into assessing and treating head, neck and facial pain however may greatly benefit patients. Doing so may not only treat, but may also cure pain that patients feared would never go away,' says Noshir Mehta...."The Craniofacial Pain Center at Tufts develops treatment plans for patients that include not only dental expertise but, if needed, treatment from physicians, psychologists, chiropractors, physical therapists, acupuncturists, specialists in integrative medicine and other specialists in pain medication...."

A Lineman in My Bed: Notes on Teeth Grinding - A New York Times reporter writes about his experience with teeth grinding. '...Bruxism may be at least as old as the Bible, which describes hell as a state where there is 'gnashing of teeth'...'It's much like having a large football player standing on the tooth,' says Dr. Noshir Mehta, chairman of general dentistry at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and director of its Craniofacial Pain Center..."
NOTE: Article also appeared in the Herald-Tribune (FL), the Gadsden Times (AL)

Get healthy teeth for life - From a Prevention Magazine article about keeping teeth healthy as we age: "...If your tongue or lips are often dry, tell your doctor. More than 400 medicines are linked to dry mouth, including antidepressants and blood pressure and bladder medicines. A Tufts University study showed that patients taking at least one dryness-causing medication developed three times as many cavities as those not on a drug. Your doctor may be able to switch your prescription--and check for other causes of dry mouth, such as Sjogren's syndrome or sleep apnea..."

Toothsayers: Gum tissue may help cure ills - "...'I think the applications for these cells are really widespread,' said Pam Yelick, director the division of Craniofacial and Molecular Genetics at Tufts University. Yelick's research has focused both on tooth regeneration as well as ways to transform dental pulp stem cells into cells that can become other kinds of tissue..."

October 2007

Tips You Can Smile About: Keeping Your Teeth And Gums - "...According to David Russell, DMD, associate professor and associate dean of clinical affairs at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, good oral health, good eating habits and good general health are all linked. Says Russell, 'Your teeth are meant to last as long as you do, and there are easy steps you can take to maintain oral health.'..."

Council makes accreditation mandatory for dental colleges - "...Earlier, as part of the programme, a journal of dentistry, 'Dentistry India', was launched. The journal will promote continuing medical education among dentists. Ramananda Shetty, Director of medical education, Noshir Mehta, Professor and Chairman of general dentistry at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and editor of Dentistry India, and Usha Mohandas, Principal of V.S. Dental College, were present at the national workshop in Bangalore on Friday..."

Dental community chipping away at shortage - "...Dental students at Tufts University are used to seeing an endless parade of recruiters. But something was different about the Maine contingent...'We provided lobster roll lunches to all the students,' said Frances Miliano, executive director of the Maine Dental Association. 'We buy the lobster salad the night before leaving and take the hot dog rolls, and set up a long assembly line.'...Dr. Justin Griffee, a Maryland native, joined the South Portland office after graduating from Tufts' dental school this year. Though southern Maine has a higher proportion of dentists than the rest of the state, Griffee said that many of his patients haven't seen a dentist in their adult lives. 'Every day I get a patient who hasn't been in 20 years,' Griffee said..."

BRA approves 2 projects for colleges, 1 for business - "...Tufts University won approval to expand its Dental School building at Kneeland and Washington streets on its Boston Health Sciences campus with a five-story, 95,000-square-foot addition to a 10-story building. The architect is ARC/Architectural Resources in Cambridge. The addition will increase capacity by 24 dental chairs, accommodate 52 more students, and 10 new people for the 200-person faculty, university officials said. Enrollment is now about 800. The university also committed to improving Washington Street and the building's entrance, making contributions to community dental and neighborhood cleanup programs..."

Roslyn, New York Dentist Elected to Lead American Dental Association - Mark J. Feldman, D.M.D. , a graduate of Tufts Dental School, is installed as president of the American Dental Association. "...'I look forward to leading the ADA's initiatives to improve access to oral health care for children and the vulnerable elderly who are currently underserved,' Dr. Feldman said. 'I also want the Association to do everything possible to increase public awareness that oral health is an integral part of over-all health.'... Dr. Feldman received his dental degree from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and completed his specialty training in endodontics at Nassau County Medical Center. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics as well as a member of all the honorary colleges of dentistry..."

August 2007

New Device Helps Doctors Detect Oral Cancer - "...Kahn suggests using a mirror to look for cancer on the sides and under the tongue, the roof and back of the mouth, and cheek lining. He described what a suspicious lesion might look like. 'A small white or red spot, a patch that's different from the normal pink color inside your mouth that doesn't rub off. It doesn't go away after a week or two,' Kahn said."

July 2007

Dental School Eyes 5-Story Crown - "Faced with the challenge of expanding in densely packed Chinatown, Tufts University is looking skyward as it plans a major expansion of its health-sciences campus. Tufts wants to add another 90,000 square feet to the university's dental school on Kneeland Street, enough to fill a sizable new academic building. But instead of building out, Tufts is proposing to build up, adding another five stories onto its 10-story dental school..."We wanted to have as little impact as possible on the university and dental school and neighborhood as we could," [Castellana] said.

May 2007

Al Dente: Veneers - The Skin of your Teeth - An informational artical about veneers.

America's Best Barbers Solve your Biggest Grooming Problems - According to Gerard Kugel, DMD., an associate dean of research at Tufts Dental School, "'Don't be fooled by false whitening claims,'"..."Stronger bleach concentrations work faster. If you want a complete overhaul from a home kit, look for a carbamide peroxide concentration of at least 10 percent."