GSDM Exhibits at 40th Annual Yankee Dental Congress

From January 28 to February 1, 2015, the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center was abuzz with visitors to the 40th annual Yankee Dental Congress (YDC), the largest dental meeting in New England. The convention drew nearly 27,000 dental professionals from around the country, and featured more than 300 dental continuing education courses, lectures and events. Representatives of Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) joined the more than 450 exhibitors in the center which showcased the latest dental products and technologies, along with continuing education programs.

At the conference, a number of GSDM students presented posters during the research poster session. Student presentations in the pre-doctoral category included Sana Banday AS 15 with her poster titled “Oral Health Related Quality of Life and Reasons for Orthodontic Treatment in Adults” and Marium Qureshi AS 15 and Andrea Lam DMD 16 with their poster titled “Pathogenesis of Head and Neck Cancer and the Preventive Strategy.”

Banday’s research partners were Dr. Judith Jones, Assistant Dean for Faculty Development and Professor in the Department of General Dentistry, Dr.  Martha Neely DMD 14, Dr. Raffi Miller, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry, and Systems Analyst Sharron Rich.

Lam and Qureshi’s research partners were Dr. Sok-Ja Janket, Research Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry and Ms. Melissa Seif.

In the post-doctoral category, student presentations included first year Geriatric Dental Medicine Fellow in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Annetty Soto with her poster titled “An Exploration of Medical Clinicians’ Attitudes and Practices Towards Oral Health in Older Adults” and Najla Alrejaye ORTHO 16 with her poster titled “Torsional Strength of Zirconia Brackets Fabricated in Extremely Low Profile.”

Soto’s research partners were Dr. Laura Kaufman, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry and Emily Abrams, former Administrative Assistant in the Geriatrics Education Office.

Alrejaye’s research partners were Dr. Russell Giordano, Associate Professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences & Biomaterials and Dr. Richard Pober, Research Associate Professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences & Biomaterials.

Over the three-day conference, over 730 people visited the GSDM booth, including alumni, students, faculty and staff. The booth featured the always popular alumni lounge, a place for alums to sit, relax and enjoy refreshments. A video featuring digital dentistry at GSDM was also playing in the lounge providing visitors an opportunity to learn about the innovative clinical and curriculum changes happening at GSDM. “I’m always excited to see the alums who stop by year after year and help make our booth so much fun,” said Director of Alumni Relations & Annual Giving Ms. Stacey McNamee.

In addition, representatives of the Continuing Education (CE) department at GSDM were present on the exhibit floor. “Attending Yankee Dental Congress was very beneficial for CE. We had the opportunity to promote our Continuing Education program and conduct a short survey,” said Business Manager of Continuing Education Ms. Stephanie Grignet. The survey gauged what kind of courses dentists, hygienists, dental assistants, and practice managers are looking for and what factors are important to them when they take continuing education courses. “We plan to incorporate the results into our future course offerings,” she said.

In addition, members of the CE department utilized the conference to learn more about the dental market, and meet potential speakers for courses. They also built relationships with dental companies and local dental associations, along with GSDM alumni.

GSDM faculty and alumni played a large role in organizing and arranging this year’s YDC, including Dr. Carol McManama who served as the YDC Program Co-Chair. GSDM officers and volunteers included: Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Pelly Chang; Mark Doherty Jr. ENDO 05; Deedee Gurin DMD 97; Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Thomas Hawley; Dennis Jodoin DMD 95 PERIO 98; Assistant Dean for Faculty Development Dr. Judith Jones; Adjunct Clinical Instructor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Suneel Kandru; Iman Labib DMD 96 ENDO 01 MS 04; Clinical Instructor in the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Dr. David Lustbader; Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Carl McManama; Robert Moreau DMD 92; Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Frank Schiano; Clinical Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Ronni Schnell; Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Richard Short; and Howard Zolot PERIO 85.

Courses were also given by: Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Joseph Calabrese; Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Neal Fleisher; Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Anita Gohel; Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Frederick Hains; Dr. Thomas Hawley; Professor in the  Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research Dr. Michelle Henshaw; Dr. Judith Jones; Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Laura Kaufman; Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Celeste Kong; Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Sheldon Itzkowitz; Dr.  David Lustbader; and Dental Radiology Technologist Ms. Mary Ellen Sholes.

Photos are available on Facebook and Flickr.