DMD students selected to present their research at two national research events
Victoria Chang and Nick Dulock, both DMD 23, were selected to present their research at two national research events, the culmination of three years of hard work.
The duo shared their research into virtual implant placement in the lower canine region at the 2022 AAOCDR conference in late April, and competed in Dentsply Sirona’s Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and its Application (SCADA) on April 16. They also presented their research during the poster presentations at GSDM’s Science Day in early March.
“We are both really happy to have these opportunities and enjoy sharing our research,” Chang said. “We are excited to see where our project goes. We’re hoping that we can publish it .. and see what else we can do before we graduate.”
Dulock added, “The fact that we were chosen to actually present at these big conferences means a lot to us, because it shows that our hard work paid off and what we were researching over the past couple years actually has some clinical relevance that other people might want to see.”
Chang and Dulock began their research during their first year through the school’s Intensive Research Elective Course (IREC), working with Dr. Albert Price in the Department of Periodontology, and have continued during their second and third years in IREC 2 and IREC 3. The duo’s project examines inter-rater reliability in analyzing bone profiles in the lower canine region in preparation for implant placement.
They were interested in the lower canine site because of its clinical significance: Due to the anatomy and location of the tooth, there is a greater risk of perforating the lingual bone profile when placing an implant – particularly as many providers opt for longer implants, given the nature of the tooth being replaced.
Chang and Dulock believe that their research has broad implications, as the particular site they’re examining is also where a provider would place an implant for a lower overdenture.
“It’s not only for single unit implants,” Dulock said. “It’s a site that’s used as an implant site for a wide variety of different specialties in this field.”
According to Dulock, implants are becoming the standard of care for sites with one edentulous site or for overdentures. Through their research, Dulock and Chang are hoping to emphasize the importance of the treatment planning prior to placing the implant.
“If you don’t have a well thought out plan, if you don’t get the angulation correct, if you don’t even have enough bone – trying to place an implant in a site that won’t accept it can cause a lot of complications,” Dulock said.
Chang noted that implants are now being placed, not just by oral surgeons, but also by many other specialists as well as general dentists.
“That’s a huge reason why our research is relevant to any provider who’s interested in placing implants,” she said. “People often overlook the treatment planning aspect, but it’s all about proper planning beforehand to mitigate risk and also making sure you have the greatest confidence going into a procedure.”