4.21
School of Dental Medicine
Supporting Penn’s pan-Asian community
As the community mourns a year of anti-Asian hate crimes, they also move toward healing. Penn Global and the Pan Asian American Community House (PAACH) provide healing outlets for Asian and Asian American people.
‘Research at Penn’ showcases University breakthroughs and innovations
Produced by the Provost’s Office, the brochure highlights groundbreaking research from each of Penn’s 12 schools. This year it is online-only.
Accessible care for all at a new dental center
A priority of Dean Mark Wolff, the Care Center for Persons with Disabilities is now seeing patients at the School of Dental Medicine.
More chairs, new presence expand dental care access
A growing presence in community care centers has given Penn Dental Medicine more opportunities to serve Philadelphians and to train its students.
$5M gift to fund endowed professorship, support establishment of Center for Integrative Global Oral Health
The gift from Penn Dental Medicine alumnus Garry Rayant and his wife, Kathy Fields, will create a new endowed professorship at the School and provide foundational support to establish the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health.
Penn Dental, Penn Engineering unite to form Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry
The new Center will bring the two schools together to accelerate the development of new solutions and devices to address unmet needs in oral health.
Applying physics expertise to making smiles brighter
With a background in physics and material science, Yu Zhang has joined the School of Dental Medicine to advance the way dentists restore oral health.
Embracing digital dentistry
The School of Dental Medicine is enhancing and integrating its digital capabilities, opening up new possibilities for training students, conducting research, and delivering seamless and cutting-edge patient care.
Uniting against an invisible foe
All across the University, researchers have launched new areas of study, reaching across disciplinary boundaries to make stunning progress in combating COVID-19.
Priming the immune system to attack cancer
An international team, co-led by the School of Dental Medicine’s George Hajishengallis, showed how immune “training” transforms certain immune cells to target tumors.
In the News
The weirdest sign of COVID-19 fatigue? More Americans are grinding their teeth
Thomas Sollecito of the School of Dental Medicine spoke about the increase in patients experiencing pain from grinding or clenching their teeth. He recommended meditation and physical exercise to reduce stress but encouraged patients with persistent pain and tension to call their dentists.
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Stress from COVID-19 has led to a surge in teeth grinding, dentists say
Thomas Sollecito of the School of Dental Medicine commented on teeth grinding during the pandemic. “The stress and distress of the world’s events will affect things like sleep and someone’s clenching and grinding,” he said. “If we’re constantly under that duress, the frequency and intensity of clenching and grinding is just going to continue.”
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The 11 best at-home teeth-whitening kits, according to dentists
Dean Mark S. Wolff of the School of Dental Medicine offered advice to those looking to whiten their teeth using at-home kits.
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What’s up with my bad mask breath?
Mark S. Wolff of the School of Dental medicine explained why mask-wearers are suddenly smelling of their own bad breath. “The mask doesn’t make us have bad breath,” he said. “It makes us more conscious that we have bad breath.”
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Coronavirus myth: Mouthwash can reduce the spread
Dean Mark S. Wolff of the School of Dental Medicine debunked the idea that mouthwash can prevent the transmission of the coronavirus. “The virus doesn’t just sit inside the mouth, so [that] if we swish it will be dead,” he said. “A chemical in the mouth is not getting into the nasal cavity or the lungs.”
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