Dental Medicine | Penn Today

A gloved hand holds a petri dish filled with green colored tablets. Plants in containers are shown in the background

Chewing to curb COVID

Penn Medicine will conduct a new clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a chewing gum designed by School of Dental Medicine researchers to trap SARS-CoV-2 in the saliva.

A swarm of tiny robots could soon brush and floss your teeth for you

A multidisciplinary Penn team including Michael Koo of the School of Dental Medicine and Edward Steager of the School of Engineering and Applied Science has created an automated way to brush and floss through robotics, a potentially useful development for those unable to clean their teeth themselves.

Deploying microrobotics for dental treatments and diagnostics

Penn Dental Medicine and its Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry show that microrobots can access the difficult to reach surfaces of the root canal with controlled precision.

Dentist reveals worst foods for bad breath

Roopali Kulkarni of the School of Dental Medicine suggests methods to treat bad breath, such as swapping sugar-rich and odor-causing foods for healthier options that require chewing.

Penn Dental Medicine professor Shuying Yang

Intervening to stop bone loss

A study led by Shuying (Sheri) Yang of the School of Dental Medicine identified a new role for a protein that keeps osteoclasts—the cells that break down bone—in check, and may guide the development of new therapies to counter bone loss.

Forget electric toothbrushes: Tiny robots could one day brush and floss your teeth for you

Hyun (Michel) Koo of the School of Dental Medicine and Edward Steager of the School of Engineering and Applied Science comment on technology that has the potential to prevent oral diseases by brushing and flossing with microbots.

Graphic shows how nanoparticle-based microrobots can remove dental plaque from teeth with their motion and the activity of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to kill microbes

Shapeshifting microrobots can brush and floss teeth

In a proof-of-concept study, researchers from the School of Dental Medicine and School of Engineering and Applied Science shows that a hands-free system could effectively automate the treatment and removal of tooth-decay-causing bacteria and dental plaque.

Panelists sit on a stage at Perry World House, while another is on a Zoom screen behind them

Symposium highlights range and reach of Penn Global research

The Penn Global Research and Engagement Grant is supporting 21 faculty-led projects that span research, capacity-building, and development efforts across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, India, China, and beyond.

graphic of a person with both gum inflammation and arthritis in an elbow, showing the cells involved in the relationship between the two conditions

How one inflammatory disorder exacerbates another

Researchers from the School of Dental Medicine and colleagues from Dresden, Germany demonstrate that an association between conditions such as severe gum disease and arthritis is traceable to the bone marrow.

Dental faculty member Alonso Carrasco-Labra

Creating global systems for evidence-informed oral health policy

Alonso Carrasco-Labra, who joined the School of Dental Medicine in 2021, is a leader in developing new policy and clinical guidelines across areas of medicine.

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