School of Dental Medicine

A Penn Dental Medicine instructor sits with a dental model tool in hand beside a replica of head with an open mouth while seven high school students in white lab coats, gloves and masks watch the demonstration.

Summer Mentorship Program introduces high school students to dental medicine

Penn Dental Medicine hosted a group of high school students as part of Penn’s Provost Summer Mentorship Program, a four-week, college-career immersion program, aimed to inspire first-generation and under-represented minority students in Philadelphia to view higher education as an achievable goal.

Penn Today Staff ・

Time lapse photo of green circle shows a progressively larger cleared off area where a robot has removed a biofilm

An army of microrobots can wipe out dental plaque

A swarm of microrobots, directed by magnets, can break apart and remove dental biofilm, or plaque, from a tooth, thanks to a partnership led by Dental Medicine’s Hyun (Michel) Koo and Engineering’s Edward Steager.

Katherine Unger Baillie ・

Patricia Corby in an office smiling at the camera

Expanding opportunities to leverage science in the clinic

Patricia Corby, who recently joined the School of Dental Medicine as associate dean for translational research, is bringing her research to bear for cancer patients undergoing radiation, while looking to advance clinical research School-wide.

Katherine Unger Baillie ・

Image of two plants and four examples of enzyme applications: denim biowashing, bioscouring, fruit juice clarification, and stain removal.

Everyday enzymes, now grown in plants

Myriad industrial processes rely on enzymes, from making orange juice to manufacturing denim jeans. Research emerging from the School of Dental Medicine is transforming how these enzymes get made.

Katherine Unger Baillie ・

Five round pills lined up with smiley faces drawn on the front

The placebo cure

Drug researchers use control groups to measure the efficacy of their drug tests. What happens when the control group responds? Science proves the placebo effect is indeed medicine itself.

Tina Rodia ・

student works in Penn Dental's simulation lab

Prepping Philly high schoolers for college

Rising 11th graders in the Provost Summer Mentorship Program at Penn spend a month on campus diving into the professional fields of dentistry, medicine, law, nursing, and engineering.

Lauren Hertzler ・



In the News


The Guardian

Does your jaw click? Do you grind your teeth? It could be this little-known condition

Thomas P. Sollecito of the School of Dental Medicine says that roughly 10-15% of adults have some form of temporomandibular disorder, though the vast majority don’t require treatment.

FULL STORY →

Philadelphia Inquirer

What to know about fluoride in drinking water, and whether RFK Jr. could really have it removed

In the early 1900s, Penn alumnus Frederick Sumner McKay collected evidence that fluoride in water helped prevent tooth decay. Dean Mark Wolff of the School of Dental Medicine says that fluoridated water is a great safety net provision for adults who don’t see the dentist regularly or can’t afford to routinely buy toothpaste.

FULL STORY →

Associated Press

Menopause can bring on dental problems, but you can protect your mouth

Thomas Sollecito of the School of Dental Medicine says hormonal changes can reduce bone density and saliva production, harming gums and teeth.

FULL STORY →

Time

Six health myths about oils

Dean Mark Wolff of the School of Dental Medicine says that oil pulling won’t cause harm but has never reversed periodontitis or gingivitis.

FULL STORY →

The New York Times

Swish, spit, repeat: Is oil pulling good for your teeth?

Mark S. Wolff of the School of Dental Medicine says that oil pulling should never be a substitute for brushing or flossing one’s teeth.

FULL STORY →