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Dental Medicine

White coat ceremonies: A professional milestone
Four students celebrating in white coats after Penn’s white coat ceremony.

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White coat ceremonies: A professional milestone

The School of Dental Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, and School of Veterinary Medicine marked the start of the semester with white coat ceremonies for their students.

2 min. read

Holistic community care at Penn Dental on Cedar
3 Penn Dental Med students at the clinic, one is cleaning a patient’s teeth.

Penn Dental on Cedar is one of several community sites Penn Dental Medicine operates in Philadelphia. Dental students rotate between them as part of their curriculum and learn to better communicate with and care for underserved populations.

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Holistic community care at Penn Dental on Cedar

Penn Dental Medicine at PHMC on Cedar is one of five community care programs the School of Dental Medicine operates. At Penn Dental on Cedar, part of the mission is to integrate dental and medical care.

6 min. read

How Henry Daniell weds dental research with global health and sustainability
Researcher in lab coat standing in lab.

Henry Daniell, faculty fellow of Penn’s Environmental Innovations Initiative and the W.D. Miller Professor and vice chair in the Department of Basic & Translational Services at Penn’s School of Dental Medicine.

(Image: Kevin Monko)

How Henry Daniell weds dental research with global health and sustainability

Daniell, a faculty fellow of the Environmental Innovations Initiativ and the W.D. Miller Professor and vice chair in the Department of Basic & Translational Sciences at Penn’s School of Dental Medicine, explains his research and its connections to sustainability and the environment.

From the Environmental Innovations Initiative

2 min. read

What ever-growing incisors can teach us about genetic disease
Microscopic view of a mouse incisor.

An image taken through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows a polished sagittal section through a mouse mandibular incisor, showing the different mineralized tissue layers.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering Today)

What ever-growing incisors can teach us about genetic disease

An interdisciplinary team of researchers approaches the question ‘How do teeth mineralize?’ by analyzing the physical, biological, and genetic properties of teeth for real-world clinical applications in the future.

Melissa Pappas

2 min. read

Yu Zhang recipient of the 2025 IADR Distinguished Scientist Wilmer Souder Award

Yu Zhang recipient of the 2025 IADR Distinguished Scientist Wilmer Souder Award

Zhang, a professor in the Department of Preventive & Restorative Sciences and Director of Restorative Research at Penn Dental Medicine, has been recognized for his leadership in advancing the field of dental materials as the 2025 recipient of the International Association for Dental Research Distinguished Scientist Wilmer Souder Award.

Stem cell secretions show promise in boosting oral tissue regeneration

Stem cell secretions show promise in boosting oral tissue regeneration

A preclinical study from researchers at Penn Dental Medicine shows that the molecular secretions of stem cells taken from human gum tissue could someday be used to speed the healing and regeneration of damaged tissues in the mouth.

Early challenges to the immune system disrupt oral health
A child at a dentist’s office.

Image: Dr. Paul Akhigbe (Courtesy of Modupe Coker)

Early challenges to the immune system disrupt oral health

Modupe O. Coker from the School of Dental Medicine and a collaborative team of researchers identified changes over time in the oral microbiome of children living with HIV, offering insights into how early immune challenges shape not only oral health but also systemic health.

4 min. read

Penn Dental’s Flavia Teles receives IADR Periodontal Research Group Award

Penn Dental’s Flavia Teles receives IADR Periodontal Research Group Award

Teles, a professor in the Department of Basic & Translational Sciences at Penn Dental Medicine and a core member of the Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry, has been recognized for her research as the 2025 recipient of 2025 IADR/IAP Ricardo Teles Clinical Research Award. Her research focuses on the oral microbiome, particularly the discovery and characterization of previously uncultivated periodontal pathogens; her lab aims to identify hidden members of oral biofilms.