Dental Medicine | Penn Today

Discover Magazine

Antiviral chewing gum might revolutionize how we tackle infectious diseases

Henry Daniell of the School of Dental Medicine and his team have incorporated an antiviral protein into gum and tested its effectiveness on multiple strains of flu and HSV.

NBC News

Gum containing bean powder can reduce transmission of flu, herpes, UPenn Dental Medicine study finds

A study by Henry Daniell of the School of Dental Medicine and colleagues finds that chewing gum made from beans can reduce the viral load of some strains of herpes and influenza.

Dana Graves receives Alan J. Davis Award/SCADA Achievement Award

Graves, a professor of periodontics and vice dean for Research & Scholarship and interim chair of the Department of Periodontics at Penn’s School of Dental Medicine, is recognized for his leadership and commitment to the advancement of dentistry.

Machine with human jaw and teeth model used to simulate chewing.

An antiviral chewing gum to reduce influenza and herpes simplex virus transmission

Researchers at Penn Dental Medicine and collaborators have used a clinical-grade antiviral chewing gum to substantially reduce viral loads of two herpes simplex viruses and two influenza A strains in experimental models.

2 min. read

Prevention

Your dentist may be able to identify a new sign of Alzheimer’s

Dean Mark Wolff of the School of Dental Medicine says it’s hard to say for sure that mouth bacteria can cause dementia or issues with brain health.

Students honored for excellence in preventive dentistry

Two fourth-year Penn Dental Medicine students, Hind Aljarahi and Kendra Domotor, have been recognized for their academic excellence in preventive dentistry as recipients of the 2024–2025 ADEA/Haleon Preventive Dentistry Scholarships.

Innate immune training aggravates inflammatory bone loss

Researchers from the School of Dental Medicine and international collaborators from Germany have investigated the effects of training the innate immune system in experimental models of chronic inflammatory disease, periodontitis and arthritis.

Person receiving treatment in a dental clinic.

Getting to the root of root canals

Penn researchers use iron oxide nanozymes to treat infections during root canals with fewer adverse effects than clinical gold standard while also promoting tissue healing.

A person checking their gum health and teeth in a mirror.

Inflammation proteins in saliva mark progression of gum disease

A new study from Penn Dental Medicine demonstrates the potential usefulness of saliva tests for tracking periodontitis.

1 min. read

Self

Four reasons your mouth might taste bloody or metallic

Thomas Sollecito of the School of Dental Medicine says that a metallic taste in the mouth can be caused by tiny bits of blood constantly being released by swollen gums and cleared by saliva.

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