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Katherine Unger Baillie
Senior Science News Officer
kbaillie@upenn.edu
Dental Medicine
A link between childhood stress and early molars
A link between childhood stress and early molars
Penn researchers discovered that children from lower-income backgrounds and those who go through greater adverse childhood experiences get their first permanent molars sooner.
Penn Dental Medicine to receive $20M estate gift honoring alumnus
Penn Dental Medicine to receive $20M estate gift honoring alumnus
One hundred and four years after Penn Dental Medicine alumnus Dr. Arthur E. Corby, Class of 1917, earned his dental degree, his daughter, alumna Carol Corby-Waller, has gifted the Dental School with an anticipated $20 million honoring her father.
A gentler strategy for avoiding childhood dental decay
A gentler strategy for avoiding childhood dental decay
By targeting the bonds between bacteria and yeast that can form a sticky dental plaque, a new therapeutic strategy could help wash away the build-up while sparing oral tissues, according to a new study by a team from the School of Dental Medicine.
Accessible care for all at a new dental center
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
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
$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
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
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
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.
Priming the immune system to attack cancer
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.
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Health.com
A dental student on TikTok says she knows if someone is pregnant by looking in their mouth—is this possible?
Mark Wolff, dean of the School of Dental Medicine, said it’s “an overstatement” to say doctors can tell if someone is pregnant by examining their gums, as purported in a viral TikTok video. However, he said, even those “that take really good care of their mouth” can develop sudden gingivitis during pregnancy.
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MarketWatch
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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Philadelphia Inquirer
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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Self Magazine
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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Philadelphia Inquirer
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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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Dental school grads find it hard to beat back student debt
Dean Mark Wolff of the School of Dental Medicine said dental school tuition has increased because dentistry, in general, has gotten more expensive. “You used to get the X-rays in your mouth taken with film, put inside your mouth. Today, we put sensors inside the mouth, capture it directly into the computer,” he said. “Film used to cost a few dollars a pack. That sensor is a $7,000 sensor.”
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