The West Virginia University School of Dentistry recently held its annual research competition for third-year Doctor of Dental Surgery students.
This year’s event marked the 9th Annual Local American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR)/Dentsply Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and its Application (SCADA) and 58th Annual School of Dentistry Alumni Association Research Competition.
First place was awarded to Julia Gianni and Jonathan Hung for their presentation on “Butyrate Modulates Immunogenicity of Mouse Oral Cancer Cells (MOC-1).” The students were mentored by Jennifer Franko, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Dental Research and assistant teaching professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology. The are now eligible to advance to the national AADOCR/Dentsply SCADA competition in 2027. Additionally, Gianni and Hung received $1,000 total in scholarship support through the Dr. and Mrs. James Caveney and Family Dental Table Clinic Award.
The second place team included Sahil Hira, Akansh Mani and Derek Nguyen under the guidance of mentor Chris Ivanoff, DDS, professor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry and director of global engagement. Their presentation was titled “Accuracy of Machine Learning Models for Caries Detection.”
Alex Banks, Adrian Coalson, Kaiden Hammer and Aaliyah Williams placed third for their presentation titled “Evaluating the Perception of Oral Hygiene Practices and Habits.” Their mentor was Rodney Powers, DDS, associate professor and interim chair of the Department of Restorative Dentistry.
The second and third place winners received financial awards from the WVU School of Dentistry Alumni Association.
Judges for this year’s competition included Michael Bagby, DDS, PhD, professor; Jerry Bouquot, DDS, clinical professor and oral and maxillofacial pathologist; Gina Grazziani, DDS, chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, associate dean for postdoctoral affairs and associate professor; and Valerie Perrine, DDS, executive dean for education and students affairs and assistant professor.
Additional projects included:
- Haydar ‘Leo’ Qassem, “Force-Induced Microplastic Release from Clear Aligner Material;” Khaled Alsharif, ABO, Research Mentor
- Munirah Aldaihani, Kara Jalufka, Taylor Martino and Joshua Wagoner, “Determinants of Dental Anxiety and Evidence-based Interventions;” Jonathan Abraham, DDS, Research Mentor
- Paige Dixon, Cathryn Myer, Ryan Weimer and Danielle Wydick, “Salivary Conditions of Collegiate Male Athletes Versus Non-Athletes;” Lauren Bakos, DDS, Research Mentor
- Hawraa Al Qassab, Jeseka Mansy, CJ Simpson and Lauren Wagner, “Gingival Retraction Methods: Insights from West Virginia Dental Professionals;” Elizabeth Kao, DMD, Research Mentor
- Dana Alyousef, Ali Daneshvar, Fady Ghoul and Maryum Muzaffer, “Comprehensive Evaluation of Systemic Antibiotic vs non-antibiotic therapy during Phase 1 Periodontal Treatment;” Manali Vora, BDS, Research Mentor
- Ahmad Bakri, Anderson Hill, Jonathan Hung and Karissa Spokane, “Orthodontic Pain Alleviation with Chewing Gum;” Peter Ngan, DDS, Research Mentor
- Caroline Cartwright, Grant Harman, Donald Ludwick and Parker Miller, “Awareness and Clinical Use of Photobiomodulation in WV;” Gerald Schoenborn, DMD, Research Mentor
- Cole Kipps, Ben Kurtz, Cooper Sanders and Daniel Sturgeon, “Enamel Remineralization Capacity in New Market Products;” Christopher Waters, MS, and R. Constance Wiener, DMD, Research Mentors
- Malek Alsayegh, Lisa Eller, Abbey Hayes and Nicole Sacco, “Investigating Microbial Growth of Autoclaved Teeth Liquid Suspensions;” Valerie Watson, MS, Research Mentor
- Laiken Cook, Kristen Crowder, Fatmah AlZahra Jarkhi and Katherine Marks, “Variations in ‘Magic Mouthwash’ Formulations;” Tammy Chipps, DDS, Research Mentor
Literature review included:
- Cameron Kimble, Evan McCray and Hannah Stapleton, “Smokeless Tobacco Keratosis: Oral Mucosa Changes;” Melissa Luna, DDS, Research Mentor
WVU is designated as an R1 research institution, or very high research activity, by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. All students enrolled in the Doctor of Dental Surgery, Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene and advanced education programs complete a research project as part of the academic curriculum. Working alone or in small teams, with a faculty mentor, students perform studies which examine a range of scientific issues.
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jw/4/13/26
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