Published at the College of Dental Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina
Volume 2, Issue 1
February, 1994
Steven D. London, D.D.S., Ph.D., Editor
John G. Blackburn, Ph.D., Co-Editor
The AAOB Newsletter is published several times a year for the members of the association. Statements in this publication do not constitute an endorsement by the College of Dental Medicine or the Medical University of South Carolina. All correspondence should be directed to Dr. Steven London, Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, 171 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, South Carolina 29425.
Letter from the Editors
This is the second issue of the AAOB Newsletter. The editors hope that the AAOB membership found the first issue informative. The fact that over 50% of U.S. dental schools responded to the AAOB Survey of Oral Biology suggests that the newsletter has reached an audience which will be able to have a positive impact on both the educational and research objectives of the oral biology community. The editors appreciate the input concerning the Newsletter which we have received from the AAOB members. We look forward to receiving suggestions for ways to improve future editions of this Newsletter from AAOB members both at our annual business meeting in Seattle on Thursday, March 10, 1994 and via communications directly with the editors.
This issue of the Newsletter contains a number of items of interest to AAOB members. On page 2 AAOB President Dr. Barry Rifkin has commented on efforts of our association to asses the current status of Oral Biology education at U.S. and Canadian dental schools. This year the AAOB has started a Junior Scientist Award program. This program, and our first award recipients is described on page 3. Information on the AAOB annual business meeting and Joint Symposium on Oral Biology, both of which will occur during the joint IADR-AADS meetings in Seattle on March 9 - 15, 1994 is contained on pages 3 and 4.
In this issue of the Newsletter we have initiated a new series (beginning on page 7) which will describe Oral Biology programs currently in place at dental schools in the United States and Canada. The editors appreciate Dr. Israel Kleinberg's contribution to this series describing Oral Biology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. In addition to Dr. Kleinberg's contribution we have included a description of the oral biology curriculum at Stony Brook to allow members to begin to compare curricula at other schools to their own. We hope to initiate a dialogue within the oral biology community on matters concerning both undergraduate as well as graduate oral biology education as we continue to highlight other oral biology programs in future editions of this Newsletter.
We currently have a 80% response rate to the AAOB Oral Biology Survey which was distributed with the first edition of this newsletter. The AAOB requests the help of our members in achieving a 100% response rate to this survey prior to the March meetings in Seattle. A list of the dental schools which have not responded to the survey is contained on page 5.
Dr. Hershall Kaufman, Chair of the Oral Biology Section of the American Association of Dental Schools, has contributed an article to this issue of the Newsletter (pages 5 - 6) which describes both the purpose and some of the accomplishments of the Oral Biology Section. Clearly, our two organizations are complementary and provide dental educators and researchers the opportunity to support oral biology.
Two supplemental items have been included in the mailing of this Newsletter. The first is the 1993-1994 edition of the AAOB Membership Directory. The Editors take full responsibility for any errors contained in this first edition of the Directory. An AAOB Directory Update form is included in the Directory for your convenience in correcting or updating your listing. We would appreciate all members supplying telephone and FAX numbers as well as Internet addresses so that the next edition of the directory can be as complete as possible. Also, a concise description of your research interests and approaches would be appreciated. Please be sure to limit these to short phrases which will fit into the limited space available in the Directory. A copy of Oral Biology Curricular Guidelines (as originally published in Journal of Dental Education ) is also included for your information.
We hope that the AAOB membership will play an active role in future editions. We solicit your input concerning the contents of the newsletter and invite your contributions in the form of letters to the editor, discussions of topics relevant to Oral Biology, and any items which may be of interest to the Oral Biology community. We hope you find the newsletter informative and look forward to your input.
A Letter to the AAOB Membership by Dr. Barry Rifkin, President of the American Association of Oral Biologists
We are living in one of the most exciting eras of science: the age of Molecular Biology. It seems that Oral Biology should be at the forefront of bringing Molecular Biology into Dentistry. Indeed, the significance of Molecular Biology, including its clinical impact, might help propel Oral Biology to center stage in a Dental School. Such a move to center stage should be similar to the impact that infectious diseases, particularly HIV Infection, and the medical status of our patients have had on enhancing the significance of Oral Medicine. Clearly, there are several Dental Schools with strong Oral Biology Departments and these departments have had an enormous impact. Yet, despite the success of these Departments, how is the discipline of Oral Biology viewed? This is a question which the AAOB is actively pursing via its Oral Biology survey which is being spearheaded by Drs. Frank Dowd and Richard Suddick. Once the AAOB survey has been completed, our association will be in the position to begin to determine whether the discipline of Oral Biology is currently in a growth, static, or declining phase. I encourage all of our members to support the role of Oral Biology in Dental education in their respective institutions. I also suggest that our members initiate a dialogue on Oral Biology by submitting letters to the editor of this Newsletter.
I would like to acknowledge and thank all the AAOB officers and other AAOB members who have worked over the past year to further the interests of our organization. I look forward to seeing all of the members at the AAOB business meeting in Seattle on Thursday, March 10 at 5 P.M. in the Vashon Room of the Westin Hotel. We will be discussing a number of important issues at this meeting including a report by Dr. Alvares concerning his efforts to insure the continued publication of the journal Critical Reviews in Oral Biology and Medicine . As you know, this is an outstanding Journal, one which the AAOB is proud to sponsor. Finally, I encourage all our members to support the program, "New Trends in Oral Biology Education" that Dr. Dowd has developed by attending the symposium on Saturday, March 12 at 2:15 P.M. This should be an informative symposium for all of our members and will include a summary of the AAOB Survey of Oral Biology by Dr. Dowd.
AAOB News
1994 Winners of the AAOB Junior Scientist Award
The AAOB Junior Scientist Awards were presented on February 5, 1994 at the
60th Annual Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Sciences Regional meeting. While
an Oral Biology award has been given for the past 10 years at this meeting,
this is the first year in which the AAOB has sponsored this award. This
program represents one way in which our organization is trying to encourage
young people to become involved in oral biology and dentistry. The meeting
was hosted by Keystone Oaks High School in Mt. Lebanon, a suburb of Pittsburgh.
Nearly 1500 projects from over 100 schools were judged. Of these, 59 were on
topics in oral biology. The two award-winning projects were the highest
scoring among these 59. The award included a $50.00 cash prize and a
certificate with the AAOB logo. This years winners were Jeffery Piposr
of Carson Middle School, Nancy Wolfe, Sponsor (What kind of mouthwash
kills bacteria best?) and Christine DeRunk of North Catholic High School,
George Oesterling, Sponsor (Determination of fluoride content of
toothpaste by spectrophotometry).
Mr. Jeffery Piposr (left) and Ms. Christine DeRunk (right) shown receiving their AAOB Junior Scientist Awards from AAOB President-Elect Dr. Kathy Vergona.
1994 AAOB Business Meeting
The 1994 AAOB business meeting will be held in conjunction with the IADR
and AADS meetings in Seattle, Washington during March 1994. This year, our
business meeting will be on Thursday, March 10th from 5:00 to 7:30 P.M. in
the Vashon Room of the Westin Hotel with wine and cheese to follow. The
Westin Hotel is located at 1900 5th Avenue, Seattle and is the headquarters
hotel for the 1994 IADR meeting. We hope that all AAOB members will attend
this important annual event and ask all current AAOB members to invite any
interested members of the dental community to this meeting. A number of
items of interest will be discussed at this meeting including information
concerning the status of our official journal, Critical Reviews in Oral
Biology & Medicine by Dr. Olav Alvares.
AAOB Joint Symposium on Oral Biology
An AAOB, IADR and AADS jointly sponsored symposium on oral biology will be
held at the IADR-AADS meeting in Seattle on Saturday, March 12, 1994. The
title of the symposium is "New Trends in Oral Biology Education" and it
will be held from 2:15 - 5:00 P.M. in the Washington Convention Center,
Room 613 and 614. The symposium will be chaired by Dr. Frank Dowd and
co-chaired by Dr. Hershall Kaufman. Dr. Kathy D. Vergona from the University
of Pittsburgh will discuss the content of national boards and the role of
oral biology in preparing the dental student for this exam. The issue of a
separate national board exam in oral biology will be discussed in light of
the present content and the new format of the national boards. Dr. William
Hendricson of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
will discuss problem-based learning in dental education as a viable alternative
or supplement to more traditional methods of education. Issues to be addressed
include the role of distinct scientific disciplines in defining curricular
content and goals, objectives and methodology in problem-based learning.
Dr. Lynn Johnson from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry will
speak on computer-aided dental education. Specific examples relating to
oral biology will be used and a variety of media formats will be discussed.
Dr. Frank Dowd will discuss the results of the recent AAOB survey on the
status of oral biology education in the United States and Canada. The
survey has addressed several questions related to the status of oral
biology departments as well as teaching and research activities within
oral biology departments throughout the United States and Canada
We anticipate attendance at the symposium by individuals who have interest in oral biology from both an educational and research perspective. The timing of the symposium is strategically placed so as to maximize participation from both IADR and AADS registrants. We hope this will be an informative symposium and encourage all of our members who will be in Seattle for the IADR and/or AADS meeting to attend.
Important information concerning 1994 AAOB Dues and Subscriptions
to Critical Reviews in Oral Biology & Medicine
Last August, it was anticipated that the annual dues for full AAOB members
would include a yearly subscription to the society's official journal,
Critical Reviews in Oral Biology & Medicine . Since that time,
we have been notified that the CRC Press has decided to sell seventeen of
its journals including Critical Reviews in Oral Biology & Medicine.
Dr. Olav Alvares, editor of Critical Reviews in Oral Biology &
Medicine, is currently in the final stages of negotiations with an
interested publisher and he will likely be able to provide the AAOB
membership with an update on the status of our official journal at our
annual business meeting on Thursday, March 10th in Seattle. Until a
new publisher is in place, the dues for 1994 membership remain at $12.00
per year. The association asks that all members become current in their
dues. Inquiries concerning individual members status should be directed
to Dr. Thomas F. McNamara at the following address:
Dr. Thomas F. McNamara
School of Dental Medicine
SUNY at Stony Brook
Stony Brook, New York 11794-8702
Telephone: (516) 632-8916
FAX: (516) 632-6917
Oral Biology Survey
The AAOB Oral Biology survey has currently been completed by 43 of the
54 U.S. dental schools and 4 of the 10 Canadian dental schools. We greatly
appreciate the help of all the AAOB members who completed this survey. A
list of schools for which we currently do not have a completed survey follows.
In order to achieve a 100% response rate in time for AAOB Joint Symposium
on Oral Biology this March, we ask all AAOB members to refer colleagues at
the schools for which we do not have a completed survey to Dr. Frank Dowd.
Dr. Dowd will forward them a copy of the AAOB Oral Biology survey. Dr. Dowd
can be contacted at the following address:
Dr. Frank Dowd
Department of Pharmacology
Creighton University School of Medicine
2500 California Plaza
Omaha, Nebraska 68178
Telephone: (402) 280-2726
FAX: (402) 280-2142
Dental Schools who have not completed the AAOB Survey of Oral Biology
United States Dental Schools Canadian Dental Schools
Columbia UniversityDalhousie University
Howard UniversityLaval Universite
Iowa, UniversityManitoba, University
Louisiana State UniversityMcGill University
Louisville, UniversityMontreal University
Marquette, UniversitySaskatchewan, University
New Jersey University Of Medicine and DentistryWestern Ontario, University
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University
Pacific, University
Pennsylvania, University
Puerto Rico , University
News From the Oral Biology Section of the American
Association of Dental Schools (AADS)
The AADS through its House of Delegates makes decisions which have wide ranging
implications for dental education in this country. For example, a vote will likely
be taken this year which could replace the discipline based instructional objective
model for curriculum guidelines with a model based on competencies. This could have
considerable impact upon the way in which we teach our basic sciences. In order to
influence such decisions, one must be an active member of AADS.
The AADS organizational structure from the top down consists of (1) the House of Delegates (makes policy) which meets at the annual meeting and consists of the Executive Committee and all or some members of the six councils), (2) the Executive Committee, (3) the six councils (Allied Dental Program Directors, Deans, Faculties, Hospitals, Sections, and Students) and their administrative boards, and (4) the individual sections which send their chair and chair elect to the Council of Sections and the House of Delegates.
The individual Sections represent most of the administrative and educational components of a dental school. While basic sciences such as Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Microbiology had their own sections prior to 1979, there was no Oral Biology Section and therefore, no official recognition of Oral Biology as an educational discipline. Thanks to the efforts of Dick Suddick and others, the Oral Biology Section was established by the House of Delegates in 1979. The first major accomplishment by the Section was the drafting of the undergraduate curricular guidelines for oral biology (Hausman, E., Kleinberg, I., Reed, M.J., Robinovitch, M. and Roth, G.I. Curricular guidelines for oral biology. J. Dent. Educ. 48, 269-273,1984). This was followed by the graduate program guidelines (Kleinberg, I., Suddick, R., Ellison, S.E., Strachan, D. and Robinovitch, M. Curriculum guidelines for the development of graduate programs in oral biology. J. Dent. Educ. 50, 499-503, 1986). For the first time we had a framework on which to base our oral biology teaching objectives. As a result, accrediting bodies have been forced to consider whether oral biology is adequately taught in U.S. dental schools. More recently, we have established the AADS-Unilver Oral Biology award which will provide $2500 to a dental student for a paper related to the field of Oral Diagnostics.
The establishment of the Section has provided the opportunity to educate people from other disciplines about the meaning and role of Oral Biology in dental education. However, in order to further our goals, it is important to have active participation by people involved in the discipline. We presently have about 180 members but our business meetings have been poorly attended. Part of the reason for this has been the fact that our meetings were usually scheduled at the same time as those of the other basic sciences, and many of our members also belong to these sections. This year our meeting in Seattle will be between 5 and 5:30 on Sunday, March 13 and will not overlap with the other meetings. The Seattle meeting will be different this year in that the first two days of the AADS meeting (Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13) will overlap with the last two days of the IADR meeting giving people who usually only attend the IADR the opportunity to attend both meetings.
As well as co-sponsoring a symposium with AAOB titled "New Trends in Oral Biology Education" on Saturday, March 12, our Section together with Anatomical Sciences, Biochemistry and Nutrition, Microbiology and Physiology will present a symposium titled "Methods and Strategies for the Application of Basic Science Information to Clinical Dentistry" on Sunday, March 13.
Although the Oral Biology Section and AAOB have many common goals, the AAOB may have an easier time achieving some objectives because it does not answer to a higher body. The AADS has not really understood what Oral Biology is all about and is not likely to strongly support oral biology programs and departments which are coming under increasing financial pressures and threats of extinction. On the other hand, AAOB is free to more directly focus on these issues. Should the AADS decide to go to a 'competency' based system for curriculum guidelines which appears likely, the Oral Biology Section will be required to follow this approach, even if they disagree with it. The Section has been arguing against the change because we feel that much of basic science and oral biology teaches the basis of what the graduating dental student will need to know in the future, whereas competencies are based on what the graduate needs to know now. Therefore, competency based guidelines may make much of what oral biology teaches appear irrelevant. AAOB is not bound by such restrictions and is free to update and promote the guidelines using the instructional objective model if they wish. Also and most importantly, because of its independence, the AAOB is able to receive gifts to be used for the purpose promoting its own objectives and is also free to publish its own journal.
I would like to urge any of you who are not members of AADS to join and become active members of our section and to attend our business meeting and symposia this spring. Our two organizations have common goals and have the opportunity working both inside and outside established organizations to influence dental research and education for years to come.
Bill Kaufman, Oral Biology, SUNY at Stony Brook
Chair, Oral Biology Section of AADS
Oral Biology at the State University of New York
at Stony Brook
Oral Biology was established as a department when a new dental school
was started at Stony Brook in 1973. It began with a core of faculty from
Canada, mainly from the University of Manitoba who had considerable
experience in oral biology problems and who were attracted by the
opportunity to attempt certain innovations. One of these was introduction
of a unique Oral Biology curriculum as an integral part of the education
of the pre-doctoral dental student. The format and content of this
curriculum defined Oral Biology in terms of oral systems (taught after
the basic medical sciences) and this became the basis for the development
of the guidelines approved in 1984 by the American Association of Dental
Schools for the teaching of Oral Biology in U.S. dental schools (1). Using
the same oral biological approach and based on the earlier Canadian
experiences, the Department simultaneously initiated Ph.D. study in Oral
Biology which was later used as a template for preparation of the guidelines
for Ph.D. study in Oral Biology approved in 1986 by the American Association
of Dental Schools (2).
The Department consists of a core of 12 full-time faculty, 9 are supported by New York State and 3 are supported on grants. Together with its technicians and graduate students, the Department numbers about 50 individuals and occupies about 20,000 square feet of well equipped space. The Department has been the most successful department at Stony Brook in developing collaborative relationships with industry. It presently receives about $700,000 per year in industrial support (about 15 companies) which is more than any department at Stony Brook. Research support from other external sources is about $1,000,000 per year and this comes mainly from governmental and non-industrial sources. As a special initiative, New York State has funded a skin facility which is housed in and is an integral part of the Department. Besides providing cultured skin for the University Hospital Burn Unit, this facility is a valuable asset in the Department's basic and applied research programs and in furthering its relationships with industry and medicine, especially Dermatology.
The Department has been in on the ground floor of technology transfer. It played key roles in development of a realistic patent policy for the State University of New York about 15 years ago, and a little over a decade ago (1983), also played a key role in Stony Brook being awarded its Center of Biotechnology. This was one of the first high technology centers funded in the State by the New York State Science and Technology Foundation to facilitate new technology transfer and aid in economic development of the State. In this regard, the Department has led all departments at Stony Brook in the obtaining of patents, licensing agreements, development of new products and helping in the formation of new companies.
Since its beginning the educational and research activities of the Department have been closely integrated. A major objective of this relationship was to bring oral and other research findings more rapidly into clinical practice and to attempt to correct a major deficiency in dental education, namely the almost total lack of oral laboratory medicine. This contrasts with laboratory medicine being a well established discipline in Medicine where it is fundamental to the diagnosis and clinical management of patients. This deficiency in Dentistry has become increasingly evident during the last two decades as a result of the tremendous growth in dental research and science in general. Evident has been the lack of appropriate instrumentation and diagnostic hardware development for the clinical management of patients with complex oral problems. To meet this need, the Department shortly after its beginning, initiated a research and teaching program, which it called Oral Diagnostics, to develop new and bring together existing technologies for this purpose. As part of this effort, a curriculum was designed for the pre-doctoral dental student in which he or she is introduced in the third year of his or her studies, to the basics of oral diagnostic technology and relevant aspects of laboratory medicine. This is done with classroom lectures, demonstrations and some hands-on experience. In the fourth year, the students utilize this knowledge and these procedures in their treatment of patients in the clinic. The student learns how to measure; flow of resting and whole saliva in the management of the dry mouth patient; salivary pH, clearance and buffering capacity and levels of cariogenic bacteria in caries prone patients; gingival and periodontal fluid and related parameters to monitor effectiveness of hygiene and periodontal disease treatment; dential hypersensitivity with special pulp sensitometer and scratchometer devices; saliva from individual major and minor glands for various chemical and enzyme analyses; plaque pH, ureolytic and oxidation-reduction levels to assess plaque eco-potential in malodor and periodontal patients; plaque mineral levels for identification of rapid calculus formers; salivary visco-elasticity and subdenture carbon particle dispersion for denture fit and retention; oral malodor activity by hydrogen sulfide and organoleptic tests; various bacterial tests including Candida for denture stomatitis and AIDS; occlusion and neuromuscular assessments with kinesiographic, electromyographic and other measurements. The student develops hands on experience with many of the special diagnostic kits and devices developed for the program. They also learn how to collect and prepare samples for more complex analyses of plaque, saliva, gingival sulcus-periodontal pocket fluid and oral tissue components that require processing with more sophisticated techniques and equipment that would not normally be available in the dental office but in a central laboratory. This program has undergone considerable change since its initiation and still leaves much to be desired but it is quite clear that it has identified an important niche to be filled by the "clinical oral biologist".
The Oral Diagnostics program has its roots in the extensive research activities of the Department, both basic and applied. This has led to the development by the faculty in the Department of a variety of new diagnostic kits and devices, as well as several therapeutics for clinical use. The instrumentation developed has generally been offshoots or adaptations of techniques or devices developed initially for ongoing research projects. Development of significant capability within the Department of producing prototypes and carrying out studies in conjunction with industrial firms that are needed for regulatory approvals has made this whole process easier and should accelerate new diagnostic and therapeutic treatments becoming more readily available to the practicing clinician and general public.
The Stony Brook program recognized early the need to provide Ph.D. and comparable trainees with significant Oral Biology backgrounds for a variety of careers. Of its various trainees, eleven hold positions in industry. Nine hold both D.D.S./Ph.D. and three hold M.D./Ph.D. degrees. Most of the dual degree individuals are in academic or research positions or in part-time academics and practice. Eight others are in post-doctoral or other research or academic positions.
The research interests and activities of the faculty are diverse, broad based and include the following: tetracyclines as anticollagenase agents for the treatment of periodontal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and tumor invasion; construction and study of microflora models for the mouth, skin and vagina to identify ecological means of microbial flora manipulation and control of oral and medical infections; identification of agents in saliva to treat fungal infections; understanding the basis and development of new modes of measurement, diagnosis and treatment of xerostomia and hyposalivation; role of saliva in plaque formation and biology, dental caries, oral infections, denture function and comfort, and gastritis; various aspects of oral mineral biology including calculus formation and use of lasers; use of biomaterials within the oral cavity; biological basis and treatment of oral, skin and vaginal malodor; development of a wide variety of devices and instrumentation for research, clinical studies and patient care; development of the Periotron, the instrument that measures the flow of fluid from gingival crevices and periodontal pockets and is now widely used throughout the world to study the composition of gingival and periodontal pocket fluid and its relation to oral and systemic disease; dentinal sensitivity measurement, mechanisms and treatment; skin as an agent of gene therapy; healing of skin and other wounds; culturing of skin elements such as sebocytes and study of their biology and role in disease; skin grafting and burn and ulcer treatment; biological basis of dandruff, acne, ectopic dermatitis, psoriasis; various aspects of retinoid and lipid metabolism of skin and its differentiation; and others.
Because many of the research projects in the Department involve various areas of medicine, extensive interactions have developed with many departments of the Medical School especially its clinical divisions. The Department has cross-appointments with Dermatology, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Family Medicine, and Pathology. It also interacts with Nephrology, Oncology, Rheumatology, Nursing, and others. In its 20 years of existence, the Department feels it has been able to develop many new innovations in oral biology teaching, research and application. In this regard, it feels a certain sense of accomplishment, considering the financial difficulties New York State, SUNY and especially the dental school at Stony Brook have gone through during the last decade of so.
References:
- Curricular guidelines for Oral Biology. J. Dent. Educ., 48:269-273, 1984.
- Curriculum guidelines for the development of graduate programs in Oral Biology. J. Dent. Educ., 50:499-503, 1986.
Pre-Doctoral Oral Biology Curriculum at SUNY at Stony Brook
HDO 560 Oral Biology and Pathology I
This course is the first of four comprehensive courses on molecular structure, biochemical and physiological function, developmental anatomy, and pathology of the various systems that constitute the oral apparatus. The course consists of the following two units of instruction: (1) the embryological development of the face and oral cavity and (2) the biology and pathology of the oral mineralized tissues.
Prerequisite: Undergraduate degree in basic science and permission of instructor.HDO 561 Oral Biology and Pathology II
This course is the second of four comprehensive courses on molecular structure, biochemical and physiological function, developmental anatomy, and pathology of the various systems that constitute the oral apparatus. The course consists of the following two units of instruction: (1) the biology and pathology of the periodontal structures and (2) the microbiology of the oral cavity.
Prerequisite: Undergraduate degree in basic science and permission of instructor.HDO 562 Oral Biolo gy and Pathology III
This course is the third of four comprehensive courses on molecular structure, biochemical and physiological function, developmental anatomy, and pathology of the various systems that constitute the oral apparatus. The course consists of the following two units of instruction: (1) biology and pathology of the salivary glands and their products and (2) the biology and pathology of the oral mucous membranes.
Prerequisite: Undergraduate degree in basic science and permission of instructor.HDO 563 Oral Biolo gy and Pathology IV
This course is the last of four comprehensive courses on molecular structure, biochemical and physiological function, developmental anatomy, and pathology of the various systems that constitute the oral apparatus. The course consists of the following two units of instruction: (1) the biology and pathology of the oral sensory systems and (2) the biology and pathology of oral motor systems.
Prerequisite: Undergraduate degree in basic science and permission of instructor.
Post-Doctoral / Graduate Oral Biology Curriculum at SUNY at Stony Brook
HDO 500 Biology of the Oral Mineralized Tissues
This course deals with the basic chemistry, crystallography, ultrastructure, and metabolism of the calcium phosphates involved in the formation and physiological and pathological resorption of the various mineralized tissues found in or associated with the oral cavity (enamel, dentin, cementum, bone). Ectopic calcifications and calculus formation will be examined.
Prerequisite: HDO 560, 561, 562 and 563 or their equivalent; permission of instructor.HDO 510 Salivary Metabolism and Secretion
Consideration is given to the normal and abnormal structure and function of the glandular systems found in the oral cavity. The composition, regulation, and functions of the secretions from the major and minor salivary glands will receive particular attention.
Prerequisite: HDO 560, 561, 562 and 563 or their equivalent; permission of instructor.HDO 520 Oral Microbial Systems
Consideration is given to the structural composition, metabolism, and environmental relationships of the bacterial systems formed on and in association with the oral hard and soft tissues. Specific and mixed bacterial populations and their role in oral disease will be dealt with.
Prerequisite: HDO 560, 561, 562 and 563 or their equivalent; permission of instructor.HDO 530 Molecular Biology and Pathology of the Periodontium
This course deals with the ultrastructure and biochemical composition of the periodontal tissues, the microbial interrelations with the organic and inorganic components of the periodontal tissues, the biochemical dynamics of gingival inflammation and wound healing, and the metabolic processes responsible for the composition and flow of gingival crevice fluid.
Prerequisite: HDO 560, 561, 562 and 563 or their equivalent; permission of instructor.HDO 535 Epithelial Keratinization and Differentiation
A consideration of the role of stabilization of gene expression in the development and maturation of mammalian cells and tissues. Differentiation in skin and cartilage will be considered in detail. Alterations in the differentiative process of these tissues that may result in pathological disorders will be discussed.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor required; HBP 531 suggested; students must have had background in cellular biochemistry.HDO 545 Sugar and Man
This course will examine the societal and biologic factors that influence the role played by sugar in the development of human disease. Topics will include the chemistry and metabolism of sugar, the sweet taste, the place of carbohydrates in the diet, and sucrose substitutes. Special emphasis will be given to the role of sugars in oral disease.
Prerequisite: HDO 560, 561, 562 and 563 or their equivalent; permission of instructor.HDO 550 Oral Diagnostics and Therapeutic Technology, Lectures and Laboratory Techniques
Recent advances in the use and development of research technology for the early diagnosis and treatment monitoring of oral and systemic disease. Includes relationships of dry mouth to salivary physiology, diabetes, and drug medications; the use of the Periotron and enzyme assays for the diagnosis of gingivitis and periodontal disease; iontophoresis for the treatment of sensitive teeth; oral candidiasis and denture stomatitis and early detection and causes of dental caries.
Prerequisite: HDO 560, 561, 562 and 563 or their equivalent; permission of instructor.HDO 590 Research Projects in Oral Biology and Pathology
Individual laboratory projects closely supervised by faculty members to be carried out in their research laboratories.
Prerequisite: Student must be enrolled in a master's or doctoral program.HDO 599 Graduate Research
Original investigations undertaken with the supervision of a faculty member.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructorHDO 690 Oral Biology and Pathology Seminars
Research seminars by students, staff and visiting scientists.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.HDO 694 Dissertation Research in Oral Biology and Pathology
Original investigation undertaken with the supervision of a member of the staff.
Prerequisite: Permission of thesis advisor.HDO 695 Oral Biology and Pathology Teaching Practicum
Practice instruction in the teaching of oral biology and pathology at the undergraduate level carried out under faculty orientation and supervision.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
Israel Kleinberg
Department of Oral Biology and Pathology
School of Dental Medicine
State University of New York at Stony Brook
