Every summer, I catch myself saying “I should come back here in the fall” after discovering a new state park or hiking trail. When I spent a week camping in Kentucky’s Daniel Boone National Forest, this thought was especially relevant. If you find yourself needing a break this fall, a drive through eastern Kentucky could be your solution.
The University of Kentucky College of Dentistry’s chapter of ASDA has a rich history of giving back to the people of Lexington and Central Kentucky. One of the unique ways we do this is by organizing monthly, student-run, free dental clinics for children ages 4–12. Saturday Morning Clinic (SMC) was started over 40 years ago by dental students who wanted to promote good oral health and give back to the community.
I will always remember learning how to cut a crown preparation for the first time. As I sat in class and looked down at my hands, I wondered if they would ever be skilled and steady enough to refine a margin or achieve the perfect taper. I felt intimidated, but the crushing weight and pressure on my chest did not feel like normal school stress or anxiety. At that exact moment, life was literally throwing me a curve ball (or as I later found out, three).
In our lab session following class, I found myself struggling to catch my breath and felt extreme discomfort in my chest and arms. With the help of faculty members and classmates, I was taken to the emergency room, where I waited for hours with many unanswered questions. My diagnosis finally came: three pulmonary emboli. While it felt reassuring to know exactly what I was facing, I had no idea what a long struggle the recovery would be.
Each year, ASDA members publish more than 100 articles in ASDA News, more than 50 articles in Mouth and at least 156 posts to this blog. That’s a lot of content. Behind the scenes of these publications is ASDA’s Editorial Board–eight dental students who dedicate their time to planning, writing and editing your ASDA publications. It’s thanks to them that you read about millennials, creative diagnosis, and lasers this past year. They are also the folks that bring you Life Hacks Week and “just for fun” posts here on the blog.
ASDA’s Editorial Board sifted through all the articles and blog posts of 2015 to narrow down nominees for three Gold Crown Awards: Best News Article, Best Feature Article and Best Blog Post. Criteria included relevance, originality, research and presentation. For blog posts, number of visits, social shares and Facebook likes were also weighed in the decision. Here are the nominees for the 2016 Gold Crown Awards for best articles and blog post…
Let’s face it – most people do not look forward to a trip to the dentist. While shadowing as a predental, I specifically remember a patient greeting the doctor with, “No offense, but I hate you.” Understandably so. We invade our patients’ personal space, we put instruments in their facial orifices that resemble torture devices, and some of our patients honestly have no idea what we look like under our 20 layers of PPE. It is our responsibility to ensure anxious or fearful patients have the best possible experience during their visits with the hopes that we can make the difference in overcoming their dental phobias. Here are few tips for when you inevitably encounter the patient who hates the dentist.
Six years ago, Dr. Leigh Chalothorn published a study in JADA that looked at hypodontia among epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients. It was found that there was a prevalence of 20% for hypodontia among EOC patients, while only a 3% prevalence in the control group. This has been a major source for additional studies at “home,” aka the University of Kentucky. My particular study looked at the role of Activin βa and Activin βb and the Activin Type II receptor, which is involved in the transition from Bud-to-Cap stage of odontogenesis, across families with hypodontia to see if there was any correlation. My null hypothesis is that these genes are not associated with hypodontia.
Across this great nation, we dental students are learning all about the oral health issues that we will encounter in our patients during our professional career. From calculus buildup and caries to generalized aggressive periodontitis and apical abscesses, the ailments that one can face are near limitless. Did you ever think that these same issues could occur in your pet?
