2023 Scientific Table Clinic Presentation showcases student, resident findings

Students and residents of UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry shared findings and practiced their presentations on an array of topics at the 2023 Student Scientific Table Clinic on March 31 in the Pre-Clinical Laboratory.

The 2023 Student Table Clinic featured 33 presentations (10 DDS, 10 DH, and 13 resident). The event’s brochure can be found online.

Certificates and monetary prizes were awarded for outstanding work in three categories (dental student; dental hygiene student; and resident). Funding for the awards were provided through the School of Dentistry’s Office of the Dean. The Houston Section of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research gave certificates to the winner of each category, while the UTSD Alumni Association monetarily recognized dental student honorees. The top finishers were:

• Dental Student Category:
• First Place ($1,000):  Ali Al Hatem, fourth year, “Metformin-induced survival of c. Elegans on S. gordonil requires MDT - 15,” sponsor: Ransome van der Hoeven, PhD
• Second Place ($500):  Brendan Moxley, first year, “Management of Trigeminal Neuralgia with Botulinum Toxin Type A:  Report of Two Cases,” sponsor: Craig Pearl, DDS, MSD
• Third Place ($250):  Nicholas Tipton, fourth year, “Peripheral Calcifying Odontogenic Cyst: A Case Report and a 60-year Literature review of Clinical Features and Managements,” sponsors: Sally Sheng, DDS, MS; Jennifer Chang, DDS, MSD; and Hsiu-Wan Meng, DDS, MS
• Dental Hygiene Student Category (Second-Year Student Groups):
• First Place ($1,000):  Rachel Dowd, Lauren Frazee, Laura Huynh, and Nimer Nour; “Hey Alexa, Tell Me about AI in Dentistry,” sponsors: Tulsi Patel, RDH, MHA; Victoria Patrounova, RDH, MHA
• Second Place ($500):  Linda Cortes, Samantha Paredes, and Valeria Zamarripa; “Lyme Disease Ticks me Off,” sponsor: Ruth Conn, RDH, MSDH
• Third Place ($250):  Lily Dinh and Tammy Nguyen; “Alzheimer’s Disease and Oral Health,” sponsor: Sumayyah King, RDH, MS
• Resident Category:
• First Place ($1,000):  Natalie Pereira Sanchez, DDS, “Open Contact Occurring after Crown Delivery, What Went Wrong?” sponsors: Donald Belles, DDS; and Maria Gonzalez, DDS, MS
• Second Place ($500):  Lauren Cuda, DDS, “Trends in AEGD and GPR Post-Graduate Dental Training,” sponsors: Robert Spears, PhD, MS; Michelle Aguilos Thompson, DDS; and Victoria Vo, DDS
• Third Place ($250):  Lance Myers, DDS; “Troubleshooting Dental Implant Failures and Broken Prosthetics,” sponsor: Sudarat Kiat-amnuay, DDS, MS

For winning the dental student category, Al Hatem was named the recipient of the Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and Its Application Award. The SCADA Award is presented by Dentsply Sirona and AADOCR to winners of U.S. dental school research competitions.

Additionally, PACE Center Practice Consulting offered the W. Kenneth Horwitz, DDS, Table Clinic Award for Discussion of Ethics and Professionalism. The awardees were as follows:

• First Place ($1,250):  Mary Elliott Ontiveros, DDS, fourth year, “Hemophilia and the Role of the General Dentist,” sponsor: Kyle McCrea, DDS
• Finalist ($750):  Rachel Dowd, Lauren Frazee, Laura Huynh, and Nimer Nour; “Hey Alexa, Tell Me about AI in Dentistry,” sponsors: Tulsi Patel, RDH, MHA; Victoria Patrounova, RDH, MHA

The Student Table Clinic is a time-honored tradition of the Greater Houston Dental Society and UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry. Sponsors included the School of Dentistry’s Office of the Dean and the PACE Center; the Denton A. Cooley, MD and Ralph C. Cooley, DDS Endowment Fund for Dental Education; the Houston Section of the AADOCR; and the UTSD Alumni Association.