Younan, Periodontics win at 2025 SWSP Meeting

Second-year resident Mary Younan, DDS ’23, of the Advanced Education Program in Periodontics at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry was named the winner of the 2025 John F. Prichard Graduate Research Competition at the Southwest Society of Periodontics Business Meeting in Dallas.

Twelve abstracts were submitted from dental schools, including UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry, Air Force Postgraduate Dental School, Texas A&M College of Dentistry, and UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry.

Younan, who was honored to receive the Prichard Award, said the recognition "reflects the guidance, support, and inspiration I’ve received along the way.”

Eight judges, from residency programs as well as clinical judges, participated in the scoring of the abstracts. Based on this review, five abstracts were selected with two from UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry — Younan and Sillie Arboleda, DDS, a third-year resident. Younan and Arboleda marked the second time the School of Dentistry has had two representatives named as finalists in the Prichard Competition, which was established in 1985.

Finalists presented their oral presentations on Friday, Jan. 31, with winners being announced on Saturday, Feb. 1. The trophy arrived at the dental school in March.

Younan’s winning abstract was titled “Applying Convolutional Neural Networks for Radiographic Diagnosis and Treatment Recommendation of Furcation and Intrabony Periodontal Defects.” Jennifer Chang, DDS, MSD, predoctoral periodontics program director, served as Younan’s mentor.

As the winning program, the Advanced Education Program in Periodontics will be able to display the Prichard Trophy at the School of Dentistry until the next competition. The trophy is currently housed in the suite lobby of the Department of Periodontics and Dental Hygiene.

The Department of Periodontics was also recognized with the Outstanding Scientific Article Award from the SWSP for the publication in the Journal of Periodontology. The article “Ridge Dimensional Changes and Implant Stability Utilizing the Osseodensification Protocol: A Randomized Clinical Trial” was authored by Aziz Saqr, DDS; Srinivas Ayilavarapu, BDS, DSc, MDS; Chun-Teh Lee, DDS, DMSc, MS; and Popi Stylianou, DDS, MS.

“I am filled with immense pride and gratitude for the incredible research accomplishments and overall success of our team,” said Nikola Angelov, DDS, MS, PhD, chair of the Department of Periodontics and Dental Hygiene. “Witnessing the dedication, passion, and hard work each member of our department brings to our program is truly inspiring.

“The innovative research, tireless efforts, and unwavering commitment to excellence have not only elevated our department’s external reputation, but have also made a profound impact in the field of periodontics.”