“Winning this competition has boosted my confidence immensely and inspired me to communicate my impactful research to the scientific community, as well as the general audience,” said Haque, a PhD student in oral biology.

Haque was one of eight graduate students who took part in Research Day, which was held in conjunction with the Manitoba Dental Association’s annual convention at the end of April.

Md Mahamudul Haque

Haque’s research examined the interaction between a bacterium named Streptococcus mutans and a fungus called Candida dubliniensis. The bacterium is a major cause of tooth decay and the fungus is present in oral cavities, he explained, adding that his research will be useful for investigating the interaction between the two microorganisms in the formation of dental plaque and the development of cavities.

“It’s time to raise awareness on dental health,” said Haque, whose advisor is Dr. Kangmin Duan, professor of oral biology. “Our research shed light on understanding significant synergistic relationships between mixed species biofilms, which would be beneficial for disease prevention and for overcoming the limitations of present therapeutics.”

Awards for the best clinical posters at Research Day went to two dentists who are prosthodontics residents: Dr. Paul Mikhail and Dr. Ana Schettini.

Mikhail’s poster presented a case in which he treated a patient with a collapsed bite, which had led to a change in bite and facial disharmony caused by lost or worn-down teeth. He gave the patient a new bite using crowns and removable partial dentures.

Dr. Paul Mikhail

“I learned new concepts while treating this patient,” said Mikhail, who is also a dental officer with the Canadian Armed Forces. “This case gave me a new set of foundations to treat patients.”

Schettini’s poster explained her treatment of a patient who needed a maxillary obturator, which is a prosthesis that replaces a part of the palate. She created a removable partial obturator made of titanium framework that satisfied the patient’s requirements for function and esthetics.

“Knowing and understanding the materials available and being up to date with the current technology for restorative cases can increase the treatment options and quality of the treatment provided to our patients,” Schettini said.

“The graduate prosthodontics program is doing a phenomenal job of introducing the materials and technologies available to the residents, and this case is a great example of how our patients are getting the benefit of it.”

Dr. Ana Schettini

Mikhail and Schettini’s advisor is Dr. Igor Pesun, associate professor and director of the graduate prosthodontics program.

Dr. Raj Bhullar, professor and associate dean of research at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, said the quality of the projects presented at Research Day was excellent.

“The top presenters incorporated new approaches in dealing with clinical situations and answering basic research questions,” Bhullar said. “The presenters showed great enthusiasm in explaining their research, and that made it hard to pick the winners.”

He thought about how hard he worked to get into dental school and how it all paid off. His inspiration to work tirelessly in school came from his grandfather, Harold Cochrane.

“Even though my grandpa had a terrible experience with residential school, he still realized that education was the key to success and that’s really been my motivation,” the first-year dental student said.

First-year dental student Reyce Cochrane (second from left) with his new classmates at the Opening Assembly for the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry and the School of Dental Hygiene.

Reyce, who grew up in Winnipeg, wanted to be a dentist since he was a child. His path was set in Grade 9 when he job shadowed his neighbour. The dentist’s ability to change someone’s life impressed him. He was also attracted to the profession because dentists work with their hands.

As his grandfather was his inspiration to work hard in school, Reyce hopes to inspire his cousins living on Fisher River Cree Nation and Peguis First Nation.

“I just hope I can be a role model to them and show them that they can go to university and be successful too,” he said.  

Reyce wants to practice on a First Nation when he’s finished dental school and he said more Indigenous dentists are needed.

“I think there’s a trust factor between a dentist and a patient, and I think if an Indigenous patient has an Indigenous dentist it will definitely be helpful,” he said.

Dr. Anastasia Kelekis-Cholakis, dean, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, gave a welcoming address at the Opening Assembly, which took place on the Bannatyne campus. The event is a chance to formally welcome the students into the oral health profession by supplying the learners with their first white coats.

Kelekis-Cholakis spoke directly to the 29 dentistry students, seven International Dentist Degree Program students and 25 dental hygiene students seated before her. She told them that this was the beginning of their professional lives.

“The white coat you will be given tonight will be a symbol of what your profession and society will expect of you,” Kelekis-Cholakis said. “Wear it with pride but also with an understanding of what your responsibilities are.”

First-year dentistry student Natalie Pesun knows all about those responsibilities. She will be the 11^th dentist in her family, which includes her father, aunt, uncle and cousin.

“I will be the fifth Dr. Pesun in Winnipeg,” she said.

Natalie said she has no clue why dentistry runs in her family, but she has a guess.

“I think it’s because everybody who ends up doing it loves it,” she said. “My dad loves his job. My aunt loves her job. All the dentists in my family absolutely love what they’re doing.”

Her father, Dr. Igor Pesun, is an associate professor in the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry. While there was a lot of talk about dentistry at family gatherings, Natalie said she didn’t feel any pressure to be a dentist growing up. However, her father and relatives definitely influenced her.

Natalie was in high school when she realized she was doing well in the courses needed for dentistry. She also liked the idea of working with people daily, so she pursued the profession that runs in her family.

Her father’s advice for her heading into dental school is to become involved in everything she can. “He said ‘you have 28 new siblings on your first day of school so get along and get involved and just enjoy it while you can because it’s going to get crazy,’” she said.

First-year dental hygiene student Lindsay Bodnar is turning her lifelong love of oral hygiene into a career.

When she was growing up, kids teased her for brushing her teeth at sleepovers. They told her she didn’t have to brush, but she couldn’t skip a night.

“I couldn’t stand my teeth feeling gross,” she said. “I just like the feeling of my teeth being cleaned.”

Bodnar has a theatre degree from the U of M and will take the skills she learned on stage to the clinic setting. “Communication is a big part of becoming an oral health advocate,” she said. “So I’m hoping my communication skills can transfer over to dental hygiene.”

“There’s an incredible need,” says the associate professor, who is director of the new graduate prosthodontics program in the department of restorative dentistry. “Between southern Ontario and Alberta, there are probably only 10 full-time prosthodontists. Manitoba has four full-time, and a few of us who practise part-time. We see patients from Thunder Bay to Saskatchewan, and from North Dakota to Nunavut.”

Prosthodontics is the dental speciality concerned with fixed and removable replacements for teeth, such as implants and dentures, as well as esthetic dentistry and reconstruction of other parts of the mouth, jaws and face.

With the launch in August 2018 of the graduate program at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, the ranks of local prosthodontists are expected to grow. And patients, particularly those who can’t otherwise afford treatment, will have better access to advanced care.

The graduate clinic will charge about 70 per cent of the Manitoba fee-guide rate, says Pesun. It will take referrals from the dental community, as well as the U of M dental clinics.

The new, provisionally accredited three-year program leads to a master of science in prosthodontics. Only two other Canadian dental schools – the University of Toronto and University of British Columbia – offer graduate programs in this specialty.

Two graduate residents will be accepted each year. There will be a strong emphasis on digital technologies. Every resident will conduct research.

The residents will be able to collaborate on dental cases with those in the college’s other graduate programs, including oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry and periodontics.

The program will also work with Health Sciences Centre and CancerCare Manitoba to serve patients where maxillofacial prosthetic treatment is needed because of genetic malformation, injury or disease.

The dream of a graduate prosthodontics program at U of M goes back a long way. In 1981, Dr. Lorne MacLachlan, an advocate for prosthodontics in Canada, established a charitable trust fund at the U of M to support the development of such a program.

Prosthodontist Brock Love [DMD/65], a long time instructor at the college, kept the vision alive. “We’re standing on Dr. Love’s shoulders,” says Pesun.

In the early 1990s, Pesun assisted Love in a clinical research project, evaluating dental implants. That experience influenced Pesun to pursue graduate studies in prosthodontics in Augusta, Ga.

Pesun went on to teach at the University of Minnesota. When he returned and joined the U of M faculty in 2006, he kept hoping to see a graduate program come to fruition. But several hurdles had to be overcome.

“First, we had to demonstrate that there was enough demand for prosthodontic services at the college to ensure a steady flow of patients. So eight years ago, with support from Zimmer Dental, we launched an implant fellowship. We were able to show that there are enough implant patients for a graduate program to be viable. That fellowship has ended now, with the launch of the new program.”

The second hurdle was the need for prosthodontists on the faculty. “When I arrived, there were only three prosthodontists in faculty positions. We have doubled that over the years,” Pesun says.

Third, there had to be clinical space for the program. That was set in motion three years ago, when the college closed the faculty private practice clinic on the second floor. It has been repurposed as the new Graduate Prosthodontic Clinic. “We’re starting with four operatories, with plans for a fifth. We also have lab and office space,” Pesun says. “It’s exciting to start training specialists and meeting the need for advanced prosthodontic care that we know is out there.” 

For more information, visit: umanitoba.ca/healthsciences/dentistry/rds/prosthodontics.html