UM TodayDr. Rodrigo Franca – UM Today

B.Sc. (Dent.) program opens door to dental research

Matthew Kruchak — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 16:13:02 +0000

Natalie Pesun became fascinated with the materials used in dentistry during her first year at the Dr. Niznick College of Dentistry, so she approached the professor teaching the dental materials class to see whether he was conducting research over the summer that she could take part in.

This led Pesun, a third-year dental student, to enroll in the bachelor of science in dentistry (B.Sc. (Dent.) program.

The program provides students with the opportunity to conduct full-time research over the course of two summers. Learners have the option of enrolling in the program at the end of their first or second year of dental school, and they receive a $5,000 stipend each summer.

Third-year dental student Natalie Pesun.

Pesun joined Dr. Rodrigo França, associate professor of restorative dentistry, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, to study the materials used to make crowns and different cements used to affix crowns to teeth. She looked at different methods to remove the cement from the crowns and how it affects the materials.

“I’m really thankful for the B.Sc. (Dent.) program,” Pesun said. “It’s a great way for dental students to spend their summers and we’re really lucky to have something like this at the University of Manitoba.”

The program, which eight first-year and eight second-year students were enrolled in this past summer, allows learners the opportunity to gain valuable research experience.

Navi Mann, a second-year dental student, never had the chance to conduct research during her undergrad because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so she thought the B.Sc. (Dent.) program would be a great way to gain research skills.

Her project is looking into the effects of Candida dubliniensis, a fungi, on the growth of streptococcus mutans, the main bacteria that causes cavities.

“The B.Sc. (Dent.) program has been way better than I expected,” Mann said. “I honestly expected for me to be really overwhelmed because my project is very microbiology based and I’d only taken one microbiology class during my undergrad. But I’ve been able to get so much help. Not only is my supervisor so helpful, but I have a lot of PhD students willing to help me, too.”

Dr. Kangmin Duan, professor of oral biology in the college, is Mann’s supervisor. He said Mann worked hard this summer and brought her sense of curiosity to the research.

“I think B.Sc. (Dent.) is an excellent program for the students, because if they’re doing research they will see things from a researcher’s perspective, and I think it’s helpful for their career in dentistry,” Duan said.

Dr. Raj Bhullar, associate dean (research), Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, agrees with Duan. He said the program is beneficial for students because it allows them to be critical thinkers and they will be able to make evidence-based decisions.

“The B.Sc. (Dent.) program provides an opportunity for the students to be exposed to the importance of research in advancing the field of dentistry,” Bhullar said. “Research is the cornerstone for advancement in improving human health.”

In addition to research skills, Pesun said the program has taught her a lot about self-discipline.

“The B.Sc. (Dent.) projects are really student motivated, so you have to make sure you’re on a good schedule,” Pesun said. “You have to make sure that your project runs smoothly because it really is your project. It’s not just working under a supervisor, you’re doing your own research project with your supervisor.”

At the end of the program, students turn in a mini-thesis and give a presentation outlining the project results. The college also provides funding for students who want to present at national meetings.

Pesun, who didn’t have any previous research experience, said the program opened her eyes to how much there was to study in the field of dentistry.

“I’d definitely be interested in doing more research after graduation,” she said.

Engineering oral care

Annette Elvers — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 14:12:12 +0000

Dr. Rodrigo França wants to rid the world of cavities once and for all. The associate professor and division head of dental materials in the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry is developing a way to protect pearly whites from decay by using nanoparticles.

“What I’m trying to do is a game-changer,” he says.

França envisions a day when a patient will visit their dentist for a treatment in which nanoparticles are inserted into the patient’s teeth to strengthen and protect them from decay.

The professor, who leads the U of M dental biomaterials research lab, oversaw a study that showed that superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) can fully penetrate human molars when subjected to an external magnetic field.

That means the tiny particles could carry a drug and be magnetically guided inside the teeth. França hopes to see this groundbreaking practice become a reality in the next five years.

As part of his research, he analyzes the atomic composition of nanoparticles using an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) machine at the Manitoba Institute for Materials on the Fort Garry campus.

“It would be wonderful if we could provide a technique to prevent cavities before they start,” he says. “The first results are very promising.”

França has published articles in international journals and received a number of scientific prizes. Many of his laboratory studies have involved developing, testing and comparing products used in dentistry, such as alloys, ceramics, cements, resins and adhesives.

In one study, he compared the physicochemical properties of seven types of conventional dental implants with experimental implants created through 3D printing technology.

Sometimes he investigates the effect of one material on another. For instance, he has examined the effects of at-home and in-office teethwhitening products on dental cements and composites.

The dentist/scientist views materials as the driving force of oral care improvement. “Everything that changes in dentistry changes because we have new materials,” he says. “We never invent a technique and say, ‘Oh, what material are we going to use here?’ No, it’s the opposite.”

França grew up in a family of lawyers in Divinópolis, a city in southeast Brazil. However, it was biology, not law, to which he was drawn at a young age. He completed his dentistry degree at the University of Itaúna in 1988 and worked as a general dentist before obtaining his master’s and PhD in dental materials from the University of Sao Paulo.

Driven by a passion to innovate, he obtained a second PhD in biomedical engineering at Polytechnique Montréal in 2011.

“I’m half-dentist and half-engineer,” says França, who joined the U of M in 2012. “I learned how to do research with engineers, and I know what dentists need.”

While he supervises graduate student research on nanoparticles, França also oversees projects by dentistry students who do summer research to earn bachelor of science in dentistry degrees. They’re looking at ways to improve dental restorations, such as fillings and crowns. The professor hopes to invent a way to adhere a tooth and a restoration that lasts as long as 20 years.

França recently attained a personal milestone with the release of a book, Dental Biomaterials, co-edited with Dr. Edward Sacher of Polytechnique Montréal and published by the prestigious World Scientific Publishing.

Authorities on dental materials from around the world, as well as U of M experts Dr. Charlene Solomon, Igor Pesun [DMD/87] and Larissa Bubnowicz [B.Sc./11, Dip.D.Hyg./13], contributed as writers.

“The book was two years of very hard work,” França says. “But it’s an accomplishment. It’s an honour.”

Whether it’s working on a book or in a lab, França enjoys collaborating with colleagues, researchers and students. Every year, his lab provides training for academics and students from countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and China.

“Collaboration is the key to success in research, because we are not islands,” he says. “We need to have contact with people who bring different expertise. Everything I do is teamwork.”

Dentistry student wins awards for nanoparticle project

Melni Ghattora — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 21:40:55 +0000

Three summers ago, dentistry student Chris Ward embarked on a research project to see whether magnetic nanoparticles could be used to carry drugs to the inside of teeth.

“I was pretty skeptical. I went into it thinking they probably wouldn’t penetrate the teeth,” said Ward about the project suggested by his advisor, Dr. Rodrigo França, assistant professor of restorative dentistry in the College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

But Ward was excited to discover that the cutting-edge concept is viable. Working in the college’s dental biomaterials lab, he showed that superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) can fully penetrate human molars when subjected to an external magnetic field.

This means the tiny particles could be used for targeted drug delivery in the oral cavity. For instance, they could transport antibiotics into teeth to treat diseases such as periodontitis.

“This is new, and our initial results are promising,” said Ward, adding that only one previous study has been published on SPIONs in dentistry.

Last week, Ward’s project won the poster competition at the College of Dentistry’s annual Research Day. The event was held at the RBC Convention Centre in conjunction with the Manitoba Dental Association’s annual convention.

Dr. Raj Bhullar, associate dean (research) at the College of Dentistry, said the dentists in attendance were impressed with the quality of the student projects. “Research is an integral part of being an allied health professional, and for lifelong learning,” Bhullar said. “Research Day allows our future dental professionals to assess developments in their field as they go on to practice.”

Ward’s work has also won a Student Research Award from the Canadian Association for Dental Research and the Network for Canadian Oral Health Research. His project placed third in Canada in the bachelor’s degree category. He received a travel award to present his findings at an international meeting in San Francisco in March.

Ward, 27, who will graduate as a dentist this spring, conducted the research as part of the requirements for his Bachelor of Science in Dentistry degree. The degree program provides students with a stipend to conduct research in the summers while they’re studying to become dentists during the regular academic year.

“It’s a really interesting way to have a summer job and do some research. The bonus is you get a second degree,” said Ward.

Another Bachelor of Science (Dentistry) student, Natasha Holder, won the Research Day award for best oral presentation. Her research looked at the characteristics of about 200 patients who were referred to the College of Dentistry’s dental sleep medicine clinic for obstructive sleep apnea.

Holder, 26, found that giving a 30-minute presentation to an audience made her more aware of her study’s significance and relevance to dentists. “Talking about it has made me more passionate about it,” she said.

Appalaraju Jaggupilli, a PhD student in oral biology, won the award for best oral presentation by a graduate student. His study looked at the role of bitter taste receptors in cystic fibrosis.