Author(s): Nazgol Zamanian, IDS 2025; Madiha Fatima, IDS 2025; Niyousha Rafeie, IDS 2025Mentor(s): Dr. Ganesh First Year IDS Literature Review Award — 1st Place
Author(s): Neekita Saudagar, IDS 2025; Karan Bajwa, IDS 2025; Mandip Kaur, IDS 2025Mentor(s): Dr. Pansoy, Dr. Priya P., Dr. Ganesh, Dr. Milani, Dr. Aniket D., Dr. Noor, Dr. Pineda First Year IDS Literature Review Award — 2nd Place
The lack of access to dental care can lead to serious health issues, particularly for those who are already marginalized. This project aims to improve access to dental care for low-income and unhoused adults in the San Francisco area through a partnership with Project Homeless Connect. By providing high-quality dental care services, this project will help prevent dental diseases and improve systemic health outcomes.
Through a partnership with Project Homeless Connect, we will provide these individuals with access to high-quality dental care. This community-based organization already provides services to those who are unhoused or low-income, so the project can leverage their existing infrastructure to deliver high-quality dental care services.
This project holds immense significance in addressing a critical public health issue prevalent in the San Francisco community. Lack of access to dental care can be detrimental to marginalized individuals, as highlighted by a study conducted by Freitas et al (2019), which found that 54.6% of people experiencing homelessness in the Bay Area reported oral pain in the past 6 months. Additionally, 28.9% reported having oral pain that prevented them from eating, while 20.9% reported having pain that prevented them from sleeping. By providing access to high-quality dental care services, we can make a meaningful contribution to improving the overall health and equity of our community.
We would like to acknowledge the support of Project Homeless Connect and the dental professionals who will be providing care to these individuals. Their dedication and expertise are essential to the success of this project. We would also like to acknowledge the support and mentorship from Dr. Gallagher, whose guidance and encouragement have made it possible to pursue our passion for improving access to dental care throughout the San Francisco community.
The lack of access to dental care can lead to serious health issues, particularly for those who are already marginalized. This project aims to improve access to dental care for low-income and unhoused adults in the San Francisco area through a partnership with Project Homeless Connect. By providing high-quality dental care services, this project will help prevent dental diseases and improve systemic health outcomes.
Through a partnership with Project Homeless Connect, we will provide these individuals with access to high-quality dental care. This community-based organization already provides services to those who are unhoused or low-income, so the project can leverage their existing infrastructure to deliver high-quality dental care services.
This project holds immense significance in addressing a critical public health issue prevalent in the San Francisco community. Lack of access to dental care can be detrimental to marginalized individuals, as highlighted by a study conducted by Freitas et al (2019), which found that 54.6% of people experiencing homelessness in the Bay Area reported oral pain in the past 6 months. Additionally, 28.9% reported having oral pain that prevented them from eating, while 20.9% reported having pain that prevented them from sleeping. By providing access to high-quality dental care services, we can make a meaningful contribution to improving the overall health and equity of our community.
We would like to acknowledge the support of Project Homeless Connect and the dental professionals who will be providing care to these individuals. Their dedication and expertise are essential to the success of this project. We would also like to acknowledge the support and mentorship from Dr. Gallagher, whose guidance and encouragement have made it possible to pursue our passion for improving access to dental care throughout the San Francisco community.
Objectives: The purpose of this study is to compare the shear-bond strength of a chemically-cured bulk composite and a light-cured bulk composite. The chemically-cured bulk composite was delivered at room temperature. The light-cured composite was delivered at room temperature and at 155 degrees Fahrenheit. The null hypothesis is that there is no difference among the three groups.
Methods: 10 freshly extracted third molars were cross sectioned and embedded in resin to fabricate a specimen with a dimension of 2cm in height and 2.5cm in diameter. Group A: 10 specimens were used for shear bond strength measurement with the chemically-cured composite Bulk Easy +(Danville). Group B: 10 specimens were tested with light-cured composite Filtek Bulk One(3M) at room temperature. Group C: 10 specimens were tested with the light-cured composite Filtek Bulk One(3M) at 155-degrees Fahrenheit. The same 10 samples were reused for all groups. Shear bond testing was done with the Unitester(Ultradent) at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min. Paired Student T-tests were performed to compare Group A with Group B, Group A with Group C and Group B with Group C with a 95% confidence level.
Results: The average results from the shear bond testing were 15.97 MPa for the chemically-cured composite(Group A), 23.07 MPa for the light-cured composite at room temperature(Group B), and 21.76 MPa for the light-cured composite warmed to 155 degrees Fahrenheit(Group C). Paired student T-tests between each group were done with a 95% confidence level. The p-value between Group A and B was 0.008, between Group A and C was 0.037, and between Group B and C was 0.266.
Conclusions: The chemically-cured composite has significantly lower shear-bond strength than both light-cured composite groups. No statistical difference was found between the light-cured groups.
Acknowledgements: We thank 3M, Zest Dental, and Bioclear for the materials used
Dental adhesives are water soluble, non-toxic materials that bind composite resins to dentin and enamel. Adhesive systems are dependent on a polymerization process at the interface and require different moieties to prepare the substrate to effectively interact with the tooth surface. Due to their critical role in restorative procedures, many chemists are interested in strengthening the adhesive bond strength at the interface. The review paper I published in the Pacific Journal of Health covers the evolution of dental adhesive systems over time and provides an extensive overview of what components make up a dental adhesive system. Additionally, the article explores the common issues found in adhesive systems, and how current researchers are working to approach these complications to increase the success rate of dental restorations.
Summary: Senior Smiles and Wellness project, conducted at University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni dental school, had the aim of providing dental care to seniors and elderly individuals who may not have access to such care due to financial or logistical reasons. A team of volunteer dental students, supervised by licensed dental professionals, provided dental screenings to seniors at the school clinic. The dental students used their training to provide dental screenings while also gaining valuable experience working with the elderly population.
Significance: The Senior Smiles and Wellness event was successful in providing dental care to seniors and elderly individuals who may have otherwise gone without it. The project allowed the dental students to gain practical experience and develop their interdisciplinary skills while also giving back to the community. The project also highlighted the need for more dental care services for elderly individuals, especially those who may not have access to affordable dental care.The event also highlighted the importance of community outreach and volunteer projects in addressing this need. The dental school plans to continue conducting similar projects in the future, with the hope of reaching more elderly individuals in need of dental care.
Acknowledgements: We would like to express our gratitude to the school for allowing us to conduct this project, as well as to the faculty who supervised our work. We would particularly like to thank Professor Miller, Carol Weinstein, Eric Bertumen, Karl Pfeifer and Dan Soine for helping put on the event. We would also like to thank the seniors who participated in the project and trusted us with their care. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the students who volunteered their time and skills to make this project a success.
The Senior Smiles Health & Wellness Fair is a community oral health outreach event sponsored by SCOPE (Student Community Outreach for Public Education) at University of the Pacific (UOP), Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. The event is held in San Francisco at the school of Dentistry’s campus and usually held within April. Generally over 100 members of San Francisco’s senior citizen population with limited access to health care attend this event. In 2022 we held the 27th Senior Smiles Health & Wellness Fair; the first after the pandemic. We only had 2.5 months to plan the event (compared to the usual 6 months). 65 Dugoni dental and dental hygiene students volunteered in addition to over 30 volunteers from various other health and wellness groups. Over 70 members of the community were served during the event.
The event is modeled as a hybrid Interprofessional education (IPE) event, with representatives from the school of Pharmacy, Audiology, UC Berkeley Optometry, UOP school of Dentistry, School of Physical Therapy, UOP Master of social work, and the SF department of disability and aging. Each group present provided various levels of screening, education, and services to the clients that attended the event. To promote interprofessional education prior the morning of the event all volunteers attended a breakfast in which each participating group gave a speech introducing their profession, its implication on health equity, and recommended interventions.
This event presented a great opportunity for various health education programs to learn from each other and promote future collaborations among healthcare providers. The ultimate goal is to promote health equity, increase interprofessional education, and to provide a variety of Health Screening Assessments and Referrals for elders 55 years and older, and to facilitate coordination of care rendered for each patient.
Objective: An instructional project designed to provide the necessary knowledge and resources for incoming second year students to successfully transition from providing simulation dental care to clinical dental care at the University of Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry.
Methods: A group of third year dental students developed a mentoring program for incoming second year students. The program involved a series of workshops and hands-on training sessions where the third year students shared their experiences and best practices for success in the dental school clinic. The program covered a range of topics, including patient communication, treatment planning, financial decisions and diagnostic principles.
Results: The Clinic transitions program was successful in helping incoming second year students navigate the challenges of transitioning into the clinic, as gathered by surveys. The second year students reported feeling more confident and prepared after participating in the program. The third year students also gained valuable leadership and teaching experience, which will be beneficial to them as they continue their dental education and future careers.
Conclusions: The Clinic transitions program was an effective way for third year dental students to share their experiences and knowledge with incoming second year students. The program not only helped the second year students succeed in the dental school clinic, but also provided the third year students with valuable leadership and teaching experience. The dental school plans to continue this mentoring program in the future to ensure that all students have the resources and support they need to succeed.
Acknowledgements: We would like to acknowledge the support of the dental school faculty and staff in making this program possible. The work of Dr. Gupta, Des Beltran and Marietta Daniel was critical to the success of the program. Additionally, we would like to acknowledge the participating second year students who arrived engaged and eager to learn at every session.
The Jamaica service learning trip is a long-standing opportunity for students to provide care and improve oral health for the people of Jamaica.
