Three teams of students were awarded for their work following the annual West Virginia University School of Dentistry research competition on April 3.
This year’s event marked the 8th Annual Local American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR)/Dentsply Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and its Application (SCADA) and 57th Annual School of Dentistry Alumni Association Research Competition. Participants included third-year students enrolled in the Doctor of Dental Surgery program.
First place was awarded to Brittany Walker and Sophia Ellia for their presentation on “Testosterone-mediated Modulation of Immune-associated Gene Expression by Oral Cancer Cells.” The students were mentored by Jennifer Franko, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Dental Research and assistant teaching professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology. Walker, who presented on behalf of the team, will now advance to the AADOCR/Dentsply SCADA competition in San Diego, California, in March 2026. Additionally, Ellia and Walker received $600 in scholarship support through the Dr. and Mrs. James Caveney and Family Dental Table Clinic Award.
The team awarded second place included Courtney Glover, Rachel Reppert and Christopher VonScio under the guidance of mentor Khaled Alsharif, ABO, assistant clinical professor and program director in the Department of Orthodontics. Their presentation was presented by VonScio and titled “Effects of Digit Sucking on Maxillary Width and Canine Impaction in Children.”
Keerthan Arjuna, Jaclyn Montag, Madelyn Owen and Bashar Sadat placed third for their presentation on “TMJ Disorder Related Oral Characteristics in Division I Collegiate Female Athletes Versus Non-athletes.” Their mentor was Lauren Bakos, DDS, assistant director of the General Practice Residency program and assistant professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Arjuna presented the presentation during the competition.
The second and third place winners received financial awards from the WVU School of Dentistry Alumni Association.
Judges for this year’s competition included Jerry Bouquot, DDS, clinical professor and oral and maxillofacial pathologist; Elizabeth Kao, DMD, professor; Valerie Perrine, DDS, executive dean for education and students affairs and assistant professor; Manali Vora, M.Dent.Sc., assistant professor; and Christopher Waters, MS, research labs director.
Additional projects, with the team presenter listed first, include:
- Kent Digwe, Nichol Coburn, Jaliya Hubbard and Nicholas Walker, “Prescription of Oral Appliances (OAs) for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Snoring Among Dental Practitioners in West Virginia,” Peter Ngan, DDS, Michael Hnat, DMD, Guoqiang Guan, DDS, and R. Constance Wiener, DMD, Research Mentors
- Brianna Hodak, “Development of an Oral Disintegration Tablet for the Anti-inflammatory Drug CI-987,” Werner Geldenhuys, PhD, Research Mentor
- Zachary Matheny, Kameron Lucky, Tristan Lucky and Grace Myers, “A Survey of Patient Knowledge and Compliance with Modern Dental Technology,” Jonathan Abraham, DDS, Research Mentor
- Chris Neil, Ryan Neil, Daniel Saikali and Matthew Vicini, “Evaluation of Commercially Available Probiotic Cleaners,” Tammy Chipps, DDS, Research Mentor
- Aashish Pokhrel, “WVU Dental Faculty Awareness About Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect,” Chris Ivanoff, DDS, Research Mentor
- Riley Reesman, “Silver Diamine Fluoride,” Meghan Bastin, DMD, Research Mentor
- Harry Russell, Sydney Allman and Skylar Giddens, “Investigation of Extraction or Endodontic Treatment Choices,” Samuel Dorn, DDS, Research Mentor
- Hafsa Sabbagh, Mira Hamady, Kristen Knotts and Sarah Zanabli, “Assessing Pain Management After Endodontic Treatment,” R. Constance Wiener, DMD, Research Mentor
Literature reviews not included in the competition include:
- Maha Alshamma, Nour Foual, Ariel Holliday and Mustafa Zaeean, “Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry,” Lakshmi Garladinne, MSD, Research Mentor
- Madison Anderson, Tyler Linkous and Katelyn Pinti, “Photobiomodulation and Dentistry,” Gerald Schoenborn, DMD, Research Mentor
- Brandon Barnes, Will Hathaway, Jacob Meyer and Garrett Pauls, “Weighing the Benefits and Risks of Fluoride Exposure: A Literature Review,” Tyler Brown, DDS, Research Mentor
- Paul D’Amico, Dylan Furlong, Collin Kerr and Joshua Petit, “Ergonomics in Dentistry,” Lauren Godwin, DDS, Research Mentor
- David Kines and Matthew Ogershok,” Evaluating the Collis Curve Toothbrush,” Jerry Bouquot, DDS, Research Mentor
WVU is designated as an R1 research institution, or very high research activity, by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. All students enrolled in the Doctor of Dental Surgery, Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene and advanced training programs complete a research project as part of the academic curriculum. Working alone or in small teams, with a faculty mentor, students perform studies which examine a range of scientific issues, from caries and periodontal disease to smoking cessation and oral health promotion.
Photo at Top: Brittany Walker presents her team’s research on “Testosterone-mediated Modulation of Immune-associated Gene Expression by Oral Cancer Cells” during the WVU School of Dentistry annual research competition.
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