Spring 2013 - Tufts University School of Dental Medicine

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word of mouth Why Do We Avoid Health Care Brain science may offer answers by Gail Bambrick ear of pain and general anxiety about the dentist cause many patients to neglect their oral health. Kelly Kimiko Leong, D14, is conducting basic research at the National Institutes of Health to identify what parts of the brain are activated when we make such decisions—science that could lead to a better understanding of the issues that prompt patients to avoid seeing a dentist or physician. “I have always been interested in what motivates or prevents people from taking care of their health,” Leong says. “In dentistry, we often focus on maintenance, or correcting a problem, such as filling the cavity. But if you’re scared to come to the dentist because you have anxiety, how can we alleviate these worries so you will want to take care of yourself” Leong, one of only four dental students in the country selected for the inaugural class of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Medical Research Scholars Program, is spending this year at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md. She’s working at the National Institute of Mental Health, in the lab of cognitive neuroscientist James Blair, where researchers are using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine which neural pathways are activated when we face a decision involving a moral component While an MRI produces images of internal body structures, such as bones or organs, an fMRI measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow. When an area of the brain is active, blood flow to that region also increases. Blair’s lab focuses on understanding children with psychological disorders and behavioral problems. While this may seem a far cry from dental anxiety in adults, the basics of how the brain functions when we make decisions could have implications for many kinds of human behavior. Leong’s assignment is to establish a baseline range of responses of mentally healthy adult subjects confronted with a series of moral issues. She presents them with scenarios that illustrate “care-based” morality (someone inflicting harm on another person) as well as “social convention” morality (a boy going into a girl’s bathroom). While undergoing an fMRI, study subjects are asked to decide, on a scale of 1 to 4, if an action is acceptable or unacceptable. These kinds of decisions usually prompt activity within the limbic system and temporal cortex regions of the brain. Leong and her colleagues use the fMRI to look even more closely to identify the specific neural pathways that show increased blood flow and oxygen, a signal known as the BOLD (Blood Oxygen Level Dependent) response. Once these adult baselines have been established, researchers can compare them with the responses of children with psychological and behavior problems who will undergo similar tests. Leong says she’s always been equally intrigued by research and human behavior (she did her undergraduate work in psychology and molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley). Before coming to Tufts School of Dental Medicine, she was a student researcher at the University of California, San Francisco’s Marshall Laboratory, where she investigated dental implant materials that promote maximum bone healing around the implant. She is hoping to find a niche in the dental profession that will allow her to meld her interests in psychology, neuroscience and dental research. Her mentors at NIH have advised her to let her career evolve in line with her passions. She sees research as key to eliminating the emotional and technological barriers that can hamper the delivery of accessible, state-of-the-art dental care. “To make a mark on how we work, to change the way we look at procedures and to innovate dental technology is really something very special,” Leong says. “I think if we can encourage dental students in their research pursuits, it could have a great impact on the whole profession.” Gail Bambrick, a senior writer in Tufts’ Office of Publications, can be reached at gail.bambrick@tufts.edu. Kelly Kimiko Leong, D14, wants a career that melds her interests in psychology, neuroscience and dental research. 6 tufts dental medicine spring 2013 Photo: chrIs hartlove
the A smattering of dentistry tidbits to inform, amuse and amaze dlist emergency dentist 23-29 DecembeR Week when Google searches for the term “Emergency Dentist” hit their highest point during 2012, almost double that during the rest of the year. 20% Percentage of u.s. dental offices that closed an average of two days after hurricane sandy, according to Baird equity research. $153 milliOn size of the market for dental services in Boston, according to dentaltrends—the largest of 15 major u.s. cities examined by the online dental research service. 1982 Publication year of the children’s book Doctor De Soto, by William Steig, about a clever mouse dentist who outwits a sneaky fox patient. 11% Respondents to a dentek oral care survey who said they will floss anywhere. the majority (75%) said they floss at home in the bathroom. 300+ virtual bulletin boards titled “dental” on the website Pinterest. how dentists fared in a 2012 gallup poll that asked the public to rate 22 professions based on their honesty and ethical standards. minutes How long the Tooth Tunes toothbrush plays music by the boy band One Direction to encourage young fans to brush longer. Aspiring bakers who entered the valentine’s day bakeoff sponsored by the tufts chapter of the american dental education association. First place went to avanthi tiruvadi, d16, for a toffee cake; second place to Julia caine, of research administration, for her mousse cake. 6 PROOF alcohol content of bourbon- and scotch-flavored toothpastes that went on sale in 1954, and were written about in Life magazine. 1,050 Number of false teeth in “Apex Predator. Oxfords Shoes,” a 2010 sculpture by the London artists Mariana Fantich and Dominic Young. Photos: Book, kelvin ma; shoes, Fantich and young; istockPhoto spring 2013 tufts dental medicine 7
Page 1 and 2: MAGAZINE OF THE TuFTs uNIvErsITy dE
Page 3 and 4: contents SprINg 2013 voLuMe 17 No.
Page 5 and 6: from the dean No Simple Issue greet
Page 7: where patients thought to have slee
Page 11: “WHAT’SREALLYSPECIALABOUTTHEEPI
Page 14 and 15: Tufts Dental Medicine: So your firs
Page 17 and 18: Buoyed by economic and social chang
Page 19: actively engaged professionals, the
Page 22 and 23: ike many of the country’s rural r
Page 24 and 25: a specialist, they can come back he
Page 26 and 27: A world war was raging, money was s
Page 28 and 29: Left, the exterior of Tufts College
Page 30 and 31: Below, Erna and Alfred Heininger in
Page 32 and 33: Thanh-Trang Nguyen, D01, with her m
Page 34 and 35: painless. That was the first time I
Page 36 and 37: on campus knew he was good at scien
Page 38 and 39: on campus Revolution Afoot 21st-cen
Page 40 and 41: on campus onekneeland In case you h
Page 42 and 43: on campus 1 2 The Most Valuable Too
Page 44 and 45: on campus vaLUabLe, continued from
Page 46 and 47: advancement giving. growth. gratitu
Page 48 and 49: alumni news staying connected Chang
Page 50 and 51: alumni news Above: Derek Wolkowicz,
Page 52 and 53: alumni news out&about Golden Gate G
Page 54 and 55: alumni news class notes Stephen M.
Page 56 and 57: alumni news have three children, Ga
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Courses fill quiCkly! register earl
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SPORTS FOR SCHOLARSHIP OPEN Join th
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School of Dental Medicine 136 Harri
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Spring 2013 - Tufts University School of Dental Medicine

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