Page 33 - Dentistry Magazine 2022

The Center seeks to design and manufacture particu- late and composite products for pharmaceutical companies and other industries that work
with active ingredients.
“I look forward to moving into an excitingly new but related field,” he said, “working with pharmaceutics colleagues to improve the design, manufacture and effectiveness of medical tablets that will benefit both manufacturers and the general public.”
Enhancing equity with research in oral health care for transgender patients
Everyday tasks that were once simple can some- times become complicated and stressful for transgender people. Oral health care shouldn’t be one of them—and researchers across the School of Dentistry are doing their part to make sure that’s the case.
Identifying the issue
It started in 2019, with a dental hygiene project. Learners are required to complete a literature review, and are encouraged to choose something that interests them.
Anna Vo, BSDH ’19, approached instructors Michelle Arnett, MS, RDH, and Yvette Reibel,
EdD, RDH, with the idea to explore the state of research on caring for transgender patients.
“I thought it was a great topic,” Arnett recalled.
Vo was excited to take on the topic, citing her recognition of her own duty. “As a dental professional and just as a person, I am responsible for educating myself on the LGBTQ+ community and understanding the disparities related.” She focused on existing research into treating patients undergoing hormone replacement therapy.
They didn’t find much. “Much of the research we found was more about pronouns and training on communication, but there was very little on the oral manifestations as a result of hormone treatment, or even things that might impact the community based on social determinants of health, other external factors or lifestyle behaviors,” Arnett recalled.
“The article outlines how dental professionals, specifically dental hygienists, can reduce healthcare disparities for the transgender community by understanding the social deter- minants of health, oral-systemic conditions that may arise in those who undergo hormone replacement therapy and other commonly-prescribed medications,” Vo explained. “It explores those topics and the dental hygiene care plan associated with the transgender community, in order to provide nonjudgmental patient-centered care.”
Research 33
Sun hopes the Center will “become
an internationally-recognized center
for materials science and engineer- ing-based design and manufacturing of pharmaceutical products” and a space
for various industries to share knowledge and learn from one another. That is why he invited Alex Fok, PhD, MSc, director of the MDRCBB, to be part of the collaboration.
Anna Vo, BSDH ’19
“Dr. Fok is an expert in materials characterization,” he said. Sun knows that Fok’s “expertise and the state-of-the-art instrumentation at the MDRCBB” will significantly impact what CIMSEPP can do. However, he also recognizes how the field of dentistry can benefit from the collaboration. “What we learn from pharmaceutical materials can be useful to solve problems in other industries, including those that the School of Dentistry is tackling.”
Fok was thrilled to be part of the center, and sees the ways his team can help out. “The MDRCBB is well-equipped
for characterizing the chemical, physical and mechanical properties of pharmaceutical products,” he said. “Our experience and expertise in dental resin composites, which also consist of particles with a binder, will bring to the table some different but stimulating perspectives on the prob- lems at hand.”
For Fok, the collaboration represents an exciting opportuni- ty to collaborate with researchers and experts outside of his own field—and he sees the exciting ways CIMSEPP will fos- ter communication and teamwork. More than anything, Fok is excited about branching into the field of pharmaceutics.