Spring 2017

The D List

A smattering of dentistry tidbits to inform, amuse and amaze.

August 22

It’s National Tooth Fairy Day! It’s also National Pecan Torte Day. Make of that what you will.

4

Number of dentists serving in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 115th Congress, which presides from January 2017 to January 2019.

100 Million

Number of prescribed opioid pills that go unused each year in the United States after the removal of impacted wisdom teeth, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.

54

Percentage of parents who say it is an ongoing struggle to get their children to brush their teeth, according to a survey from the electric toothbrush manufacturer Kolibree.

$791,850

Average valuation of a dental practice in New England
in 2016—the highest of any region in the country, according
to DrBicuspid-Snapshot.

1840

Year that Solyman Brown published Dentologia: A Poem on the Diseases of the Teeth and Their Proper Remedies. Read all about it in the Special Collections of the Hirsh Health Sciences Library: go.tufts.edu/dentologia.

 

6 Years

Age by which most pet ferrets develop gingivitis, according to veterinary dentists.

 

 

Top Stories

All the Presidents’ Teeth

Who didn’t floss? Who was a bruxer? And who could have used some whitening strips? Our faculty give some historical smiles a thorough checkup.

Care Where the Kids Are

At this Boston elementary school, cleanings, fluoride and fillings are available just down the hall.

O Pioneer!

After graduating from Tufts in 1966, Athena Papas passed on the dental school because she didn’t want to be the only woman in her class. She finally joined the school eight years later as an assistant professor, and in the four decades since has secured dozens of grants for groundbreaking research, helped launch countless life-changing medications and mentored generations of colleagues. Today, half of all dental students are women… and Papas seems to be just getting started.

The Patient Whisperers

Every dentist can learn to put the anxious and the fearful at ease. It’s not magic; it simply takes time and effort.

When God Came Calling

Mina Kaddis, D06, was content in his private practice. Then his bishop had a request.

Editor's Picks

21st Century DMD

Educating the next generation of dentists

Building a Health-Care Home

One patient, many providers— and a fresh approach to bringing it all together

A Collective Assault on Opioid Abuse

First-in-the-nation core competencies will give dental students strategies for fighting an epidemic

A Personal Career Network

First job? Buying a practice? Need an associate? Let Tufts play matchmaker.

Hope for Those with Diabetic Periodontal Disease 

An experimental drug that mimics an insulin-regulating hormone could rebuild bone, and perhaps advance treatment for Type 2 diabetics.

In His Father’s Footsteps

The end of one career leads to the beginning of another

Magical Creatures Above

Look up! That’s the new directive in the dental clinic that treats Tufts’ youngest patients.

Safety Gap

Shortcoming in protective eyewear spurs look at new standards