Boston was the conference city for IADR.  The city still showed many of the scars of a very cold winter with large amounts of snow on the Sidewalks and in the parks.  The temperature was in single figures during the day and below freezing at night.  However that did not stop the dental researchers who flew in from Birmingham to add their numbers to the 6,000 plus delegates.  Many of our doctoral students gave oral or poster presentations.  For many this was their first presentation at a major meeting.  Birmingham people were everywhere and you could tell by their smiles and positive attitude that they were enjoying the conference and networking with both their peers and established researchers.

There were over 25 Birmingham participants at the meeting but the number of collaborations with presentations, Keynotes and other symposia pushed the number up much higher.  This reflects the high research standing of the school on the International stage.  Staff were invited to present to faculty at the local dental schools which added to the strength of contribution to the success of the meeting.  Particularly pleasing for the school was the interaction with industry and world leading researchers.

The Doctoral Students from Dentistry took part in the Festival of Graduate Research that is organised by the College of Medical and Dental Sciences.  During the day the final year postgraduate researchers showcase their research work through poster and oral presentations.  Each school in the College selects their best PhD students to present in the oral session.  We were proud to see all our students presenting with many first and second year students in attendance to support them.  The School was delighted when Phillipa White was voted by the audience as the best oral presentation for the postgraduate researchers session.  Her presentation was “The Association between Bacterial Species and Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Periodontitis”.  In the afternoon Dr Mel Grant presented “Where a PhD in Biochemistry has taken me” for the My Career in Research” where she outline her career to the audience.

The Festival finished with a talk by Professor Robin May on “Fun with Fungi, and other stories…” which gave some very good take home messages to the young researchers in the audience.  Enjoy viewing pictures of from the day.

Professor Gabriel Landini, together with Dr David Randell, Prof Hisham Mehanna (Birmingham University) and Dr Antony Galton (Exeter University) have been awarded a research grant worth £657,383 by the EPSRC for a project entitled Novel context-based segmentation algorithms for intelligent microscopy.  The aim of the project is to develop new computational methods to analyse, quantify and understand the information contained in images of cells and tissues obtained using digital microscopy. Their work will have wide applications in various areas of biomedicine, especially in histopathology, where they plan to apply the methods to samples of oropharyngeal cancer, with the aim of improving diagnosis and predicting the potential behaviour of malignant disease to find the most suitable forms of treatment.

Phillipa White in the Periodontal Research Group has won the Sir Wilfred Fish Prize at the Presidential British Society for Periodontology meeting in June 2015. The Sir Wilfred Fish Research Prize, instituted in 1970, is awarded annually by the British Society of Periodontology, with the object of encouraging researchers in the early stages of their career. The prize takes the form of a cash award of £1000 together with a certificate. This is the third year running that the Periodontal Research Group have had a winner of this prize (2014 won by Praveen Sharma and 2013 won by Martin Ling).

Nina Vyas writes about EuroPerio 8.  
“London was the host city for EuroPerio8 2015 from June 3-6 2015. This was one of the largest conferences on periodontology with over 9000 people in attendance, 1200 posters, 100 oral research presentations and 100 poster discussions. Experts in periodontology and implant dentistry came from around the world to learn about new developments in the field from academic researchers and industry experts. Many product innovations were showcased at the exhibitions and sponsor sessions from leading dental companies and cutting edge academic research was presented on topics including novel dental implants and new developments in periodontal regeneration. Lectures were delivered by major academics on topics such as periodontal therapy and effective management of peri-implantitis. Prof Chapple updated the base knowledge on periodontitis in his lecture about the host response and Prof Dietrich presented interesting results about the effect of vitamin D on periodontitis outcomes. Many other clinicians and PhD students from the dental school also presented posters and oral presentations.  Dr Mike Milward chaired a research session on ‘Aetiology & Pathogenesis’.  Posters this year were shown at e-poster terminals, which meant that videos could be embedded in the posters, and poster viewers were able to search the whole database for keywords to find the posters they were interested in. Clinicians and researchers will be enthusiastic to put into practice what they have learnt at the conference and we are looking forward to EuroPerio9 in the Netherlands in 2018.”

Nina Vyas PSIBS/Dentistry Supervisors Damien Walmsley, Rachel Sammons, Hamid Dehghani

Siti Aishah Binti Zainal (Mike Milward, Will Palin & Paul Cooper)

Ali AbdulKareem, Dentistry (Supervisors Mike Milward, Dick Shelton, Gabriel Landini & Paul Copper)

Thank you
Text and Pictures Nina with help from Siti and Mike Milward
PHD Students featured with supervisors

The findings of the Child Dental Health Survey (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) were presented at a symposium in London on Friday, 5^th June at the Hallam Conference Centre. Speakers from the consortium presented various aspects of the survey to an audience of around 200 people. This represented the culmination of three year’s work since the 2013 Survey was commissioned by the NHS Information Centre. The Birmingham Dental Public Health team, led by Professor White, were responsible for examiner recruitment and management as well as contributing to all other aspects of the survey. Dr Kirsty Hill gave a presentation on ‘Attitudes, Behaviours and Anxiety in Children’s Dental Health’ and Prof Deborah White presented ‘Good Oral Health in children in 2013’.The full reports from the survey can be accessed on: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childrens-dental-health-survey-2013

Professor Iain Chapple and the Periodontal Research Group were featured on the BBC 1 programme “The Truth about Teeth”.  The feature was filmed at Birmingham Dental Hospital and School and focused on the clinical trials unit in the Periodontology department.  Prof Chapple asked the presenter Chris Van Tulleken to wear a mouth guard during brushing which stopped him cleaning one side of his mouth.  Three weeks later the results showed that it had not only affected his gums but also had an effect on the rest of his body.  Verdict on the programme – great PR for the Dental Hospital and School.  If you want to know more than see the clip on iPlayer whilst available and  you can also get involved in a discussion group on the subject as well.

Psychology and Dentistry:
A multidisciplinary Nottingham-Birmingham-Rio de Janeiro collaboration.  
The University of Birmingham (Dr Kirsty Hill), the University of Nottingham (Dr Heather Buchanan) and Rio de Janeiro State University (Professor Branca Oliveira)  have established expertise in the domains of Dentistry and Psychology which was shared during this collaborative exchange this week in Rio de Janeiro.

This Synergy will open up possibilities of common projects that will provide significant potential research collaborations, which in turn, further seed both pure and applied research across the three institutions. Collaborators in this research exchange will be working on developing research studies/bids especially focusing on building teams and project plans that include graduate students. This will clearly help the sustainability of the exchange in continuing to build strong research collaborations in the future.  We look forward to welcoming Professor Branca Oliveira to Birmingham/Nottingham in July 2016 and in the meantime are already putting together a protocol to investigate dental anxiety in children.

Nina Vyas was runner up in the 2015 University of Birmingham “3 minute PhD thesis” competition. This is a worldwide competition and has strict rules associated with it.  The task is to present your research work in 3 minutes and you have only have one PowerPoint Slide available to use!  Nina’s topic was “High speed imaging of cavitation around dental ultrasonic scaler tips”  and is available on YouTube.  Nina is a 3rd year PhD student who is part of the EPSRC Physical Sciences for Imaging in the Biological Sciences (PSIBS) doctoral training centre.  This is an interdisciplinary project and Nina’s supervisors are Professor Damien Walmsley (Dentistry), Dr Rachel Sammons (Dentistry) and Dr Hamid Dehghani (Computer Sciences).  There has also been input from the Mathematics Department and the work has been submitted for publication.  Nina was also successful in having her video work selected for the 2015 Scientific imaging competition run by the Royal Microscopy Society for display at their annual conference. Congratulations to Nina.

If you are interested in undertaking your research studies at the School of Dentistry, the University of Birmingham then please follow this link.
Research Opportunities at the School of Dentistry, University of Birmingham 

Rachel Flight won the poster prize at the Medical Image Understanding and Analysis Conference (MIUA) 2015 which took place at the University of Lincoln in Lincolnshire in July 2015.  Her conference paper and corresponding poster were entitled “Automated optimisation of cell segmentation parameters in phase contrast microscopy using discrete mereotopology”.

Rachel’s PhD has involved developing new ways of analysing epithelial cell cultures from microscope images and at this conference she presented a way of automatically selecting the best parameters for counting cells. This will be useful for studying the growth rates of cells treated with various stimuli to assess whether they have potential as wound healing treatments.

Her supervisors are Professor Gabriel Landini, Professor Paul Cooper, Dr Dick Shelton and Dr Mike Milward from Dentistry and Dr Iain Styles from Computer Sciences.  Rachel is in her final year of her PhD and is part of the EPSRC Physical Sciences for Imaging in the Biological Sciences (PSIBS) doctoral training centre.  This is an interdisciplinary project which brings together several disciplines to great advantage.

If you are interested in undertaking your research studies at the School of Dentistry, the University of Birmingham then please follow this link.
Research Opportunities at the School of Dentistry, University of Birmingham 

The Annual General Meeting of the British Society of Oral and Dental Research took place in Cardiff and the conference showcases the best of dental research in the United Kingdom.  There was a strong presence at the conference from the School of Dentistry, Birmingham and there were presentations in the areas of Periodontology, Ultrasonics, Endodontics, pulp Biology and Biomaterials.  This was the first chance to showcase our research following on from our strong performance in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014.  Our impact was demonstrated by Praveen Sharma who won the Poster Prize for his work on “Association between Periodontitis, Renal & Vascular-Funciotn in Chronic Kidney Disease”.  Several PhD students presented their work for the first time at a BSODR conference in either an oral or poster presentation format. Our younger colleagues were grateful for the support of the older generation :)  It was pleasing to note that everyone performed very well presenting their findings to other dental schools from across the UK.   Our presence at such conferences is very important as it demonstrates the depth of our Research at Birmingham as we look forward to RAE 2020

Interdisciplinary research between Dentistry and Chemistry has shown  how the development of coated silica nanoparticles could be used in restorative treatment of sensitive teeth and preventing the onset of tooth decay.  The work was undertaken by doctoral students from the PSIBS (Physical Sciences in Biological Sciences) which is funded by the EPSRC research council  The Principle Investigators of the work were Professor Zoe Pikramenou (Chemistry) and Damien Walmsley (Dentistry) and the paper was published in the Journal of Dentistry.  A full report of this innovative work is highlighted on the University of Birmingham website.

http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2015/09/Silicaparticlestorepairdamagedteeth160915.aspx

Birmingham researchers from the School of Dentistry travelled to the 47th Meeting of the Continental European Division of the International Association for Dental Research (CED-IADR) co-hosted by the Scandinavian Division (NOF) held at the Gloria Golf Resort and Convention Centre, Belek Antalya. There were the following presentations by Dentistry researchers.  Dr Will Palin gave two invited lectures on his research findings with composites.

Filler Technology in Resin Composites – Past, Present and Future.
“The Incredible Bulk”, or Are Multi-Layers still Required?

Sita Zainal a PhD Student with Mike Milward, Paul Cooper, Mo Hadis and Will Palin gave a presentation entitled “LED Irradiation at 660 nm Stimulates Human Oral Epithelial Cell Growth Responses”`

Kasia Gurzawaka who is an ACF in oral surgery and mentored by Professor Thomas Dietrich gave a presentation on “Nanocoating with Rhamnogalacturonan-I pectins Prevent Porphyromonas Gingivalis Infection.”

The venue for the conference was on the Turkish Riviera and it was a perfect spot for a conference as the picture shows.

On 24th October 2015, three University of Birmingham representatives attended the 1st INSPIRE event, held at King’s College London.

The event was funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences and Wellcome Trust. The objective was to highlight the option of an academic career in dentistry and give the relevant information for joining this pathway. Students would then disseminate this information back to their home colleagues.

The representatives included all three clinical years.
Ebunoluwa Ajewole – BDS3
Andrew Kalli – BDS4
Jessica Huang – BDS5

The Saturday event included presentations, insight and advice from newly graduated dentists, as well as deans of dental schools. There was also an opportunity for students to present their own research and some time to tour around the many posters on display.

Birmingham’s Jessica impressed participants with her project which was titled, ‘Differing practices and management of temporomandibular disorder between the east and west coast of the United States of America’
The poster can be seen in the photo alongside Jessica and the other representatives.

The importance of mentoring and networking was reiterated throughout the day. The presenters explained that it is very helpful to speak to both qualified and student peers in order to seek advice and hear of opportunities. Another tip related to qualifications, MFDS completion following graduation keeps options open and thereafter several paths can be followed.

Are you interested in a dental academic career? Look out for details of the upcoming INSPIRE session which will follow at University of Birmingham!

A degree day in December has lots of charm about it.  The weather may be more unpredictable, but there is something warm and homely about a degree ceremony in the Great Hall during Winter.  The lights shine brightly and there is still the same excitement and anticipation about receiving your degree from the University Chancellor.  Dentistry was well represented on the day with two of our postgraduate students receiving their doctoral degree.  Paul Kelly is General Practitioner from Weymouth, Dorset and the title of his PhD was “The role of innovation in addressing oral health inequalities in primary care organisations in England”.  Paul undertook this study part time and juggled his studies with many other commitments including representing his dental colleagues at the British Dental Association.  Binish Khatoon’s PhD was on “The uptake of electronic/mobile technologies in dentistry”.  Binish is now a post doctoral researcher at the Jubilee Centre at the University of Birmingham.heir

Well done to both of them and if you too wish to study for a PhD at Birmingham then please contact us via our website.
Study at Birmingham Dental School

Nina Vyas came second in a University-wide contest submitting a video into a Storytelling Researcher video competition. Her entry was based around her research on Cavitation bubbles produced by ultrasonic scalers.  Her video was judged by the Public Engagement with Research (PER) and announced at the recent annual Public Engagement with Research Day, themed on “Myth-busting the Barriers to Public Engagement”.

Nina’s video can be found on Youtube at the following address

Isabel Lopez-Oliva was successful on achieving the MDS PGR Overseas Work Experience Scholarship to go 3 weeks in February to Ohio State University, College of Dentistry, Division of Periodontology.

Isabel’s PhD investigates the biological relationship between periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis. The project that Isabel will conduct in Ohio with Dr. Purnima Kumar will apply next generation sequencing techniques to analyse the oral microbiota of patients with Periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis and to explore how periodontal therapy changes these microbiomes. This is of special importance as there are findings that support that oral microbiota, especially Porphyromonas gingivalis, play a role in RA pathogenesis and severity.

Isabel is a first year PhD student that has been working at the Dental School for over two years now as a research dentist in the periodontal department. Her supervisors are Dr. Melissa Grant and Prof. Thomas Dietrich.ental

Michelle Holder celebrated her 50th birthday and one of the most amazing birthday cakes was presented to her during her celebratory birthday lunch.  Helen Wright, research fellow, had baked a rainbow cake which was both colourful and eye-catching.  Michelle works in the 7th Floor Research lab and is a great support to all research workers and PhD students in the school.  Prof Paul Cooper gave a speech that celebrated Michelle’s work. Thankfully Paul’s speech was a short one as we were then able to tuck into the rainbow cake and other goodies!!.  Well done to Michelle on reaching her half century.

Recently I went to the opening of the Westmere Postgraduate facility and was very impressed with what the University have done there.  The Westmere house is beautifully restored and provides a hub for PG students at the University.  Any student can apply to have a PG space there with computer, desk etc.  It also offers many social activities and networking opportunities.  We  wish to encourage our dentistry PG students to apply for desk space in Westmere during their studies, as it will be on the right side of campus for our new Dental School.

Look out for future Friday science lunch meetings there in the coming months as it will be an ideal place for PG conferences/meetings.

The main thanks must go to Cleo White who is one of the Westmere scholars representing the College of Medical and Dental Sciences and as you will see in the attached picture was one of the speakers at the Vice Chancellors opening ceremony for Westmere.  Cleo is a PG student in dentistry supervised by Dick Shelton, Paul Cooper, Gabriel Landini and Owen Addison.

A recent study from the University of Birmingham suggests that Kidney disease patients with gum disease have greater mortality risk.

Severe gum disease increases the risk of death from chronic kidney disease by ten per cent, a new study suggests. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and periodontitis had a mortality rate of 41 per cent after 10 years, while those with just CKD had a 32 per cent rate. Researchers at the University of Birmingham, Praveen Sharma and Iain Chapple, said the mouth acts as a gateway for bacteria which can easily get into the blood stream through bleeding and sore gums. The study published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology was based on data from 13,734 participants in the US-based Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).