Winter 1997 Issue Vol. III, No. 3

Thanks for Special Gifts

The holiday season is a special time of the year. This is a traditional time for gifts to family and friends. I express a very special thank you for the gifts that our part-time and contributed service faculty have given us over the years. These individuals give us the gift of their "real world" perspective and make a significant contribution to the education of our students. Through their generous gifts of time, talent, dedication and commitment, our School remains a leader in education and research. The names and years of service of our part-time and contributed service faculty are listed is this issue.

Best wishes for a happy holiday season and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Wayne W. Barkmeier, DDS, MS
Dean, School of Dentistry

Endowed Fund in Dental Ethics Established

Drs. Philip, DDS'53, Ruth, BS'48, and Maschka of Omaha recently established the Creighton University Endowment Fund for Ethics in Dentistry with their second major gift to the Creighton 2000 Campaign.

Creighton University will solicit other alumni, faculty, staff, corporations and foundations to contribute to this fund.

Income from the fund will be used to provide an annual award to a senior dental student and eventually endow a Chair in Ethics in the School of Dentistry.

The $2,500 annual award will recognize a senior student who displays the highest order of professionalism, concern for patients, honesty, integrity, morality, responsibility, and scholastic and clinical ability.

For more information on the fund, please call the Creighton University Development Office at 800-334-8794.

School Acquires New 3-D Profiling System

The School has acquired a new computerized three-dimensional profiling system that allows researchers to quantify changes in tooth surfaces and dental restorative materials quickly and with unprecedented accuracy.
The new system enables researchers at the School to critically evaluate restorations as they function over time in the oral cavity. It also can record soft tissue profiles, which can help determine the effectiveness of periodontal treatment.

The equipment is highly accurate in evaluating wear of restorations and opposing tooth structures. Profiles of a patient's teeth and gums are analyzed by a sophisticated computer program, and the results are graphically displayed on a computer monitor. Changes can be analyzed over various time frames, allowing for longitudinal evaluations of surface changes in the mouth.
In addition, the system allows researchers at the School to couple laboratory studies with clinical studies and to help predict the clinical performance of new restorative materials.

Phone-A-Thon Nets New Donors, More Pledges

The School would like to thank alumni, friends and students who participated in the October phone-a-thon. The School realized a 23 percent increase in pledges from last year, with 45 new donors. Special thanks to the following students who worked the phones, making more than 3,500 calls: Christine Taylor, Anita DiGiovanni, Robert McDowell, Jim Barton, Christina Bachicha, Kirsten Knight, Thomas Chiodo, Tricia Phipps, Jacci Graber, Christine Kozal, Reed Lobrat, Jeni Feldges, Bahar Farani, Sepideh Hokmabadi, Michelle Rega, John Nosti, Jared Randall, Ryan McNeil and Michaela McKenzie.

Alumni Events Set for Denver and Utah

The School will host a reception at the Denver Mid-Winter Meeting on January 16, 1998, and a dinner at the Utah State Dental Meeting on February 5, 1998. Please call Alumni Relations at 1-800-CU-ALUMS for more information.

Alpha Sigma Nu

Dr. Frank J. Ayers, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, and Dr. W. Thomas Cavel, holder of the Dr. Raymond W. Shaddy Endowed Chair in Operative Dentistry, were named honorary members of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national Jesuit honor society. Student inductees included dental junior Jess Kelly and seniors Bruce and Julia Newcomb.

CU Hosts ASDA

The School hosted the regional meeting of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) in October. Approximately 40 students attended. Junior Creighton dental student and ASDA representative Jonathan Campbell helped coordinate the event.

Part-Time, `Contributed' Faculty Serve School

The School of Dentistry's part-time and contributed service faculty and their years of service are listed below.

35-40 years: William L. Carlisle, DDS'58; John F. Krager, Jr., DDS'55; Darrell J. Lower, DDS'55; John R. Skow, DDS'55; Donald H. Stormberg, DDS'54.
25-30 years: Theodore E. Bolamperti, DDS'65; Thomas E. Boyle, DDS'60; Roger B. Gerstner, DDS'69; J. Terry Sullivan, DDS'60.
20-25 years: Roger K. Curry, DDS; Marvin B. Dvorak, DDS'64; Steven R. Eggers, DDS'76; John F. Seminara, DDS'74; Richard M. Tempero, DDS'71.
15-20 years: Willis C. Gray, DDS'55; Terry M. Guzallis, DDS'79; Frank J. Huebner, DDS; Marvin L. Kramer, DDS'72; Richard J. Ronk, Jr., DDS'78; P. Ray Swayne, DDS.
10-15 years: William J. Braymen, DDS; Joseph V. Franco, Jr., DDS'84; Anthony J. Gruber, DDS; the Rev. John G. Holbrook, S.J.; Chad L. Kluza, DDS'84; Alfred T. Longo, Jr., DDS'78; Michael P. McDermott, DDS'75; Nancy A. Rosenthal, BSDH; Cynthia C. Russell, DDS'84; Randy E. Stout, DDS'82; John B. Synhorst, DDS; Christopher D. Vaughan, DDS'84.
5-10 years: Brad W. Carson, DDS'89; John E. Filippi, DDS'80; Jerome F. Gradoville, DDS'88; Benton Kutler, DDS'45; James P. Purvis, DDS'73; Greg S. Samuelson, DDS; R. Scott Shaddy, DDS'88.
1-5 years: Judith A. Belitz, DDS; Steven P. Blaha, DDS; Michael J. Carlisle, DDS'91; Gregory L. Davis, DDS'79; Patrick M. Donahue, DDS; Dean L. Doyle, DDS; Steven R. Evelhoch, DDS'84; Stephen L. Gillespie, DDS'80; Michael J. Hoover, DDS'93; M. Nan Kelsey, DDS'78; Terry F. Lanphier, DDS'82; Marty J. Matz, DDS'88; Thomas R. Meng, DDS; Stacy L. Moffenbier, DDS'91; Thomas J. McCusker, JD; William J. O'Brien, DDS; Raymond F. Olmo, DDS; Evan E. Olson; Linda S. Scheirton, PhD; Nathan W. Schwandt, DDS; Lourdes M. Secola-Ocanto, DDS'93; Timothy J. Sheehan, DDS'91; Scott A. Trapp, DDS; Hsiao (Sharlene) L. Yuan, DDS'95.

Faculty Author, Co-Author Journal Articles

The following articles, authored and co-authored by School of Dentistry faculty, were published recently: _ Wilcox CW, Huebner GR, Mattson JS, Nilsson DE, Blankenau RJ. Placement and Restoration of Implants by Predoctoral Students: The Creighton Experience. Journal of Prosthodontics 1997; 6:61-65 _ Ibarrola JL, Knowles KI, Ludlow MO, McKinley IB. Factors Affecting the Negotiability of Second Mesiobuccal Canals in Maxillary Molars. Journal of Endodontics 1997; 4:236-238 _ Wyatt WM. Sagittal Ramus Split Osteotomy: Literature Review and Suggested Modification of Technique. British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 1997; 35:137-141 _ Brundo GC, O'Brien WJ. Characteristics Identified by Deans as Essential to Success. Journal of Dental Education 1997; 61:484-488 _ Hicks MJ, Flaitz CM, Westerman GH, Blankenau RJ, Powell GL. Root Caries In Vitro After Low Fluence Argon Laser and Fluoride Treatment. Compendium 1997; 18:543-550 _ Norton NS, McConnell JR, Rodriguez-Sierra JF. Behavioral and Physiological Sex Differences Observed in an Animal Model of Fulminant Hepatic Encephalopathy in the Rat. Physiology and Behavior 1997; 62:1113-1124 _ Mandras RS, Thurmond JW, Latta MA, Matranga LF, Kildee JM, Barkmeier WW. Three-year Clinical Evaluation of the Clearfil Liner Bond System. Operative Dentistry 1997; 22:266-270.

Student Wins All-School Clinician Contest

Sophomore Paige J. Wilson won the all-school student clinician contest sponsored by the ADA and Dentsply International and presented this clinic at the Annual Session of the American Dental Association in Washington, D.C., this past October. Her presentation was titled "In Vitro Study of Veillonella and Strep Mutans with Respect to pH and Cariogenicity." Dr. Neil S. Norton, Assistant Professor of Oral Biology, was the faculty mentor for this project.

Faculty News & Notes

Dr. Mark A. Latta, Assistant Dean for Research and Continuing Education, and Dr. Peter T. Triolo, Associate Professor of Operative Dentistry and Director of Cariology Research, gave a presentation titled "Current Status of Adhesive-Restorative Dentistry" for the Ft. Dodge District Dental Society Fall Meeting in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on September 29, 1997.

Dr. Richard J. Blankenau, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, gave a presentation titled "Curing Composite Resin with Laser and Halogen Lights" at the Adhesive Dentistry State of the Art Symposium in New Orleans on October 3-4, 1997.

Dr. Mark H. Taylor, Associate Professor of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, has been appointed the Director of Informatics for the Creighton University School of Dentistry. Dr. Taylor is well prepared for this new area of responsibility. He will actively work with faculty, staff and students to help plan and implement the School's future use of computer technology in teaching and information management.

Dr. Peter T. Triolo has been inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Dentists (ACD). Dr. Roger B. Gerstner, Adjunct Associate Professor of Operative Dentistry, was elected chair of the Nebraska Section of the ACD.
Dr. Gary H. Westerman, Professor and Chair of Community and Preventive Dentistry, hosted a delegation of health professionals from Tobolsk, Russia, in late October and early November. The two-week visit was part of an on-going exchange program, of which Dr. Westerman has been a vital part. The delegation consisted of a nurse educator, a general surgeon, an ophthalmologist and a dentist.