All Dentistry News

UAB fall commencement is Dec. 9-10

Sonya Mitchell is retiring from the School of Dentistry to enter new phase of her career

A mere 25 years after graduating from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry, Sonya Mitchell D.M.D., M.S.H.A., is about to enter private practice.

12 honored for excellence in teaching

Alumni Weekend to kick off school’s 75th anniversary celebration

UAB School of Dentistry’s annual Alumni Weekend, February 2-5, 2023, will kick off the school’s yearlong 75th anniversary celebration.

UAB’s research funding tops record $715 million for FY 2022

Dental conferences provide students with an additional layer of learning

Students come to the UAB School of Dentistry for both the traditional classroom instruction and the valuable real-world experience obtained through clinic work.

Trick or treat: Dental tips for a healthy Halloween

UAB School of Dentistry Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Wayne Prim

Dothan and dentistry through and through

Dr. Wayne Prim has always loved making beautiful things with his hands. Before he discovered dentistry, he was interested in pursuing a career as an architect.

Dr. Bill Reeder – Cross Country

One might say Dr. O. William “Bill” Reeder, Jr. (’71) has taken the scenic route throughout his life. That not only surmises his professional life but his choice of residences as well. Born in Andalusia, AL and raised in Luverne, the UAB School of Dentistry alumnus was influenced to pursue a dental career by long-time Luverne dentist and also UAB alumnus, Dr. Billy Beall. “The UAB School of Dentistry had a great reputation. I thought my education was fair but very tough and my education put me in a position where I could make a difference,” said Reeder.

$1.5 million grant to help improve the oral health of vulnerable adults in underserved areas in Alabama

Gilbert receives evidence-based dentistry award from the American Dental Association

Sports safety: how to avoid sports-related injuries

No filling, no drilling: An expert’s guide to the top tooth tech of 2022

Ging-HER-vitis? Women's health and oral health

Ask the Expert: Dr. Mia Geisinger

UAB School of Dentistry renews $3.2 million from NIH to train future dentistry academicians

Catching up with Dr. Milton Essig and his unique retirement adventures

Anyone who knows Dr. Milton Essig (Class of ’70), knows his attention to detail and his love of dentistry. During his thirty five years as a UAB School of Dentistry faculty member, he trained hundreds of UAB students, and even more through organized dentistry.

International Dentist Program provides passport to success for foreign students

Basmah Aref was not some wide-eyed novice when she arrived at UAB in 2021 to start her training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. In fact, she was already a dental school graduate with a year of experience working as an assistant at a pediatric practice.

Chavali to join International Dentist Program leadership team

Ramakiran Chavali, B.D.S., M.S., has been appointed Assistant Director of the International Dentist Program (IDP) in the UAB School of Dentistry effective September 1.

Dothan to welcome first-of-its-kind UAB dental clinic created to address state’s dental crisis

UAB School of Dentistry Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Michelle Ireland

An inspiring mission trip turns into a passion for practice

Javed named Associate Dean for Research in UAB School of Dentistry

Amjad Javed, Ph.D., has been named associate dean for research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry following a national search. He served in an interim capacity since 2018.

Ask the Expert: UAB School of Dentistry’s Dr. Nico Geurs shares the dangers of periodontal disease and how to keep your gums healthy

It is not uncommon for dental offices to use an image of a tooth in their signs or promotional materials. What you rarely see is an image of the gums. Yet gum health is an essential part of overall dental care. Nico Geurs, DDS, MS, Weatherford/Palcanis Endowed Professor and Chair in the Department of Periodontology at the UAB School of Dentistry, talks about the importance of not being dumb when it comes to the gums.

UAB School of Dentistry celebrates legacy of beloved instructor through endowment

Bryant G. “Don” Speed, D.M.D., a beloved instructor who taught in the UAB School of Dentistry Department of Orthodontics, passed away in 2014.

UAB School of Dentistry’s 2022 grads ace national board exams, place in top 10 percent nationally

The UAB School of Dentistry's Class of 2022 enjoyed a big slice of success regarding this year's new Integrated National Board Dental Examination.

UAB School of Dentistry Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Bruce Young

A self-confessed continuing-education junkie, Young says it’s an exciting time to be a dentist

Putting on that White Coat

UAB School of Dentistry honors Class of 2024 at 22nd White Coat Ceremony

Back to school means back-to-school checkups

Louis named Charles A. McCallum Chair of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

UAB partners with Oakwood University to prepare students from underrepresented areas to enter the dentistry field

Dental research network receives wide acceptance within scientific community

Study shows pandemic increased depression and anxiety in dental health care workers

Ask the Expert: UAB School of Dentistry’s Dr. Kau highlights early orthodontic management in cleft lip and cleft palate patients

Cleft lip and cleft palate defects show up in approximately one of every 700 babies born worldwide. It is a condition that can cause feeding problems in infancy, and lead to social embarrassment for pre-teens. UAB School of Dentistry Professor and Chair at the Department of Orthodontics Chung H. Kau, BDS, MScD, Ph.D., works with more than 100 such infants each year through the Cleft and Craniofacial Center at Children’s of Alabama.

Dr. Kimberly Carr appointed Co-Director of UAB Sparks Dental Clinic

Kimberly R. Carr, D.M.D., M.A., has accepted the position of Co- Director of the UAB Sparks Dental Clinic. The announcement was made by Janice Jackson, D.M.D., chair of the UAB School of Dentistry’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry. The appointment is effective immediately due to Dr. Stephen Mitchell, the current Sparks Dental Clinic director, assuming the duties of director of the SOD International Dentistry Program.

Dental research network receives wide acceptance within scientific community

Since 2005, the UAB-led National Dental Practice-Based Research Network has conducted dozens of studies involving thousands of dental practitioners and patients. Now there is statistical evidence that the results of those efforts are being well received by the scientific community.

Joy White Fund Lifts Student Burdens

The Covid-19 pandemic hit home for several UAB School of Dentistry students the past couple of years. One student was greatly impacted when her father passed due to COVID and her mother was also hospitalized for several weeks. Subsequently the family and the student suffered financially. The student, and others, who had financial hardships last year, were aided by the School of Dentistry Alumni Association’s Joy White Fund. All told, the association awarded $8,000 in emergency aid to four students.

Alumni Association presents Fuller Award to Dr. John Anderson

John P. Anderson, DMD of Rainsville, Ala was named the 2022 H. Moren Fuller Award winner by the University of Alabama School of Dentistry Alumni Association.

Dr. Stephen Mitchell named next director of International Dentist Program at UAB School of Dentistry

Dean Russell S. Taichman has named Stephen (Steve) Mitchell, D.M.D., M.S., as codirector of the International Dentist Program (IDP) effective July 1, 2022. On December 1, 2022 he will take over the directorship. He will replace Dr. Sonya Mitchell, who intends to step down from the position in December.

Alumni Spotlight: Buckley enjoys serving hometown patients

Graduates from the UAB School of Dentistry can guarantee they will leave with an excellent dental school education and clinical experience. Many will also take with them life-long friendships with classmates and faculty members, and fond memories of living in Birmingham. But every so often, students also leave with something (or, better yet, someone) even more special.

Bridging a dental gap

New Blaze to D.M.D. program provides pathway for promising new School of Dentistry students

UAB School of Dentistry celebrates graduates, recognizes student accomplishments during 2022 commencement ceremony

UAB School of Dentistry honored more than 75 Doctor of Dental Medicine graduates at its commencement ceremony for the class of 2022. Dean Russell S. Taichman, D.M.D., D.M.Sc., presided over the June 4 event at UAB’s Bartow Arena.

Alumni Spotlight: Miller takes leap of faith to open ‘hometown practice’

Growing up in Montgomery, Ala., Dr. Keri Miller’s childhood interests looked a bit different from what you might expect of an aspiring dentist. Instead of focusing on science and healthcare, Dr. Miller spent her childhood engrossed in the fine arts.

Dentistry at Two Hundred Miles Per Hour

One of South Florida’s favorite and fastest sports is Jai-Alai. The ball used in Jai-Alai is called a pelota and it travels at nearly 200 miles per hour. The two contestants bounce the smaller than a baseball pelota off walls with a curbed wicker scoop to score points. The game is fast, furious, and hard to keep up with. The same can be said for Dr. Anissa Broussard Holmes (‘99), who now makes her home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Shaffer embarked on a Navy adventure after graduating from UAB School of Dentistry

It was supposed to be just a quick bite of lunch. Instead, it turned into a chance meeting that propelled second-year UAB School of Dentistry student Gayle Shaffer down the path toward becoming Rear Admiral Gayle Shaffer, Deputy Surgeon General in the United States Navy.

Ask the Expert: UAB School of Dentistry’s Dr. Nate Lawson explores 21st century innovations and advancements in dentistry

A lot has changed in the dental industry since the days of George Washington’s dentures (which actually were made of ivory, not wood). Innovations and advancements have regularly taken place over the centuries, from the invention of the dental drill in the late 1700s to the creation of the modern nylon toothbrush in 1938.

So many stories to tell: UAB School of Dentistry helps provide free dental care to more than 400 underserved through rural medical initiative

UAB School of Dentistry faculty, residents, students, and alumni took part in Alabama’s first remote medical event, helping provide dental care to more than 400 underserved people in Gadsden, AL.