CDA Essentials 2018 • Volume 5 • Issue 7

11 Issue 7 | 2018 | CDA at W ork CDA/ DENTSPLYSIRONA Spotlight on Canadian Dental Student Research Each year, CDA and Dentsply Sirona organize a national student research competition where the top student clinicians from the 10 Canadian dental schools are invited to present their research. This year, the competition was hosted by the Dental Association of Prince Edward Island (DAPEI) during the CDA annual convention in Charlottetown, P.E.I. The top ten undergraduate student researchers in Canada, who were individually selected by their respective deans, had the opportunity to present and discuss their research with a panel of qualified judges and conference attendees. Natalie Rosenthal (DMD 2019) from the University of Manitoba took first place honours for her research on factors affecting the degree of conversion of universal adhesives. “I studied how we can manipulate universal adhesives differently to increase their degree of conversion,” she explained. “The importance of this is directly related to bond strength, because a higher degree of conversion can actually increase bond strength,” she adds. “Most of the time, composites tend to fail due to the interface between the adhesive and the composite, not the adhesive and the dentine. Higher bond strength means that the composite restoration will last longer, and ultimately, patients will be happier.” Ms. Rosenthal found that the tested adhesives have a higher degree of conversion when cured for 20 seconds, instead of the recommended 10 seconds. “Universal adhesives are advertised by the manufacturers as having a simplified application technique. Based on my research findings, the manufacturers should perhaps look at the materials individually, instead of providing a unique standardized mode of application, because each material has a different chemical composition.” Ms. Rosenthal won an expense-paid trip to the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) 48 th annual meeting in Vancouver, BC, in June 2019, where she will join other international competition winners. Kellie Zelmer (DDS 2019) from Dalhousie University was the runner-up in the competition for her research on noise-induced hearing loss in dental education and dentistry. She investigated levels of noise exposure in a dental school setting and examined whether the students are aware of the potential risks. Ms. Zelmer received $1,000 for second prize. The CDA/Dentsply Student Clinician Research Program was first introduced in 1971. Since that time, CDA and Dentsply Sirona have worked together to stimulate ideas and increase student involvement in the future of the dental profession. “You really feel like you’re being accepted in the dental community. It is great to be able to meet students from different provinces who are going through the same thing as you are,” says Ms. Rosenthal. a (L. to r.) Natalie Rosenthal; Dr. Mitch Taillon, CDA president; and Kellie Zelmer. Listen to Natalie Rosenthal present her research on Oasis Discussions wp.me/p2Lv6A-6ae Photographs: Teckles Photo Inc.