Volume 9 • 2022 • Issue 3

First Place: Julia Burgess, University of British Columbia Julia Burgess (DMD 2024) from UBC was awarded first place for her research on dental resins. The goal of her research was to develop new methacrylate-based dental resins that will address the lack of long-term and effective strategies for dental caries. “By incorporating photosensitive compounds within these dental resins, we opened the door for a new approach to mitigating the recurrence of carious lesions, by using a technique known as antimicrobial photodynamic therapy,” explains Burgess. “The photosensitive compounds can be activated by a dental curing light to release reactive oxygen species that cause localized and permanent oxidative damage to caries- associated microorganisms, like Streptococcus mutans .” In this project, she investigated the effect of loading two different photosensitive compounds on degree of conversion, and water sorption and solubility. Second Place: Nicole Ng, University of Toronto Nicole Ng (DDS 2024) from U of T was the runner-up in the competition for her research on correlative imaging of collagen damage using fluorescent collagen hybridizing peptide (CHP). “My project took a step back from pure dentistry- related research and looked at a more basic-science perspective,” explains Ng. “At the Bozec lab, we conducted correlative imaging of collagen damage using the novel fluorescent CHP, that we showed would bind specifically to areas of denatured and unwound collagen fibrils.” Her research showed that it was possible to load either compound without negatively impacting photopolymerization of the blend. Moreover, the aqueous stability of the material was improved with the addition of one photosensitizer. Her study confirmed the feasibility of adding different photosensitive compounds to methacrylate- based dental resins. “These preliminary investigations are a promising first step in the development of materials that prevent recurrent dental caries. Also, by using the technique of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy, the protection against recurrent caries will be longer lasting than for existing therapies,” she says. “I really valued participating in the CDA/Dentsply Sirona program. It was an honour to represent UBC with the support of my inspiring research supervisors, Drs. Adriana Manso and Patricia Comeau,” says Burgess. “The program gave us the opportunity to learn about the exciting ongoing research projects that undergraduate dentistry students are involved in across Canada. I’m grateful that the organizers made it possible for this event to run successfully in a virtual format, including an interactive question and answer period.” She appreciated the fact that the program provided a platform to present research that is not solely pure dentistry. “While my project identified how the peptide could nano-histologically stain the extracellular matrix in oral squamous cell carcinomas, the abundance of collagen elsewhere in the body can point towards potential diagnostic or even therapeutic applications for other disease systems,” she says. Her overall experience participating in the program was very positive. “It felt amazing to be a part of something that is held across Canada, and I felt honoured to represent U of T, Dr. Laurent Bozec and Sophia Huang from the Bozec Lab at this level,” she says. “Health science research is something that I love to enhance my education with, and to do so in conjunction with my dentistry program was extremely valuable. The program gave me and my peers an opportunity to contribute to the growing field of scientific knowledge, as we work towards becoming clinicians that translate this knowledge into providing community oral health care.” 20 | 2022 | Issue 3 News and Events