Announcing the School of Dentistry Wall of Honor Dedication

Announcing the School of Dentistry Wall of Honor Dedication.  Please join us on April 26, 2008, at 5:30 p.m. in the registration/patient reception area for the dedication of the new School of Dentistry Wall of Honor.  Participants are invited to attend the School of Dentistry alumni reception in the Learning Center Commons following the dedication.

The Wall of Honor recognizes alumni and friends who support the School of Dentistry; donors are listed by lifetime giving, annual giving, and planned giving.

Dental students bring smiles to rural communities WVU program serves Blacksville patients

BY TRACY EDDY The Dominion Post

THE CLAY-BATTELLE Community Health Center is at 5861 Mason Dixon Highway, in Blacksville. Info or appointments: 432-8211.

    Dental student Spencer Stiles has a good set of teeth.

    He smiles as he makes his way around a dental operatory in the Clay-Battelle Community Health Center’s Dental Clinic in a white lab coat. He adjusts the overhead lamp and pulls a stool alongside the dental chair to get closer to his patient.

    Stiles, a Blacksville native, is a fourth-year student at WVU’s School of Dentistry, and has returned to his hometown for his rural rotation requirement.

    “I chose to come back to this community because I grew up here and I feel like I’ve gotten a lot out of it,” Stiles said. “And now I have the opportunity to give back to it.”

    Stiles graduated from Clay-Battelle High School in 2000, and headed to WVU to pursue a degree in forensic and investigative sciences. He graduated from WVU in 2004 with that degree and a change of plans.

    “In college, I had an internship with a forensic dentist,” Stiles said. “And that really sparked my interest and got me into dentistry.”

    Stiles is part of the West Virginia Rural Health Education Partnership, an organization that works to put trained health sciences graduates in underserved rural communities, according to www.wvrhep.org.

    WVU, Marshall University and the West Virginia School of Ostheopathic Medicine all participate in WVRHEP, helping to achieve its goal.

    WVU makes the rural rotation a mandatory part of its health sciences program for dentists, Stiles said. Students can chose to complete their rotation in any place in the state that qualifies as a rural area.

    “You don’t always get your first choice,” Stiles said. “But they’re pretty good about taking it into consideration if you’re from that area.”

    Stiles is two weeks into his sixweek rotation, and has already seen some familiar faces. He’s also recognized from the last time he was at the clinic — as a patient.

    “The other day, I had people that work here coming up to me,” Stiles said. “And saying, ‘Oh, I remember when you were so little.’ ”

    The Clay-Batelle Community Health Center opened in November 1973, said, the center’s executive director Joe Tuttle. It was born from the community’s need for local medical and dental services.

    The dental clinic was established a year before the medical clinic became a part of the health center, Tuttle said. Both clinics moved together to their new location along Mason-Dixon highway in July 2004 in Blacksville .

    The dental clinic houses four dental operatories, a dental laboratory, a sterilization area and a darkroom for developing patient X-rays. The clinic’s staff consists of two full-time dentists, one part-time hygienist, two dental assistants and a dental receptionist.

The staff works a 40-hour week, with evening hours on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The clinic accepts rotation requests from one dental student at a time, which provides a better experience for the dental students, said Dr. Allison Wilson.

“This way we can give Spencer more of our attention,” Wilson said.

    Wilson, a 2002 graduate from the WVU School of Dentistry, said the dental clinic offers all facets of general dentistry, including cleanings, fillings, extractions, prosthodontics and endodontics. The clinic also offers some cosmetic dentistry services.

    “We do a lot of bonding and veneers, and some whitening,” Wilson said.

    Wilson has practiced at the Clay-Batelle Community Health Center since 2003.

    Dr. Tara Hilleary, who graduated from WVU’s School of Dentistry in 2004 and began practicing at the clinic right away, said the service is needed in the area, and well-used.

    “We offer such a wide variety of services because we see such a wide variety of patients,” Hilleary said.

    The clinic services an area with a population of roughly 12,000 people, with 5,000 to 6,000 of those people within a five-mile radius of the clinic, Tuttle said.

    The western end of Monongalia County, the northern part of Wetzel County, and the southwestern section of Greene County, Pa., make up the service area.

    The clinic treats all patients whether or not they have insurance, Tuttle said, and a sliding fee program is in place to offer reductions based on each individual’s income.

    Tuttle said an average of 5,000 patients a year are treated at the dental clinic, with a total of 16,000 patients a year for both the dental and medical clinics.

    “Unfortunately, oftentimes we see the patient after the problem’s been neglected for too long,” Tuttle said.

    Tuttle cited instances where a tooth infection was ignored for so long it spread throughout a patient’s body. He said dental health is often neglected, because most people aren’t aware how fundamental it is to overall health.

    “Dental health is one of the basic steps to helping people,” Tuttle said. “We need to increase awareness in schools and communities, so people can be taught the basics of maintaining their overall health.”

    Tuttle said having dental students work at the clinic helps educate them on the importance of health care awareness.

    “It gives them an opportunity to see where the system is breaking down,” Tuttle said. “And makes them think about the ways they can help fix it.”

    Stiles said he gets to apply his schooling to a real-life setting because Hilleary and Wilson have allowed him to work in every area of patient care the dental clinic offers, checking in on him regularly.

    “It’s fun to finally come out here and actually do what I’ve been training to do,” he said.

    Stiles has a specific interest in endodontics, which is the area of dentistry that deals with root canals.

    “The operations are very precise,” Stiles said. “You have to pay close attention to detail and look for clues around the tooth to decide what direction to go in.”

    Stiles is applying to endodontic specialty programs at several schools, including WVU, he said. The specialty program will be a two-year residency, he said, but he’s not ruling out returning to the Blacksville area.

    “If the opportunity ever presented itself,” Stiles said, “I would love to come back home.”

President-Elect Mike Garrison Visits the School of Dentistry

A recent visit to the School of Dentistry provided an opportunity for President-elect Mike Garrison and Interim Dean Louise Veselicky to discuss critical issues facing dental education and the profession.   During a tour of our newly renovated clinics, President-elect Garrison observed dental and dental hygiene students and faculty working in a state-of-the-art environment for clinical practice and teaching.   Since he was present for a clinical lab exercise within the Introduction to Patient Care course, he was able to interact with individuals who were learning proper techniques for administering local anesthesia.  Interim Dean Veselicky was pleased that President-elect Garrison had a chance to witness one of the many important educational experiences that produce proficient oral health clinicians for West Virginia and beyond.      

Louise Veselicky, D.D.S, M.D.S., and M.Ed has been appointed interim dean of the WVU School of Dentistry

Louise Veselicky, D.D.S, M.D.S., and M.Ed has been appointed interim dean of the School of Dentistry at West Virginia University. Dr. Veselicky replaces James Koelbl, D.D.S., who is resigning later this year.

Veselicky received a bachelor's degree in dental hygiene and a D.D.S at WVU. She received a master's in dentistry as well as education at the University of Pittsburgh. She has served on the WVU faculty since 1991.

"Dr. Veselicky is an effective leader, and successful teacher who will continue the 50-year tradition of excellence of the WVU School of Dentistry," said Robert M. D'Alessandri, M.D., who made the appointment. "Her energy and compassion are ideal for the school as it continues to provide the state with a nationally recognized oral health center for education, research and service while improving the dental and oral health of all citizens, especially West Virginians."

Koelbl, dean of the school since 1999, will be starting a new School of Dentistry at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif.

Veselicky has served on the faculty in the department of periodontics since 1991, most recently as clinical associate professor. She has served as senior associate dean for educational programs in the school of dentistry, interim chair of periodontics and interim associate dean of clinical affairs.

"It is an honor to be asked by Dr. D'Alessandri to lead the School of Dentistry during this transition period," Veselicky said. "I am looking forward to this opportunity to serve the people of the state of West Virginia by continuing the tradition of quality dental education, research, service and patient care."

She was inducted into the American College of Dentists in 2002 and won the WVU School of Dentistry Outstanding Teacher Award in 2000.

Veselicky authored two chapters, Assessing Patient Characteristics and Performing Periodontal Procedures in "Dental Hygiene in Review," first edition, published in 2001.

She has been published in numerous journals and her special interests include periodontics and rural pediatric dentistry and early intervention. Her husband, Ken, is an assistant professor in the Department of Radiology in the WVU School of Medicine. They have a daughter, Mary, who attends St. Francis School.

The first dental class entered WVU in the fall of 1957, with dental hygiene added in 1961. Since then, over 1750 dentists and over 725 dental hygienists have graduated, and graduates currently practice in 54 of the State's 55 counties.

The School of Dentistry offers a D.D.S. degree as well as a B.S. degree in dental hygiene, and postgraduate programs in the dental specialties of orthodontics, prosthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery and endodontics, as well as a Master's program in dental hygiene. Additionally, an advanced education program in general dentistry (AEGD) is offered in Charleston, and a general practice residency program is available in Morgantown.

The West Virginia Dental Association celebrated its 100th annual session in grand style at The Greenbrier Hotel

Dignitaries: ADA President Bob Brandjord joins WVDA officers during the association's 100th annual session in July. First row from left are Dr. Brandjord; Dr. Kenneth Dolan, WVDA president; Dr. James Koelbl, president-elect; Richard Stevens, executive director; and Dr. Daniel Joseph, past president. Second row from left are Dr. Craig Wilcox, secretary; and Dr. Charles L. Smith, ADA 6th District Trustee. From left in back are Dr. Terry Lake, treasurer; Dr. James Courrier, vice president; and Dr. Keith Hildebrand, immediate past president.

4-H Week kicks off WVU Extension's 4-H dental health project

A green clover is creating more "pearly whites" in West Virginia. It's a plan-actually it's a dental health planner-that the West Virginia University Extension Service is celebrating during National 4-H Week, Oct. 1-7.
The first week in October always kicks off the new 4-H year in West Virginia and throughout the United States, with local communities conducting their own celebrations as they reorganize 4-H clubs and special interest groups. The observance formally introduces youths to the famous green clover and the meaning of the individual H (representing Head, Heart, Hands and Health, respectively) printed on each of the clover's four leaves.
Last year in West Virginia, the Health H began attracting 4-H members' daily attention in a new way-through personal health planners. Each month's games and puzzles challenged 4-H'ers to discover and try healthy food and fitness choices.
During the same time, selected WVU Extension Service faculty, staff and volunteers were pilot-testing the new 4-H dental health planner. 4-H members tried health activities, recorded their progress in their planners and incorporated their success stories into club meetings.
4-H members liked taking that test.
One 4-H volunteer leader reported that a local dental hygienist made a different kind of impression: "She brought a tooth that had been soaking in a soft drink for 24 hours, and all the 4-H'ers were 'grossed out' to see the staining and softness in just a day's time."
The hygienist visited the 4-H club only once. But the tooth returned to the club's meetings each month. Youths of all ages remained fascinated by the tooth's continuing decay. The disappearing tooth reinforced the messages of two of the planner's healthy drinks sections: "Spoonfuls of Sugar Make the Teeth Go Down" and "Soda Soda Everywhere, But Stop Before You Drink!"
The pilot test prepared the dental health project for its National 4-H Week introduction through WVU Extension Service's 55 county offices. WVU Extension agents and volunteers are busy recruiting and reenlisting health officers-4-H youths trained to lead their clubs' health activities for the year.
Debbie McDonald, who leads WVU Extension's 4-H Youth Development Program, is encouraging each county 4-H program to implement the Healthy Lifestyles Initiative this year.
First goal: 1 youth health officer trained for each 4-H club in West Virginia.
Second goal: 1,465 clubs using the planner every month.
The clubs alone could take the "pearly whites" challenge to more than 24,000 youths. Another 4,000 young people could be reached through the many 4-H special interest organizations-such as Extension's Family Nutrition Program youth groups-that meet regularly.
McDonald, a 4-H alumna and former WVU Extension 4-H agent, is not surprised by the initiative's success or its potential.
"4-H is the only youth development program," she said, "that has a direct connection to technological advances resulting from university research."
The WVU School of Dentistry and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Oral Health Program were among the collaborators who supported the dental health planner.
"The Healthy Lifestyles Initiative aims to motivate 4-H'ers to try out new healthy habits, to learn how personal choices relate to health and to reinforce positive habits with their families. It builds youth leadership and is fully integrated into our 4-H Youth Development Program," she said, referring to 4-H's three national primary program areas of citizenship, healthy living, and science, engineering and technology.
Elaine Bowen, the WVU Extension health promotion specialist leading the Healthy Lifestyles Initiative, said that 4-H's sustained focus on improving daily nutrition, exercise and safety habits is in response to young people's increasing health problems, including obesity and diabetes.
The "learn by doing" 4-H method can help youths and their families choose and adopt better health habits, she said.
"Research has shown that 4-H transforms lives. 4-H members do better in school, are more motivated to help others, feel safe to try new things, achieve a sense of self-esteem and develop lasting friendships.
"We know that 4-H methods help youths achieve their goals," Bowen said. "With 4-H helping youths learn healthier choices by encouraging them to experience those choices, I believe youths will also develop and maintain their own healthy lifestyle goals."
Annually, WVU's 4-H Program delivers educational activities to more than 56,000 West Virginia youths. 4-H activities are open to students between the ages of 5 and 21 years old. Information about clubs, camps, international opportunities and special interest groups is available on the Web (www.ext.wvu.edu ( http://www.ext.wvu.edu/ )), from the WVU Extension Service 4-H Youth Development Program (304-293-2694) and at each WVU Extension Service county office.

WVU Dental Students give back to local WV communities...

The WVU School of Dentistry's Rural Health Rotation Program is instrumental in helping the institution achieve its mission of "providing the people of West Virginia with an oral health center for education, research and service activities as well as contributing to and improving the dental health of all people, especially the citizens of West Virginia."

This mutually beneficial program enriches the student's overall educational experience while providing much needed oral health care services to the citizens of West Virginia. Pictured above is Dallas Nibert, a fourth year dental student, escorting a 96 year old patient out of the Handicap Entrance of the Belington Dental Clinic after treatment. As demonstrated from the photo, our students enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to give back to the local communities of West Virginia. In turn, the patients appreciate the enthusiasm, compassion, and expertise the students provide.

To learn more about this exciting program, please contact Dr. Richard Meckstroth in the Office of Dental Practice and Rural Health (rmeckstroth@hsc.wvu.edu) or visit us on the web at http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/sod/departments/DDPRH/index.html.

Women pioneers in healthcare...an exhibit

Dear Alumni & Friends of the WVU School of Dentistry:

The WVU School of Dentistry is partnering with the Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy to showcase women pioneers in healthcare. An exhibit, “Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America’s Local Women Physicians,” will be stopping in West Virginia from October 18 to December 8, 2006. This exhibit was developed by the National Library of Medicine in collaboration with the American Library Association Public Programs Office. It will be part of a six-week long Health Science Center event focusing on women legends in each of the health care disciplines.

The proposed itinerary for this special occasion includes:
-Panel presentations spotlighting women in health professions
-Exhibits by health science schools showcasing women pioneers and historical
information in each discipline
-Videotape or slideshow featuring local legends in health professions

In preparation for the festivities, it is crucial that we identify one or more female dental professionals that we believe would epitomize the distinction of “legend.” The following criteria should be considered when selecting an individual for this honor:

A living female with a DDS or equivalent and/or a MSDH degree(s) who is working or has worked in the state of West Virginia;
Affiliated with WVU either as an alumnus or through employment, and has demonstrated sustained accomplishments over time;
Demonstrated commitment, originality, innovation or creativity in her field; and
Involved in one of the following categories for recognition: patient care, public health, public service and/or health policy, research, education, and/or military or governmental service.

If you would like to suggest the name of someone that you feel can be characterized as a female legend in dentistry or dental hygiene based on the aforementioned criteria, please send the following information to us by August 15, 2006:

-cover letter including the name, title, address of nominee and describing why the award should be given to the nominee
-curriculum vitae
-up to three one-page letters of recommendation, if available

Thank in advance for your consideration. You will be receiving additional information on the event as plans become finalized.

Sincere regards,

Christina B. DeBiase, DH, EdD
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Shelia S. Price, DDS, EdD
Associate Dean for Admissions, Recruitment and Access

Dental Student Application Deadline moved for 2007.

Beginning with the 2006-2007 dental admission cycle, applications for admission to the WVU Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program must be submitted to AADSAS by November 30.

The application period for 2007 admittance will be June 1, 2006 until November 30, 2006.

If you have any questions please contact us.

Office of Dental Admissions
West Virginia University
PO Box 9407
Morgantown, WV 26506-9407
Phone: (304) 293-6646
Fax: (304) 293-8561