College of Dental Medicine Lasting Impressions Magazine

NSU COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE © 25 Unlike Cundy, Miller’s findings concluded that if a child already needed sedation or general anesthesia to treat a cavity, the parents were more likely to choose SDF as a treatment option. “Basically, if these parents and children had been through the trauma of that, they would accept SDF despite its unaesthetic appeal. The [parents of] children who were cooperative, and had white fillings, would not choose the treatment. It was interesting to see those results.” Miller’s survey was conducted at the two clinics, where a sizable percentage of the child patients are Medicaid recipients. Cundy and Miller are discussing combining their results to compare the differences in acceptance of SDF between parents without special-needs children and those who have children with autism or other neurodevelopment disorders. “We are going to make the world a better place if we can better educate dentists on how to treat patients, especially if there are access-to-care issues, such as patients with autism or the working poor,” said Judith R. Chin, D.D.S., M.S., pediatric residency program director. Chin cited a study conducted by CDM graduate Noah Turk, D.M.D., M.S., about educating dentists on treating children with autism as another example of the impact student research could have on a larger scale. Turk, now a pediatric dentist in Toronto, Canada, is hoping his research opens the door to educate dentists without a pediatric specialty to be more willing to treat young autistic patients. “Autism is on the rise, and it’s important that not just pediatric dentists, but general dentists, are able to treat these patients,” Turk stated in his research, which took place at the dental clinic at the NSU Mailman Segal Center for Human Development. Turk examined how many visits a child with autism required for the dentist to complete treatment. His research found it sometimes took up to five visits, and that the positive responses came from the dentist explaining “what they were doing, showing them instruments, and approach- ing them at a calmer, slower pace. The characteristics we identified would allow general dentists to have a grasp on how to treat children with autism,” he stated. The research was presented at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) “with rather good feedback,” he added. Romer Ocanto, D.D.S., M.S., M.Ed., chair of the Depart- ment of Pediatric Dentistry and principal investigator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, said Turk’s research is important on several levels. “A concern of dentists on the use of applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the potential number of visits it will take to desensitize the patient, especially in children with ASD who may have speech delay and intellectual or developmen- tal delay,” Ocanto said. “Publishing Dr. Turk’s results will assist policymakers to advocate for the need to increase reimbursement for behavior guidance and encourage general and pediatric dentists to successfully provide treatment to ASD children using ABA.” Singer believes presentations such as Turk’s to groups such as the AAPD, and publishing the research, are as important as the work itself. Singer said he is committed to being a mentor, with the expectation that the work be published within 12 months of graduation. He keeps up with his graduating students, he said, to help them reach that goal. “The students are doing studies on topics that are of current interest. Yet, even the most outstanding research has no potential for impact if it doesn’t get disseminated to a wider scientific community,” Singer said. Shapiro has hope for her studies, and those of her colleagues, that the topics will have life after the thesis is completed. “As with any topic in public health, there are always sev- eral barriers. I believe my research and my colleagues’ re- search will turn on the light switch and get people aware, get the wheels turning,” she said. “Even if my research doesn’t cause a direct change, I’m confident it will lead to some other research or some other policy think tank that will cause change. Who knows? Maybe this is what starts it.” u “In order to do this kind of study, you need someone who is going to properly guide you. Dr. Singer was a great mentor and resource because he has such an interest in public health studies.” —Debora Shapiro