Lasting Impressions | Summer 2017

NSU COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE © 17 not exist in many places,” said Velez, who added that the board certifications of the faculty add to the commendations. The department also conducts research and has received an NSU President’s Faculty Research and Development Grant for the following studies: n “Effectiveness of a Polymer-Based Muco-Adhesive in the Healing of Oral Ulcers in Erosive Lichen Planus” n “Cryopreserved Amniotic Membrane for Modulation of Periodontal Soft Tissue Healing” Currently, Velez and her colleagues are investigating the process of metastatic carcinomas in the orofacial region. Additionally, Velez is conducting a study of clinical diagno- sis of lesions using a microscope. “Dermatologists have used dermoscopy, but it’s never been used for melanomas in the mouth. This is the way we think,” Siegel said. According to Siegel, the CDM does not offer graduate programs specifically in oral medicine or oral pathology, but that may change with the impending arrival of HCA East Florida’s new hospital on NSU’s Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus. “We don’t, as of now, have an affiliate hospital that can support us, so the teaching hospital will allow us to expand into graduate programs,” Siegel said. RADIOGRAPHY TRAINING Radiography training is another important area in the department. “In their second year, the dental students begin with intraoral radiograph techniques. After that, they are using those techniques when working with patients,” said Maritzabel Hogge, D.D.S., M.S., M.S.M.Ed. , associate professor and director of radiology, who is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial radiologist. “They have to evaluate how they see the patient, learn the techniques, and comply with radiation safety standards, which continues through to their fourth year.” There is also a commitment by Hogge and Eun Choi, D.M.D., M.S., in keeping up with ever-changing radio- graphic technology. “We are showing them different technology every year,” Hogge said. “Things change, and we must change with them, so that students are trained in the latest technologies.” Both Hogge and Choi, maxillofacial imaging specialists, receive scans from practitioners outside of NSU for reading and diagnosing i-CAT cone beam 3-D dental imaging. “We have the units and the latest software to see the radio- graphic images,” Hogge said. Most important, students learn the protocols of radiation. “In addition to radiographic techniques, we teach students radiographic interpretation, which is vital for an integrated patient evaluation,” Hogge said. “Third- and fourth-year dental students are required to develop radiographic reports of patients’ intraoral and extraoral imaging prior to starting the treatment plan.” Collaborative research is also under way at the Depart- ment of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, where Paul Bradley, D.D.S., M.D., M.S., professor and director at the CDM’s Orofacial Pain Clinic, has teamed up with Nancy Klimas, M.D., director of the NSU Institute for Neuro- Immune Medicine. Bradley’s work using low-intensity laser therapy (LILT) in pain control and healing is proving beneficial for people with complex neuro-inflammatory Michael A. Siegel is professor and chair of the Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences at the NSU College of Dental Medicine. In this department, students are exposed to what Siegel calls the “medical aspect of dentistry.”