Tenuta Lab

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry

LEARN MORE

ABOUT

The Tenuta Lab is focused on understanding the interactions between the dental biofilm, fluoride and caries, with the goal of developing innovative solutions to reduce caries experience throughout the lifecourse.

DIRECTOR

nisha dsilva, Associate Professor, Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics- School of dentistry U_M

Livia M. A. Tenuta, DDS, MSc, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics
Principal investigator

[email protected] | 734-763-3754

Livia Tenuta is Associate Professor at the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. She received her Doctorate of Dental Science (DDS) degree in 1997 from the University of São Paulo (Bauru, Brazil, graduating with honors at the top of her class), followed by a master's degree in Pediatric Dentistry from the same University (2001) and a doctorate degree in Cariology from the University of Campinas (Piracicaba, Brazil, 2005), where she was an Associate Professor before joining the University of Michigan.

Dr. Tenuta received the IADR Basil Bibby Award for research in Cariology (2014) and more recently the IADR E.W. Borrow Memorial Award (2024). She has been involved in leadership roles in the IADR (president of the IADR Cariology Group, 2011-12), the European Organization for Caries Research (ORCA) (member of the board, 2013-2020; membership secretary and webmaster, 2015-20), and the American Academy of Cariology. Her research interests include the role of fluoride in caries prevention, dental biofilm cariogenicity, caries control in older populations, and the use of data to improve caries outcomes. She is currently working on new strategies to enhance the anticaries effect of fluoride and to reduce the oral health burden of hyposalivation.

PUBLICATIONS

LAB TEAM

Shara Calderon

Shara Calderon
DDS Student

[email protected]

Andrew Chen

Andrew Chen
DDS Student

[email protected]

Samhita Sunkara

Samhita Sunkara
DDS student

[email protected]

Jawharah Almalki

Jawharah Almalki
Graduate student

[email protected]

Elaine Yoshino

Elaine Yoshino
Lab research volunteer

[email protected]

Nicolas Yoshino

Nicolas Yoshino
Undergraduate student

[email protected]

Rachel Rangel

Rachel Rangel Paradela
DDS student

[email protected]

Joseph Wilmot

Joseph Wilmot
DDS student

[email protected]

ALUMNI

Jennifer Baez

Jennifer Baez
Graduate Student

[email protected]

Karoline Burch

Karoline Burch
Graduate Student

[email protected]

Savannah Price

Savannah Price
Lab Manager

Linda Liu

Linda Liu
DDS Student

Myrian Kashima
Graduate Student

[email protected]

CONTACT

Tenuta Lab
University of Michigan School of Dentistry
1011 N University Ave, Room 5224
Ann Arbor 48109-1078, MI

Phone: 734-763-3754
[email protected]

Lab team holding mugs