School of Dentistry Sesquicentennial

Visionary Horizons: Transforming Oral and Craniofacial Health for the Next 150 Years

AI in Oral Health: Transforming Research, Education and Clinical Care

Artificial Intelligence is here now and changing dentistry fast. This session will show you tangible ways AI can make your practice easier, from spotting problems earlier to picking the best treatments. No tech jargon – just practical takeaways you can use right away, including: 

• How AI keeps guidelines up-to-date with the latest science (so you don’t have to dig through all the recent papers).
• Simple AI tools for your clinic such as scans and software that help you diagnose and plan better.
• How technology connects your practice to the bigger healthcare system, saving time and improving care.
 

Dental Caries: from Basic into Clinical Research Driving Policies and Clinical Practice

How has the field of caries management advanced in terms of testing new therapies and translating them into clinical guidelines? What is the road ahead in the era of digital dentistry? In this session you will learn from experts in cariology and operative dentistry about the changes in practice happening right now which will shape the future of how to manage caries in your patients. Takeaways include:

• The path from clinical trials to evidence-based clinical practice guidelines – working towards evidence-based caries management.
• Pragmatic examples of clinical trials in the U.K. – how dentists get involved in generating new evidence for treatments, in real life.
• The future of fluoride for caries control including innovative research for using less fluoride and getting the same anticaries effect.
• The role of CAD-CAM technology in clinical dentistry and how future dentists are learning digital dentistry in U-M’s new Digital Dental Center.
 

Advances in Regenerative Medicine and Restorative Dentistry through Biofabrication

Biofabrication, a rapidly evolving field that uses additive manufacturing (a layer-by-layer deposition process) to engineer structurally tailored scaffolds, has been successfully deployed in medicine. Bioprinting, within the emerging field of biofabrication, aims to fabricate functional biomimetic constructs. Multi-material bioprinting is set to enable the fabrication of heterogeneous multi-cellular constructs for regenerative medicine and has the potential to establish personalized solutions to restore the periodontium. Recent technological advances have enabled the development of digital workflows that seamlessly connect the surgical and rehabilitation phases of implant treatment. The ultimate goals of this session are:

• To offer a perspective on how multi-material bioprinting opens up new opportunities for tissue engineering, tissue model engineering and therapeutics development.
• To discuss new developments in the field of personalized regenerative periodontics.
• To explore cutting-edge digital workflows for full-arch implant treatment, drawing from clinical cases while discussing emerging AI technologies transforming this field.
 

Transforming Oncology: Insights into Cancer Stem Cells and Patient Management

Cancer biology and regenerative medicine are rapidly evolving fields, driving innovative approaches to understanding and treating malignancies. This session explores pioneering advances in eradicating breast and salivary gland cancer stem cells research, including regenerative strategies to manage hypo-salivation and epigenetic insights that refine clinical outcomes in head‐and‐neck cancers.

Takeaways: 

• Recognize the clinical impact of cancer stem cells in breast and salivary gland malignancies.
• Explore regenerative therapies designed to restore salivary gland function in head‐and‐neck cancer patients.
• Understand emerging epigenetic strategies to enhance treatment responses and patient management.