The 2013 College of Dental Medicine Alumni Homecoming weekend will be held on Thursday, February 21st through Sunday, February 24th. 

Online registration and more information is available for the event here.

Here is the agenda of events for the weekend:

Thursday, February 21st

• Third annual CDM Scholars Day (8:30am to 2pm) – Keynote speaker will be Martha Somerman, DDS, PhD. She is the Director of the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research. Alumni are encouraged to attend the free event. Three CE credit hours will be awarded for attendance. This event will be held in the Drug Discovery building.

Friday, February 22nd

• Dean’s Welcome Reception (7pm to 10pm) - Alumni from all classes welcome! Heavy hors d’oeuvres and open bar; cocktail attire. This event will be held at the Francis Marion Hotel.

Saturday, February 23rd

• Continuing Education (8am to noon) – Speakers Dr. Edward J. Swift, Jr. (class of ’79) and Rita Zamora will speak. Dr. Swift will will discuss how the development of new materials has proceeded so rapidly that many clinicians are left confused by the wealth of new products that are available in many areas. Rita Zamora is an authority in social media and relationship marketing for dental professionals. This event will be held in the Drug Discovery building.
• Guided tours of the newly renovated classrooms (12:00 noon) – Lunch will be provided. Meet in rooms 347 and 355 in the Basic Science building.
• Gift Planning Seminar (12:30pm) – Held in Basic Science rooms 347 and 355.
• Class reunion parties (for the classes of 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008) (5:00-7:00 pm) – Held at Lighthouse on Shem Creek. Come enjoy some time catching up and getting reacquainted with your classmates prior to the Oyster Roast. Light hors d’eouvres, beer and wine provided. Dress is casual. Advance registration required.
• Low Country Oyster Roast and Boil (7:00 – 10:00 pm) – Held at the Lighthouse on Shem Creek. Everyone is welcome for an informal evening of fun with lots of good low country food, oysters, and live music. Don’t like oysters? Don’t worry. There will be a menu for non-oyster eaters too!Ample parking is available in the lot in front of the Lighthouse. Advance registration is required. No tickets will be sold at the door. See registration form.

Sunday, February 24th

• ASDA Golf Tournament at Stono Ferry – February 12th Registration Deadline. 

MUSC is proud to encourage diversity in its students, faculty and staff. Two events were held at MUSC in 2012 to encourage underrepresented minority pre-dental students to consider applying to the College of Dental Medicine.

The first was called “Impressions” day which was held on June 23rd at the school. The primary goal of the Impressions Program was to expose underrepresented minority pre-dental students to a career in dentistry and familiarize them with the dental school application process.

During the day, participants had the opportunity to receive information about applying to and being a student in dental school, to have their questions answered by dental students and members of the faculty, to tour our dental clinics, and to receive hands-on experience. Hands-on activities included waxing a tooth, learning to use a handpiece, taking impressions, and pouring stone models. Forty-two pre-dental students participated. The event was sponsored by the SNDA. 

Second-year student Kenitra Betts and fourth-year student Brandon Hagan 
show students how to work with wax

The other event held was the 14th annual Dental Day and was held on November 2nd. This event provided students with information about the process of applying to dental school and what life is like as a dental student. Pre-health advisors and parents were also welcome to attend the event.

Eighty-six students registered for the attended the program and 15 schools were represented, including: Coastal Carolina, USC-Columbia, College of Charleston, Columbia University, North Carolina State University, Clemson University, Cape Fear Community College, UNC-Pembroke, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Chapel Hill, Presbyterian College, University of Alabama, Wofford College, Winthrop University, South Carolina State University, Charleston Southern and Fort Dorchester High School.

This event was sponsored by the College of Dental Medicine’s Office of Diversity.

Visiting the College of Dental Medicine on Wednesday felt like stepping into a high-tech gadget store.

To celebrate Halloween for 2012, dental faculty and staff dressed as Apple Store employees. Attire included blue shirts, customized logos, and lanyard nametags. The school was also decorated with Apple Store-like posters, celebrating dental health and encouraging proper oral hygiene.

Dr. Joe Vuthiganon, Instructor in the Division of Restorative Dentistry, came up with and championed the idea. While only expecting a moderate number to participate, Dr. Vuthiganon was instead met with an overwhelming response. Over 100 CDM employees agreed to participate, including staff members, assistants, residents, professors, and even the Deans of the College.

To make sure everyone got a matching shirt, Vickie Chapman, an assistant in the Dental Faculty Practice, literally bought out the stock at A.C. Moore. Dr. Vuthiganon designed the logos for each individual’s shirt with their input to represent their personality and/or job at MUSC. To keep with the theme, these logos included the prefix ‘i’ found in many Apple product names.

Vickie distributes the shirts to faculty and staff

Dr. Sanders, Dean of the Dental school, sports the iDean logo,
while coincidentally working on an Apple Macbook.

Dr. Vuthiganon, showing off all of his hard word in front of the dental clinic.
The Dental Apple Store window posters included the ‘iDentists,’ ‘iBrush,’ ‘iFloss’ and ‘iSmile’ logos.

Dr. Gellin wearing the ‘iAxiUm’ logo. As administrator of the dental clinic
software, he is the go-to person for all things axiUm-related.

All the ‘‘Dental Apple Store’ employees that made the 2012 MUSC Dental School halloween celebration a memorable one.

Students and patients really enjoyed the 2012 Halloween event. Special thanks goes to Dr. Vuthiganon and everyone else who helped make the day a success!

For a fourth straight year, the South Carolina Dental Association held its annual Dental Access Days (‘DAD’) event, a 2-day free dental clinic meant to provide dental care to the underserved.

This year over 1,600 patients from around the state were treated. The event was held in Columbia at the State Fairgrounds on August 17th and 18th.

MUSC faculty and students were among those who volunteered from around the state. Over fifty junior and senior dental students worked with faculty to provide care to those in need.

Dr. Mark Barry, Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs, says of the importance of the event for students: “Participating in Dental Access Days gives our students the opportunity to serve and provide dental care for those who are less fortunate. This is an extremely important part of their education.”

All patients who showed up for the event were treated. Services provided included fillings, extractions, root canals, cleanings and transitional partial dentures. By the end of the second day, approximately $700,000 of free care had been provided.