New Postgraduate Program in Regenerative Dentistry accepting applicants4 min read

Ann Arbor, Mich., June 6, 2018 -– A new School of Dentistry program that immerses graduate students in regenerative dentistry research is accepting applications for its first cohort of students who will enroll this fall.

The Dental Postgraduate Program in Regenerative Dentistry is one of only a few in the world for this area of study. The 12-month program is focused on biomaterials and tissue engineering applied to dental, oral and craniofacial tissue regeneration. Regenerative dentistry is an interdisciplinary field exploring how to repair or regenerate damaged tissues using biomaterials and cell technologies.

The program is designed for graduates with doctoral and-or bachelor degrees in the biological sciences, including dentistry, pharmacy, medicine and veterinary medicine, or the physical sciences, such as engineering-related areas.

Students enrolled in the program will receive in-depth didactic and research training on the principles of tissue engineering and its applications in regenerative dentistry. It also provides the students a unique opportunity to observe affiliated residents within the disciplines of endodontics and restorative dentistry. Core courses include stem cell and molecular biology, organogenesis, fundamental principles of biomaterials, tissue engineering, and biostatistics. A full-year research project will provide hands-on experience in biomaterials and tissue engineering research.

“This is a ground-breaking program and a tremendous opportunity for graduate students to advance into regenerative dentistry, which is a rapidly growing field,” said Marco Bottino, the program director and an associate professor in the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics.

“What sets this program apart is its full year of continuous research immersion,” Bottino said. “That will strengthen the researcher’s ability to analyze and interpret data and to summarize findings with written reports and oral presentations.”

When students complete the program, they will be well-positioned to seek further academic clinical training in dental specialties or other PhD training, Bottino said. Completion of the program leads to a Certificate in Regenerative Dentistry.

Up to four students a year will be accepted. The application deadline for the September 2018 to August 2019 track is June 22, 2018. The deadline for the January 2019 to December 2019 track is Oct. 1, 2018. For more information, go to the program website.

Bottino joined the U-M School of Dentistry in 2017 from Indiana University, where he was an Associate Professor of Biomedical and Applied Sciences and Graduate Program Director in Dental Biomaterials. His research interests are in the design and synthesis of tissue scaffolds, drug delivery systems, and stem cell therapies to regenerate dental, oral and craniofacial tissues. More recently, with the acquisition of a unique BioPrinting platform, his laboratory will continue to expand the regenerative dentistry program to address other oral and craniofacial challenges.

Bottino received his DDS degree from the Universidade Paulista in São Paulo, Brazil. He earned a master’s degree in nuclear technology from the University of São Paulo’s Institute for Energy and Nuclear Research, and he holds a doctorate in materials science from The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

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The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care and community service.  General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the school to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan.  Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists, and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia and public agencies.  Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide.  For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit us on the Web at: www.dent.umich.edu.  Contact: Lynn Monson, associate director of communications, at dentistry.communications@umich.edu, or (734) 615-1971.