Enamel crystallization. Tongue cleaning. Home bleaching. Assessing eating disorders.

Those were just a some of the topics Class of 2022 dental hygiene students at West Virginia University School of Dentistry chose to study as part of their capstone research projects.

Working in pairs or small groups, students have spent two years collecting and evaluating data on research required to help fulfill the requirements of the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene.

“They had many obstacles trying to complete the work during a time of change, but each group took charge of their project and produced high quality results. Each of them is an undergraduate who has produced top notch research from the start through the final presentation,” Dr. Alcinda Shockey, dental hygiene professor, said.

Seniors Catlyn Sparks and Kandice Pruitt took first place in the competition by just a tenth of a percent.

Their project, “The Link Between Different Dental Products and Enamel Crystallization”, set out to determine which product provided the most fluoride crystallization of enamel rods, determine if hydroxyapatite alters crystallization of enamel rods and indicate which fluoride product works the fastest by applying as the manufacture suggested.

“We were able to obtain teeth and put them through a demineralization period and remineralization period with the use of dental-grade effective fluoride products. Throughout this experience, we not only got to learn more about different dental products and their effectiveness in surface enamel remineralization but also about Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis,” Sparks and Pruitt wrote as a review of their research.

Catlyn Sparks and Kandice Pruitt “The Link Between Different Dental Products and Enamel Crystallization Mady Hinkle, Emma Rice and Caylie Simmons “The Ergonomics of Dental Hygiene in Rural West Virginia” Jordan Clark, Reese Prezioso and Macie Zumack “Students on WVU Health Science Campus Knowledge on Tongue Cleaning” Baylee Fitzwater and Kaci Zopp “Professional Grade Carbamide Peroxide for at Home Bleach Trays –vs- at Home Bleaching Remedies" Kelsie Bishop and Madelyn White “ The Effects of Different Operator Chairs on Dental Professional Back Pain and Ergonomics” Tatiyana Caesar and Abigail Charles “Efficacy of Plastic Protective Barriers –vs- Disinfectant Wipes” Natalie Clingan and Makennah Rursch “Use of Plastic in the WVU School of Dentistry” Lauren Bane, Hannah Grimm, Lauren Sobek and Kaylee Wellborn “ A Study to Determine Dental Hygienists’ Comfortability to Assess Eating Disorders in West Virginia” 

“As you can see, the competition was very tight and very competitive. The point range was less than 3.5 with less than a 10% spread, and all projects were 84.92% or above in proficiency in their performance of their research. This class performed outstandingly,” Shockey said.

The top finishers Catlyn Sparks and Kandice Pruitt shared the message of thanks and encouragement below:

We have so many individuals we would like to thank for the success of this project including, Dr. Marcela Redigolo form the Engineering Department for running our SEM analysis and taking the time to interpret that data with us. This project’s data truly relied on her data interpenetration. We would also like to thank Mr. Jason Format for the construction of our resin blocks which held our 10X10 enamel squares. We would also like to thank Mr. Tony Fang for our statistical data along with Sigma Phi Alpha and Dr. Fotinos Panagakos for research funding. Lastly, this project would not have been possible without guidance from Dr. Shockey and Mr. Christopher Watters. We would also like to congratulate all our classmates on a job well done and we are all still currently in the running for Undergraduate Research Day in Charleston! We each had something new and exciting to bring to the field of dental hygiene. Class of 2022 we are almost done!

The WVU School of Dentistry is selling WV Dentistry apparel as a fundraiser. Deadline to order is September 23. 

The School of Dentistry's newly created SPEA organization is selling quarter and full zip shirts with the flying WV and the word Dentistry under the logo. 

On the first day of orientation for incoming first-year dental students, wellness was on the agenda as a priority just after receiving instruments and laptops they will be attached to the next four years.

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