Research Day Award Winners

2025 Winners

1st Place: Mikah Hoppens and Tanner Delaney
Mentor: Dr. Ali Nawshad
"Genetically rescuing left palate: a potentially novel approach to correct palate cleft in TGFβ3 -/- mice"
2nd Place: Carter Meyer and Samantha Hunter
Mentor: Dr. Richard Reinhardt
"The effectiveness of detecting plaque on tooth surfaces using traditional and AI monitoring"
3rd Place: Elaina Spanel and Logan Spanel
Mentor: Dr. Amanda Wobido
"Impact of Polishing Systems on the Surface Roughness of Resin Composites"

1st Place: Gloria Larkin and Allie West
Mentor: Jaimee Shropshire
"The Inhibitory Effects of Terminalia chebula and Camellia sinensis Plant Extracts on Biofilm Containing and Streptococcus mutans: An in vitro study"
2nd Place: Jessica Nguyen and Jennifer Quebrado-Arcos
Mentors: Dr. Mark Beatty and Bobby Simetich
"Does Using Toothpaste Tablets Cause More Abrasion on Composite Resins Compared to Using Traditional Dentifrice?"
3rd Place: Maddie Zaborowski and Morgan Sila
Mentor: Dr. Dona McCanlies
"In Vitro Study: Comparing Oil Pulling on Permanent Extracted Teeth with Kilgore Artificial Plaque to Not Using the Oil Pulling Technique to Reduce Plaque Index"

1st Place: Dr. Duke Davis
Mentor: Dr. Richard Reinhardt
"Single cell RNA-sequencing identification of cell mediators involved in wound healing after single tooth extraction"
2nd Place: Dr. Morgan Holmes and Dr. Karan Mirchandani
Mentor: Dr. Anne Williamson
"Comparison of Diameters of Trunatomy Rotary Files and Gutta Percha"

1st Place: Nicholas Stolze
Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Payne
"Examining Associations Between Classes of Medications and Tooth Loss in Periodontal Maintenance Patients"
2nd Place: Lucas Jarecke and Luke Wordekemper
Mentor: Dr. Gregory Bennett
"Analysis of Occlusal Clearance of Crown Preparations Made by Predoctoral Dental Students at the UNMC College of Dentistry"
3rd Place: Merina Joseph and Mahima Kinra
Mentors: Dr. Julie Marshall, Dr. Gregory Bennett, and Dr. Mark Beatty
"In Vitro Tensile Strength Comparison of Denture Liners to 3-D Printed Denture Resin"

1st Place: Diana Acosta Delgado, Lulu Acosta Delgado, and Jose Marquez
Mentor: Lisa Moravec
"The Effects of Advantage Arrest® SDF Gel and Riva Star® SDF/KI on S. mutans and P. gingivalis: An In-Vitro Study"
2nd Place: Capri Dethlefs and Julia Raun
Mentor: Jaimee Shropshire
"The Effects of Coca-Cola and Kool-Aid on the Discoloration of UltraSeal XT™ Hydrophilic and 3M™ ESPE™ Clinpro™ Hydrophobic Sealants"
3rd Place: Ella Simonson and Emma Schock
Mentor: Dr. Upoma Guha
"The Pivotal Role of Ergonomic Loupes in Dentistry: A Research Survey of Loupe Selection Among Dental Professionals"

1st Place: Dr. Joyce Lee
Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Payne
"Associations between Periodontitis and Serum Anti-Malondialdehyde–Acetaldehyde Antibody Concentrations in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case-Control Study"
2nd Place: Dr. Paula Cohen Schlemmer
"The Age-Old Question: Why Do Younger, Systemically Healthy Patients Have Better Wound Healing Than Aged, Systemically Healthy Patients? A scRNAseq Fibroblast Study"