Kylie Sestak, DDS, a second-year periodontics resident at the UNMC College of Dentistry, won the Clinical Research Award in the research forum competition at the annual American Academy of Periodontology Meeting in Toronto last month.
Dr. Sestak, a UNMC College of Dentistry graduate and a St. Paul, Nebraska, native, said her research explores specific matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) enzyme levels in patients who have both periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis.
“Understanding how oral health, systemic inflammation and MMP activity are linked can really help improve patient care,” she said. “As dental professionals, it’s important that we work closely with our medical colleagues, and vice versa, when managing patients with periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis, and include oral health as part of overall disease management.”
Dr. Sestak worked alongside Jeffrey Payne, DDS, F. Gene and Rosemary Dixon Endowed Chair of the UNMC Department of Surgical Specialties, and Ted Mikuls, MD, Stokes-Shackleford Professor of Rheumatology in the UNMC Division of Rheumatology, for the research.
“Dr. Sestak is eager to learn and actively seeks feedback because of her continuous drive to improve,” Dr. Payne said. “She is an exceptional resident and a pleasure to mentor.”
Dr. Sestak’s research is part of her master’s in oral biology, which she is pursuing along with her periodontal certificate.
“Research is a big part of the periodontal world, and it will be important to incorporate that in my clinical work,” she said. “If I were to pursue academia in the future, this research experience would also be a great background to have.”