Dental Medicine | Penn Today

Stress from COVID-19 has led to a surge in teeth grinding, dentists say

Thomas Sollecito of the School of Dental Medicine commented on teeth grinding during the pandemic. “The stress and distress of the world’s events will affect things like sleep and someone’s clenching and grinding,” he said. “If we’re constantly under that duress, the frequency and intensity of clenching and grinding is just going to continue.”

Screen capture of a panel of people with the banner across the screen reading “The Penn Experience: Racism, Reconciliation, & Engagement”

Penn Dental and SP2 partner to address racism, reconciliation, and engagement

A new, online course for incoming SP2 students entitled “The Penn Experience: Racism, Reconciliation and Engagement” was created in collaboration with Penn’s School of Dental Medicine and launched in July.

The 11 best at-home teeth-whitening kits, according to dentists

Dean Mark S. Wolff of the School of Dental Medicine offered advice to those looking to whiten their teeth using at-home kits.

Image of a body's cell representing with the words "mimicking efferocytosis-induced signals" showing the treatment of an inflammatory disease

Stimulating immune cleanup crew offers affordable possibility for treating rare genetic disorder

Compounds that mimicked the process known as efferocytosis alleviated signs of leukocyte adhesion deficiency type-1 in an animal model, according to work led by the School of Dental Medicine’s George Hajishengallis

What’s up with my bad mask breath?

Mark S. Wolff of the School of Dental medicine explained why mask-wearers are suddenly smelling of their own bad breath. “The mask doesn’t make us have bad breath,” he said. “It makes us more conscious that we have bad breath.”

Parent brushes their toddler’s teeth seen in a bathroom mirror

Oral care during COVID-19

Experts from the School of Dental Medicine share tips on how to maintain healthy teeth and gums even when a trip to the dentist isn’t in the cards for the time being and what to expect as restrictions are lifted.

Microscopic image of a bacterial growth labeled with green, red, and blue fluorescence

Cavity-causing bacteria assemble an army of protective microbes on human teeth

Examining bacteria growing on toddlers’ teeth, a team from the School of Dental Medicine and Georgia Tech found that the microbes’ spatial organization is crucial to how they cause tooth decay.

dental medicine with technicians handing off plastic bag

Ten years later, dental mentorship program holds strong

Penn Dental Medicine students and faculty connect with Randolph high schoolers through the School District of Philadelphia’s Oral Health Academy.

Penn Dental Medicine presses on with emergency care

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Penn Dental Medicine has been able to offer emergency services to established patients with the help of teledentistry.

Aerial view of Penn campus buildings with Philadelphia skyline in background.

Mission continuity plans help keep Penn operating

Twelve years ago, the trustees and the University’s senior leadership asked the schools and centers to develop plans to guide them continuing operations during a crisis. Those plans are now helping manage the impact of the pandemic.

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