Volume 9 • 2022 • Issue 3

Spotlight on Novel Student Research at the CDA/Dentsply Sirona Competition The CDA/Dentsply Sirona Student Clinician Research Program is a national student research competition that brings together student clinicians from the ten dental schools in Canada each year. The participants are selected by their faculty to represent their respective schools and present their research at a national dental conference. In 2022, the program was held virtually due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. T his year’s student research competition took place during the Pacific Dental Conference (PDC) in March. “Every year, the judges are impressed by the presentations of the student clinicians, but it seems like this year, the level of the competition was even higher than usual. It made the task of identifying a winner particularly difficult,” says Dr. Benoit Soucy, CDA Chief Knowledge Officer and one of the judges for the event. This year’s research topics included molar and premolar gingival changes in patients having maxillary expansion, the oral health knowledge and practises of pediatric hospital nurses, the correlation between intestinal health and bruxism, the interaction between cells and titanium surfaces, saliva and SARS-CoV-2 detection, the virtual reconstruction of bilateral maxillary defects, and many more. The first and second prize winners presented on the physicochemical properties of methacrylate-based dental resins containing photosensitive compounds; and the correlative imaging of collagen damage using fluorescent collagen hybridizing peptide, respectively. “We are grateful to the PDC, held this year in conjunction with CDA, for providing a national showcase for the representatives of the Canadian dental schools who participated in the program,” adds Dr. Soucy. “The presentations were all outstanding. We hope that the participants appreciated the experience and that they will continue to work on the fascinating projects they presented.” Although the virtual format did not allow the students to meet their fellow competitors in person, the event’s organizers received positive feedback from the student clinicians. A virtual award ceremony was held to honour the student clinicians participating in the program, during which the first ($2,000 cash award) and second place ($1,000) winners were recognized. The presentations were outstanding. We hope that the participants appreciated the experience and that they will continue to work on the fascinating projects they presented. 19 Issue 3 | 2022 |