Ostrow Faculty-Student Team Honored
The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry named Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC faculty member Pascal Magne and DDS student Brik Nielsen the 2010 winners of the Judson C. Hickey Scientific Writing Award.
Their winning article appeared in the journal’s November 2009 issue.
In the process of restoring a damaged tooth, immediate dentin sealing refers to the application of a bonding agent to the freshly cut dentin tissue beneath the tooth’s hard outer enamel. This application occurs before an impression, or mold, of the damaged tooth is taken, and interactions between the bonding agent and the impression materials were suspected, Magne said.
Using extracted molars to perform experimental restorations, Magne and Nielsen’s work identified the bonding agents and impression materials that work best together. Their work also indicated the need for the addition of a simple scrubbing step before taking the impression of the tooth.
“While dentists have anecdotally noticed problems with certain materials, this is the first paper to sort out what works together and what doesn’t,” Magne said.
Besides the immediate applicability of the research, the project also is unique because of the central role played by Nielsen, who will receive his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in May. This project was his first research project, he said.
“Having Dr. Magne as an instructor during my second year really inspired me to do research,” Nielsen said. “He helped me to work independently doing data collection, interpret the data and write the article.”
Nielsen and Magne said the work has generated a lot of buzz in the dental community, and the research has been presented in many different venues.
“This work is very fulfilling,” Nielsen said. “We’ve gotten a lot of thanks from other dentists.”
“It’s such a simple study, but it has immediate applications for clinical practice,” Magne added.
Pascal Magne