Dal News

Get to know the Faculty of Dentistry

Pop-up lecture

Using glass materials to treat disease: from windshields to cancer treatments

Ask most people what glass materials are used for and they think of windshields on cars, drinking glasses, or eyeglasses for reading. However, glass is capable of much more than that. Much more.

Ask the 66-year-old liver cancer victim what glass is, and he’ll tell you that it saved his life by treating his cancer. Ask a dental professional what glass is, and he or she will tell you that glass materials can be used as bone grafts, or in artificial teeth, or as part of a filing. Ask a glass scientist what glass is, and he or she will speak about glass materials as 3-D networks that can be manipulated to hold nuclear waste or dissolve in water. Glass is an incredible material, with many applications.

This lecture will explain some research that is taking place at Dal, research that is happening in the Faculty of Dentistry, and research that is exploring the use of glass materials to treat diseases such as cancer and osteoporosis.

Dr Daniel Boyd holds a PhD from the University of Limerick in the area of hard tissue biomaterials. After completing his degree in 2005, he pursued his own research program of developing commercially viable therapeutic/regenerative glass-based biomaterials. Dr. Boyd is currently an associate professor of biomaterials in the Faculty of Dentistry with cross-appointments to the Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology at Capital District Health Authority, and to the Faculties of Medicine and Engineering at Dalhousie University. To date, Dr. Boyd’s research interests have accrued approximately $15 million in extramural funds from both academic and private industry across Europe, US, and Canada. These funds have led to over 10 patent filings, over 110 peer reviewed contributions in the field of innovative clinical materials, the establishment of two medical device companies, including ABK Biomedical, and the licensing of multiple technologies in the medical device space. The American Ceramic Society named Dr. Boyd a ‘Future Leader’.

Date: Friday, November 13

Time: 12 p.m.

Location: Room 1107, Mona Campbell building

Storify

When the four graduates of Dalhousie’s Class of 1912 received their Doctor in Dental Surgery degrees, the education of dentists in Canada changed forever. Learn more about Canada's oldest dental faculty.
View a "Storify" collection of our social media activity.

Dean's video

Faculty of Dentistry Dean Tom Boran answers our questions in this video interview.

Feature story

Five things you didn't know about the Faculty of Dentistry

Dal’s Faculty of Dentistry was the first dentistry faculty in Canada. Today, 103 years later, it remains the only dental school in Atlantic Canada, offering diploma, undergraduate and graduate programs in dentistry and dental hygiene and teaching students from around the world.

Here are five things you might be surprised to learn about the Dalhousie Faculty of Dentistry.

We operate a full dental hospital on the Dalhousie campus
Our pre-loaded laptop computers are a key component of our students’ toolkits
Our community outreach clinics help underserved communities
Our researchers do ground-breaking research
Our dean has a collection of 50+ Tiggers from around the world

Read the full story on Dal News

Photo gallery

Get to know some of the faces at the Faculty of Dentistry.

"I immigrated from Pakistan to Mississauga in 2012 with my wife and two children and joined the Qualifying Program at Dal in April 2014. I applied to other Canadian universities, but Dal was the most welcoming. When we came to take our practical exam, there was breakfast and many people from the Faculty came to greet us. We were treated like colleagues from the start. By a stroke of luck I ended up in eastern Canada and it is a place I can call home. In big cities, people tend to spend time with their own people. I find that smaller places are much more open to difference. My advice for other dentistry students it is to rise above differences and to have empathy. This has been one of my greatest years."

Omer Mallhi (fourth year student, Doctor of Dental Surgery)

"I came to Dal in 2006 as a part-time clinical instructor, having been a dental hygienist in New Brunswick. I love being in a learning environment and I’m now in a full-time, tenure stream position. One of the most labour-intensive – and rewarding – aspects of my job is organizing all the rotations students do outside the university, including the North End Community Health Clinic and Harbour View School. Three years ago we started working with immigrant populations through ISANS. These rotations give students new skills and experience and my hope is that it will inspire them to see how they can give back to society. When I’m not at work, I spend a lot of time training for triathlon competitions – I tend to gravitate to things that are a bit of a challenge!"

Heather Doucette (assistant professor, School of Dental Hygiene)

"I started with a degree in neuroscience from Brown University, where I also played hockey, then I studied for the diploma in dental hygiene, followed by a bachelor of dental hygiene. I thought I wanted to be a doctor, but when I got into dental hygiene, I knew for sure what I wanted to do. I’m now in my first year of dentistry and I don’t mind long classes or the homework because I’ve worked so hard to get here. But coming to dentistry through dental hygiene was a good route for me and I feel that it has given me the background to be a better dentist. I came to dentistry with a lot of training in prevention and patient skills. I feel comfortable working on patients and can help them to feel comfortable receiving dental care. And when I go home to Newfoundland, I still get to play hockey with my dad and brother in a men’s rec league."

Morgan Hanrahan (first year student, Doctor of Dental Surgery)

"On the day I graduated with my diploma in dental hygiene, I told one of my professors that I wanted to come back and teach. Soon after I completed my bachelor of dental hygiene degree, I taught my first course in clinical instruments. Now I spend three days a week teaching and two days in private practice. Thanks to working at the North End Community Health Clinic, I discovered my passion, which is population and community health. Many people feel the need to travel around the world to help people in need, but we have a large at-risk population here in Halifax that needs our help. Now I am doing a masters of arts and education on the effects of providing oral health information to pre- and post-natal mothers. My advice to students is that you can never ask too many questions and you can never learn too much. Dal is an institution of great education and I’m proud to be part of that. It really is a privilege to work here."

Teanne MacCallum (clinical and classroom instructor, School of Dental Hygiene)

"I began working for Dalhousie as a dental assistant 19 years ago when the North Preston paediatric clinic was set up. Now I spend three days there and two days at the Dal dental school clinic. Every day is my favourite. At the North Preston clinic I structure my day, whereas at the dental school I could be working in the oral surgery or the dispensary, helping in pre-clinical, or assisting chairside. I like the variety and it keeps my skills up-to-date. What I like best is the people I work with – my co-workers, the children who come to the clinic, and the dental students. I’m proud to work in a university teaching situation and I’m also proud that young people from the North and East Preston communities are now starting to pursue dentistry as a profession."

Juliette Thomas (dental assistant and clinic coordinator, North Preston Paediatric Dental Clinic)

" I didn’t plan to change jobs and move to Dal, but at the interview I was asked “Is there anything you can’t you do where you are that you would like to do.” It was a question that made me believe I could dream a bit and not wonder what could have been. I’ve been at Dal 18 years as head of the division of removable prosthodontics and what I love about working here – what was promised at my interview – is the support for new ideas for teaching and learning. It’s very forward looking. I’ve been able to create the Prosthodontic Olympics, which are popular with students and get them to practise their skills in a fun way. I’ve also been able to create my own website where I post manuals, PowerPoints of my lectures, quizzes, articles, and 52 videos. Students can watch demonstrations and be reminded of what they learned in class – and not just Dal students. I get emails from all around the world saying things like “Your website helped me pass my board exam.” I like that my teaching materials will live on, even after I’m gone."

Dr. Robert Loney (chair, Department of Dental Clinical Sciences)

"Yes, I get asked about my name all the time! My mother works in a dental office in Yarmouth and I loved visiting her there when I was a child. From an early age, I wanted to be one of those people who make other people enjoy going to the dentist. I’m now in my second year of dental hygiene and I did two years of psychology at Dal before I came here, which gave me credits for physiology and anatomy. That lightened my course load. There are so many things I love about Dal and Halifax, including the good learning experiences we get by working in community clinics. But the most important thing is that the teachers care about you. You do feel that you are part of a community or family."

Hailey Berry (second year student, Diploma of Dental Hygiene)

"When I applied for my job at the front desk in Patient Services in 2013, I was interviewed by a panel of three people and had to complete a computer assessment. It was a bit daunting! I worked as both a dental assistant in a private practice and in security at St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto until I moved to Halifax. The job at Dal appealed to me because it offered security and opportunities for the future. My work means that I divide my time between the front desk, where I get to deal with patients from all walks of life, and working behind the scenes on treatment planning, hygiene assessments, chart audits, and other tasks. I like the atmosphere here – everyone is very welcoming and supportive. Working in a university environment helps keep you young. And you miss each class of students when they graduate. I always advise them to treat their front staff!"

Maria Lamando (clerk, Patient Services, Clinics and Building Services)

"I arrived at Dal fresh off the ferry from PEI. I had done a course in dispensing, but coming to work here was the first time I got to put theory into practice. All of a sudden I had 240 students, 18 dental assistants, and faculty members all asking me for things. Twenty-one years later, I’m still working in the dispensary and in MDR, which is medical device reprocessing or sterilization. One week I’ll be sterilizing and another week I’ll be dispensing equipment, such as cement kits and hand pieces. Quite a bit of money is invested in the equipment, so it needs to be signed out, signed back in, and processed. There is a team of eight of us to do this work. It can be busy, but I always enjoy opportunities to have a good conversation with a co-worker. The students got together to give me a gift card and one of those big cards for my 50th birthday, which was lovely. I enjoy working with them and they respect what I do."

Glenn Fall (technical assistant (dispensary) and medical device preprocessing, Clinics and Building Services)

"I’m from California, so I’m a bit weird. There is no one else here who has had a past like mine. I trained as a dentist at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. That’s where I met my wife, who is originally from Nova Scotia. I practised in the Bay area of California for nearly 14 years and my practice was one of the first to computerize. But then I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The chemo and radiation treatments made my fingers go numb and I couldn’t work as a dentist anymore. My wife and I always talked about retiring to Nova Scotia, so we took this as our opportunity to move here with our six children. I worked in computers as an Apple retailer and consultant and then someone told me that the Faculty of Dentistry uses Macs. I starting working here – my first real job – just in time to help implement the laptop program that gave all dentistry students an Apple laptop. A good day at work for me is to fix something really hard."

Dalhousie University

Dal News

Get to know the Faculty of Dentistry

Pop-up lecture

Using glass materials to treat disease: from windshields to cancer treatments

Storify

Dean's video

Feature story

Five things you didn't know about the Faculty of Dentistry

Photo gallery

Omer Mallhi (fourth year student, Doctor of Dental Surgery)

Read More...

Omer Mallhi (fourth year student, Doctor of Dental Surgery)

Heather Doucette (assistant professor, School of Dental Hygiene)

Read More...

Heather Doucette (assistant professor, School of Dental Hygiene)

Morgan Hanrahan (first year student, Doctor of Dental Surgery)

Read More...

Morgan Hanrahan (first year student, Doctor of Dental Surgery)

Teanne MacCallum (clinical and classroom instructor, School of Dental Hygiene)

Read More...

Teanne MacCallum (clinical and classroom instructor, School of Dental Hygiene)

Juliette Thomas (dental assistant and clinic coordinator, North Preston Paediatric Dental Clinic)

Read More...

Juliette Thomas (dental assistant and clinic coordinator, North Preston Paediatric Dental Clinic)

Dr. Robert Loney (chair, Department of Dental Clinical Sciences)

Read More...

Dr. Robert Loney (chair, Department of Dental Clinical Sciences)

Hailey Berry (second year student, Diploma of Dental Hygiene)

Read More...

Hailey Berry (second year student, Diploma of Dental Hygiene)

Maria Lamando (clerk, Patient Services, Clinics and Building Services)

Read More...

Maria Lamando (clerk, Patient Services, Clinics and Building Services)

Glenn Fall (technical assistant (dispensary) and medical device preprocessing, Clinics and Building Services)

Read More...

Glenn Fall (technical assistant (dispensary) and medical device preprocessing, Clinics and Building Services)

Peter Gnemmi (computer support technician, IT Services, Clinics and Building Services)

Read More...

Peter Gnemmi (computer support technician, IT Services, Clinics and Building Services)

Dalhousie University