IADR PRESS RELEASES

Kevin Matthew Byrd is the Anthony R. Volpe Research Scholar and Manager of Oral & Craniofacial Research at ADA Science & Research Institute (ADASRI). He is a clinician-scientist who completed his D.D.S. at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 2013 and his Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2018. Byrd’s research has focused on understanding oral stem cell heterogeneity and how their regulation contributes to wound healing and head and neck cancers. Recently, he has expanded his scope through active collaborations across the world to apply advanced technologies to catalog the oral and oropharyngeal tissues at single cell resolution, leading to his appointment as the Coordinator for the new Human Cell Atlas Oral & Craniofacial Biological Network. His research has been supported by industry, foundations and the NIH. At ADASRI, he leads the Lab of Oral & Craniofacial Innovation (LOCI) which  explores: 1) oral epithelial stem cell regulation and heterogeneity, 2) the role of the oral cavity in systemic disease and 3) contributing to the human cell atlas for categorizing the unique and undiscovered cell types in oral and craniofacial tissues.

"It is extremely important to increase the awareness that there are strong opportunities for underrepresented minorities in the field. Disseminating information is probably not enough, but we must actively recruit students or trainees to our field, to maintain the diversity of the research workforce."

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-   Noriaki Ono, University of Michigan School of Dentistry

Alexandria, Va., USA — COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic in March 2020 and given an incomplete understanding of the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at that time, the American Dental Association recommended that dental offices refrain from providing non-emergency services. As a result, 198,000 dentists in the United States closed their doors to patients. The study “Sources of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Microorganisms in Dental Aerosols,” published in the Journal of Dental Research (JDR), sought to inform infection-control science by identifying the source of bacteria and viruses in aerosol generating dental procedures.

Alexandria, Va., USA — Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a byproduct of human metabolism and exists in high levels in exhaled air, and is therefore often used as a proxy for indoor air quality. The study “Ventilation Assessment by Carbon Dioxide Levels in Dental Treatment Rooms,” published in the Journal of Dental Research (JDR), evaluated CO₂ levels in dental operatories and determined the accuracy of using CO₂ levels to assess ventilation rate in dental clinics.

"We always want to make sure that our research environment promotes diversity and equity. In my scientific career, I’ve had a lab for over 25 years and have had the opportunity to interact with many scientists, and among them, many minorities. I’ve very proud to have had the opportunity to work with them, mentor them, and see them move up to become very successful scientists. Being the CEO of the Forsyth Institute, we strongly promote minority students and find them to be critical in our overall success."

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-   Wenyuan Shi, Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, Mass.