Training Programs

Currently the Discipline of Periodontology has developed three training programs that have, at their centre, inherent research programs.

• Severe/Refractory Periodontal Diseases

The Severe/Refractory Periodontal Disease Unit, run by Dr. M. Goldberg is focused on the provision of diagnoses and treatment for patients suffering from severe or refractory (non-responsive) periodontal diseases.  We receive referrals from dentists and dental specialists from all over the province and even out of province!  Although service is an important component of this program as well as training for our Residents in Periodontology, we are also accumulating very important data and insights relating to patients with severe and/or non responsive periodontal diseases.  After several years of data collection, these are now being analyzed and submitted for publication and will continue to be analyzed over the years.  Our goals are to develop markers for patients with severe disease, particularly ones that have prognostic value.  Also under Dr. Goldberg's direction is a project focused on the use of a product derived from red wine, resveratrol that may inhibit the damaging effects of cigarette smoke on periodontal tissues.

• Oral Reconstruction Centre

The Oral Reconstruction Centre (ORC), coordinated by Dr. Douglas Deporter and underwritten in part by both Innova Canada and 3i Canada provides cutting edge training in tissue reconstruction (hard and soft) as well as training in the placement of endosseous implants.  There are currently several hard tissue augmentation/grafting protocols underway into which data are being placed as patients go through the program.  These data, along with other data concerning pain levels experienced by patients, biopsychosocial data and conventional implant/prosthesis success or failure data have been collected since the inception of the ORC about 6.5 years ago.  There is now enough data for our graduate students to begin studying the outcomes and other parameters of interest so that we can utilize the knowledge gained for further development of biomaterials and implants that might be used in clinical practice.  This program operates within the Research Institute Clinic and as such it is now ready to accept research projects from individuals in biomaterials for testing in human subjects.  The program is currently in the process of developing a newer protocol with Straumann International concerning the use of Emdogain® in conjunction with immediately placed endosseous implants.  This is being done under the direction of Dr. Jim Lai.

Laboratory Research

The program in Periodontology is lucky to be associated with numerous and excellent research scientists in the basic biological (e.g. The CIHR Group in Matrix Dynamics under the direction of Dr. McCulloch, and the Cell Signals program under the direction of Dr. Ellen) and physical sciences (e.g. Biomaterials under the direction of Dr. Santerre and Dr. Watson).  Hence, residents in Periodontology are participating in studies focused on PMN function in periodontitis, connective tissue biology and turnover, as well as the effects of cigarette smoke-derived hydrocarbons on bone and other tissues in the periodontium.  Other residents are involved in studies of matrix metalloprotease activities with respect to connective tissue biology in the periodontium and other tissues including vascular and cardiac tissues.

Faculty Profiles

• Bhide, Vinay
• Birek, Peter
• Deporter, Douglas A.
• Freeman, Eric
• Ganss, Bernhard
• Glogauer, Michael
• Goldberg, Michael
• Lai, Jim Yuan
• McCulloch, Christopher A.G.
• Riches, Romanita
• Seth, Arun
• Tenenbaum, Howard C.