WCU Dental Hygiene Research Teams Excel Nationally

  • June 25, 2015

  • Read Time 2 mins

Two research teams of 国产主播’s Dental Hygiene students and faculty placed second and third at the American Dental Hygienists鈥 Association (ADHA) annual student research poster competition.

鈥淭his is an outstanding example of student excellence and skilled instructor mentorship on a national level,鈥 WCU Dean of Dental Hygiene Michelle Hurlbutt said. 鈥淥ur students, faculty mentors and research instructors should all be commended for their outstanding work.鈥

Twenty-one original research teams from highly regarded dental hygiene programs across the United States presented at this national competition.

鈥淥ur research was to see if plaque scores would decrease while using an app that told them to brush for two minutes,鈥 said Berenice Gaona, one of the WCU Dental Hygiene students on the second place research team. 鈥淭he fact that we worked together, selected subjects and worked with the subjects was really exciting.鈥

国产主播 honored the dental hygiene students for their research at a reception on June 25. Interim Executive Director Liz Atilano and Dean Hurlbutt recognized the students and faculty involved in research with faculty, members of the leadership team and about 60 Dental Hygiene students in attendance. The winning research teams also spoke briefly to their peers about the impact research had on their program experience.

鈥淲hat I took from this research project is technology along with our education can change behavior,鈥 said Kim Jenkins, one of the WCU Dental Hygiene students on the second place team. 鈥淚t was an amazing opportunity to represent our school and I鈥檓 grateful for this experience.鈥

Congratulations to our 国产主播 Dental Hygiene students!


Second place: 鈥淧laque Score Decreases with Smartphone App鈥
鈥 Student Researchers: Karen Erfe, Ingrid Mazariegos, Berenice Gaona and Kim Jenkins
鈥 Faculty Research Mentor: Professor Audrey Hung

Third Place Presentation: 鈥淐etylated Fatty Acid Complex Effect on Bleeding and Probing Depths鈥
鈥 Student Researchers: Tonya Boyd, Silvano Puente-Santos and Nikki Colclazier
鈥 Faculty Research Mentor: Professor Fran Soderling

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