School of Dentistry Faculty Continued to Advance a Wide Array of Published Research in 2025

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Ann Arbor, Mich., Jan. 26, 2026 – Research by faculty at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry topped more than $24 million during 2025 as the school continued its longstanding tradition of leading dental, oral and craniofacial research.

A total of 206 papers, articles and reviews were authored or co-authored by faculty from across the school in a wide variety of leading scientific journals. Faculty received 32 grants and the school’s annual research expenditures totaled $24.1 million.

Current faculty members and their teams of research assistants are investigating a wide range of oral health science, including bone and tissue generation; preventing periodontal disease; the relationship of opioid receptors to migraines; how E-cigarette exposure affects the oral microbiome; peri-implantitis related to dental implants; and biologic factors contributing to the abnormal growth of bone in soft tissues, a condition known as heterotopic ossification.

Research is centered among the school’s five research themes of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics; Clinical, Population and Educational Research; Craniofacial, Skeletal Biology and Disease; Integrative Neurobiology and Pain; and Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. They are part of the school’s mission of “Enhancing health through education, service, advocacy, research and discovery.”

Vesa Kaartinen, Associate Dean for Research, notes that the dental school has long emphasized the importance of understanding the science related to oral health. “What makes these research contributions so powerful is not just the excellence of each individual study, but the remarkable range of questions our faculty are tackling,” he said. “From tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to pain research and neuroscience, microbiome research, and craniofacial and bone research, these papers reflect a culture in which curiosity, rigor and collaboration drive discovery. It’s a commitment that improves human health.”

The school highlights its research during an annual Research Day, set this year for Wednesday, Feb. 11. Students, postdoctoral trainees, staff and faculty members will display about 150 posters over morning and afternoon sessions at the Michigan League. This year’s keynote speaker, at 1 p.m. in Kellogg Auditorium at the School of Dentistry, is Dr. Ophir Klein, Executive Director of Guerin Children’s at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. More information on Research Day 2026 can be found on the event website.

Following are several examples of the top papers by faculty and research staff at the school in 2025, based on high impact journal ratings. The journal names are followed by links to the paper’s PubMed abstracts, a short summary taken from the abstract, and U-M dental school faculty/staff highlighted in bold:

• Advanced Healthcare Materials: “Synthetic Periodontal Guided Tissue Regeneration Membrane with Self-Assembling Biphasic Structure and Temperature-Sensitive Shape Maintenance.” Periodontal disease poses significant challenges to the long-term stability of oral health by destroying the supporting structures of teeth. Guided tissue regeneration techniques, particularly barrier membranes, enable local regeneration by providing an isolated, protected compartment for osseous wound healing while excluding epithelial tissue. This study reports on a thermosensitive periodontal membrane (TSPM) technology designed to overcome the mechanical limitations of current membranes. The TSPM outperformed a clinically available material  to facilitate robust alveolar bone and periodontal ligament regeneration.  Authors: W. Benton Swanson, Seth Woodbury, Renan Dal-Fabbro, Lindsey Douglas, Jackson Albright, Miranda Eberle, David Niemann, Jinping Xu, Marco C. Bottino, Yuji Mishina.

• Journal of Clinical Periodontology:  “Comparison of Ultrasonography, CBCT, Transgingival Probing, Colour-Coded and Periodontal Probe Transparency With Histological Gingival Thickness: A Diagnostic Accuracy Study Revisiting Thick Versus Thin Gingiva.”  This study assesses the reliability of ultrasonographic, cone beam computed tomographic (CBCT), probe transparency and transgingival probing (TGP) methods in evaluating gingival thickness (GT), compared with the gold standard histological assessment. While histology remains the GT reference standard, ultrasound (US), CBCT and TGP achieved clinically acceptable accuracy. US showed the highest agreement with histology, followed by TGP and CBCT.  Authors: Hamoun Sabri, Paolo Nava, Parham Hazrati, Abdusalam Alrmali, Pablo Galindo-Fernandez, Muhammad H. Saleh, Javier Calatrava, Shayan Barootchi, Lorenzo Tavelli, Hom-Lay Wang.

• Bioactive Materials:  “Injectable thermosensitive antibiotic-laden chitosan hydrogel for regenerative endodontics.”   Injectable biomaterials, such as thermosensitive chitosan (CH)-based hydrogels, present a highly translational potential in dentistry due to their minimally invasive application, adaptability to irregular defects/shapes, and ability to carry therapeutic drugs. This work explores the incorporation of azithromycin (AZI) into thermosensitive CH hydrogels for use as an intracanal medication in regenerative endodontic procedures. Authors: Alexandre Henrique dos Reis-Prado, Maedeh Rahimnejad, Renan Dal-Fabbro, Priscila Toninatto Alves de Toledo, Caroline Anselmi, Pedro Henrique Chaves de Oliveira, J. Christopher Fenno, Luciano Tavares Angelo Cintra, Francine Benetti, Marco C. Bottino.

• Journal of Dental Research: “Cargo-less Nanoparticles Prevent Bone Loss in Periodontitis and Peri-implantitis.”  The etiology of periodontal disease involves an influx of innate immune cells (neutrophils and monocytes) and upregulation of local inflammatory cytokines in the gingiva. Biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles are an inexpensive, safe and effective means of preventing innate immune activation by bacterial biofilms. Polylactic acid (PLA) particles were used as a therapy in ligature-induced periodontitis and peri-implantitis. The experiments demonstrated that cargo-less PLA particle therapy may be a safe, cost-effective therapy to manage inflammatory bone loss in periodontal disease.  Authors: Muhammad H.A. Saleh, A. Roh, K. Martin, Maxwell J. Mianecki, A. Tariq Sheikh, P. Singh, K. Akorede, Michael N. Saunders, Lonnie D. Shea, Ann Marie Decker.

• International Endodontic Journal: “Dental pulp lymphatic vessel dynamics during tooth development and pulp stimulation in rodents.”  The anatomy and functions of lymphatic vessels (LV) in mammals remain poorly understood compared to the blood vascular system. In particular, whether or not LV exist in the dental pulp is still controversial. Using a complex methodology, the study aims to identify the existence of LV in the mouse dental pulp. The findings suggest the presence of LV in the mature dental pulp that contributes to fluid drainage in the tissue together with the extravascular pathway. Authors: Kento Tazawa, Di Chen, Akira Fujimura, Philip D. King, Hajime Sasaki.

• Cell Reports: “Intradental mechano-nociceptors serve as sentinels that prevent tooth damage.” The trigeminal sensory neurons that innervate a tooth’s vital interior – intradental neurons – are expected to drive severe pain, yet their contribution to healthy tooth sensation has not been explored. This study uncovers a role for myelinated high-threshold mechano-nociceptors (intradental HTMRs) in tooth protection. Whereas chemogenetic activation of intradental HTMRs results in a pain phenotype marked by facial and postural changes, their transient optogenetic activation triggers a rapid, jaw-opening reflex via contraction of the digastric muscle. The study indicates that intradental HTMRs not only trigger pain but also protect the teeth by initiating a reflexive movement of the jaws when the teeth experience damage during chewing. Authors: Elizabeth A. Ronan, Akash R. Gandhi, Karin H. Uchima Koecklin, Yujia Hu, Shuhao Wan, Brian S.C. Constantinescu, Mak E. Guenther, Maximilian Nagel, Lingyu Liu, Aditi Jha, Leen Dakhilalla, Kaitlyn J. Blumberg, Isaac T. Berthaume, Tomer Stern, Kevin Patrick Pipe, Bing Ye, Peng Li, Joshua J. Emrick.

• Bioprinting: “3D Printing β-TCP-laden GelMA/Alginate interpenetrating-polymer-network biomaterial inks for bone tissue engineering.” Bone’s capacity for self-repair is limited when large defects arise from trauma or infection. Traditional grafting methods often face challenges like immune rejection and limited availability. Traditional scaffold manufacturing techniques for bone tissue engineering frequently lack precise control over the constructs’ material composition and pore architecture. Recently, 3D printing technology, particularly with interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs), has successfully addressed these limitations, improving biocompatibility, strength, and degradation. This study investigated gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA)/Alginate IPNs laden with beta tri-calcium phosphate (β-TCP) particles in a 3D-printed format to optimize cell proliferation and tissue regeneration. The study demonstrated that the (GelMA)/Alginate IPN containing β-TCP could be a successful biomaterial ink with promising bioactive properties for bone tissue engineering. Authors: Joyce Rodrigues de Souza, Maedeh Rahimnejad, Igor Paulino Mendes Soares, Caroline Anselmi, Pedro Henrique Chaves de Oliveira, Alexandre Henrique Dos Reis-Prado, Victoria Maglaras, Renan Dal-Fabbro, Eliandra De Sousa Renan Trichês, Marco C. Bottino.

• Annals of Neurology: “μ-Opioid Receptor Dynamics in the Parameningeal Tissue During Migraine Attacks.”   Objective: The possible impact of meningeal μ-opioid receptor (μOR) binding in migraines remains unknown. This study investigated μOR availability in the cranial parameninges involved in migraine initiation via nociceptor activation. The study used positron emission tomography and measured μOR availability in meninges and adjacent skull bone (parameningeal tissue PMT) under resting and sustained thermal pain threshold stress challenge conditions. The observed variability in PMT μOR availability across the different cortical regions and migraine episodes, along with its association with pain intensity, underscores the critical role of extracerebral mechanisms in migraine pathophysiology.  Authors: Dajung Kim, Manyoel Lim, Thiago Dias Nascimento, Frank Porreca, Robert A. Koeppe, N.K. Hadjikhani, Alexandre F.M. DaSilva.

• npj Biofilms and Microbiomes: “Toxic cultures: e-cigarettes and the oral microbial exposome.” This study tested the hypothesis that e-cigarette aerosol is metabolized by the indigenous oral microbiome, leading to structural and functional alterations. The data suggests that bacterial metabolism of e-cigarette aerosol triggers a quorum-sensing-regulated stress response which mediates the formation of dense, exopolysaccharide-rich biofilms in health-compatible communities and antibiotic resistance and virulence amplification in disease-associated communities. Authors: Michelle Lee-Scott Beverly, Prem Prashant Chaudhary, Shareef M. Dabdoub, Shinae Kim, Emmanouli Chatzakis, Kathryn Williamson, Sukirth Murthy Ganesan, Manoj Yadav, Grace Ratley, Brandon N. D’Souza, Ian A. Myles, Purnima Suresh Kumar.

• International Journal of Oral Science: “Community dynamics during de novo colonization of the nascent peri-implant sulcus.”  Dental implants can fail due to peri-implantitis, a disease triggered by peri-implant microbial dysbiosis. The ability to prevent and treat peri-implantitis is hampered by a paucity of knowledge of how these biomes are acquired and the factors that engender normobiosis. This study combined a 3-month interventional study of 15 systemically and periodontally healthy adults with whole genome sequencing, fine-scale enumeration and graph theoretics to interrogate colonization dynamics in the pristine peri-implant sulcus. The study highlights important differences in the development of the periodontal and peri-implant ecosystems, and emphasizes the importance of placing implants in periodontally healthy individuals or following the successful resolution of periodontal disease. Authors: Tamires Pereira Dutra, Nicolas Robitaille, Khaled Altabtbaei, Shareef M. Dabdoub, Purnima Suresh Kumar.

• Bone Research: “Discoidin domain receptor 2 is an important modulator of BMP signaling during heterotopic bone formation.” Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) are essential for bone regeneration/fracture healing but can also induce heterotopic ossification (HO). Understanding accessory factors modulating BMP signaling would provide both a means of enhancing BMP-dependent regeneration while preventing HO. This study focuses on the ability of the collagen receptor, discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2), to regulate BMP activity. The study shows that DDR2 is an important modulator of BMP signaling and a potential therapeutic target both for enhancing regeneration and treating HO. Authors: Fashuai Wu; Chunxi Ge; Haichun Pan; Yuanyuan Han; Yuji Mishina; Vesa Kaartinen; Renny Franceschi.

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The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral healthcare education, research, patient care and community service.  General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the school to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan.  Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia and public agencies.  Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide.  For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit us on the Web at: www.dent.umich.edu.  Email: [email protected], or (734) 615-1971.