Our Labs

My lab focuses on identifying and translating regenerative materials and technologies to reestablish dental, oral, and craniofacial (DOC) tissue health. We use both in vitro and in vivo pre-clinical animal models to gain further insight into the potential clinical safety and efficacy of the developed biomaterials and overall regenerative strategies.

The DCBIA integrates and disseminates imaging quantitative methodology in Dentistry, supporting patient-specific decision making and assessment of the disease progression via data processing, predictive modeling and machine learning.

Dr. Decker's laboratory focuses on the intercellular signaling mechanisms that regulate inflammation in bone. Specifically, we are keen to understand how periodontal disease trains innate immunity and subsequent effects on bone regeneration and skeletal cancer metastasis that reside in the bone marrow niche spaces.

The Decker Lab is focused on developing technologies that 1) detect and interpret the inter- and intra-cellular signaling networks within the tissue microenvironment, 2) alter an existing unfavorable microenvironment and 3) leverage alterations in the pathophysiological microenvironment for early detection and intervention. We have several active research aims towards these goals.

The D'Silva Lab's translational research focus is head and neck cancer, including biomarkers for early detection and treatment resistance, and molecular mechanisms of tumor progression and treatment resistance.

The Fontana/González Lab and Clinical Research Unit's research interests relate primarily to caries management in children, including risk assessment (and interprofessional care models), dental sealants, and oral biofilms as it relates to caries development and/or prevention (and included in this area, therapies that may affect the biofilm, such as xylitol, silver diammine fluoride, etc).

My primary interest is in how mammalian motor systems compensate for the potentially detrimental effects of tooth wear in diphyodontic species and the life-threatening potential that occurs during swallowing due to incomplete separation of the respiratory and digestive systems in the oropharynx.

The Gonzalez laboratory is interested in understanding dental caries and their clinical management. Particular interest in remineralization, fluorides, diagnosis and oral health products in general (e.g., dentifrices, rinses, toothbrushes, etc.).

The Inglehart group's interests focus on exploring how oral health disparities could be reduced. Efforts focus on (a) educational research and (b) behavioral/clinical research related to oral health disparities.

The Polverini Lab focuses on understanding the policy impact of new models of collaborative care on improving access to care for chronically underserved populations and the role precision medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic oral diseases.

The Ritchie laboratory is focused on studying two major dentin noncollagenous proteins, dentin sialoprotein (DSP) and physophporyn (PP) which appear to play a significant role in the conversion of uncalcified predentin to calcified dentin.

The Surface Lab utilizes genome-wide approaches followed by molecular and organismal investigations, to understand the molecular responses of bone cells.