Periodontology Faculty Members' Research Wins William R. Laney Award

Binnaz Leblebicioglu, DDS, MS, PhD, is a professor in the Division of Periodontology and a researcher whose interests include peri-implant wound healing in the early phases of osseointegration and following peri-implantitis treatment. Her colleague, Dimitri Tatakis, DDS, PhD, is a professor and Graduate Periodontics Program Director who conducts research on periodontal regenerative surgical outcomes and periodontal wound healing. 

Working in collaboration with recent graduates of the college's Advanced Education Program in Periodontics, Drs. Leblebicioglu and Tatakis conducted a clinical study and published their findings in the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Implants. The publication titled Titanium as a Possible Modifier of Inflammation around Dental Implants summarized the researchers' evaluation of peri-implant crevicular fluid for possible titanium contamination, along with the exploration of associations among clinical findings, titanium levels, and inflammatory mediators. The publication was subsequently chosen as the winner of the Academy of Osseointegration's William R. Laney Award, which honors the late William (Bill) Laney, DMD, MS, who was the founding editor of the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Implants and the first president of the Academy of Osseointegration.

The co-authors of the award-winning publication are Eswar Kandaswamy, BDS, MS; Wichurat Sakulpaptong, DDS, PhD; Xiaohan Guo, MS; Andy Ai Ni, PhD; and Heather M. Powell, PhD.