b'SCIENCE & INNOVATION2022 Award Winners Can you briefly explain the results of your winning research?Continued from page 41 This project is part of a greater research effort at the University of Minnesota, led by Dr. Massimo Costalonga, in order to contribute to (BDNF). Released BDNF in the conditioned medium wasdeveloping a new method to distinguish between periodontal/peri-implant found to induce neuronal cell migration. The significancehealth and disease, and to predict future periodontal/peri-implant loss in of this result was that acquired knowledge might aid ina site-specific manner, utilizing the gingival crevicular fluid.periodontal regeneration in recreating a functional PDL. To this end, my research is investigating the metabolome of the gingival What challenges did you face while conducting yourcrevicular fluid around teeth and focuses not only on cross-sectional research, and how did you overcome them?data associating metabolites with periodontal health vs. periodontitis, but This research project was my first basic science study,also on longitudinal data of changes to the metabolome associated with where I had to start from the basics with cell cultures. Iperiodontal treatment.learned that experimenting on cells using a hand-sizedIn this study, we managed to link certain metabolites to health and machine was very technique sensitive. There was a lotdisease. Most interestingly, we identified that in sites which underwent of troubleshooting regarding the setting and magnitudesuccessful periodontal treatment, the metabolites associated with of stretching, but one failure led to success in the nextperiodontitis were reduced, while the presence of metabolites associated experiment as we kept trying. Eventually, I got familiarwith health was increased.with handling the cells and could repeat experiments with consistent results. Most importantly, thanks to myWhat challenges did you face while conducting your research, mentors guidance and support when facing challenges.and how did you overcome them?How will winning this award affect your work goingThe most important difficulty that we had to overcome was the COVID-19 forward? pandemic, which temporarily halted our ability to recruit and call back our patients. Additionally, once the clinics were open again, the patients were Our research team felt honored to be selected as themore reluctant to come in solely for research purposes. However, clinic finalist, and we thank the AAP for the opportunity. Thisoperations slowly resumed, and eventually we managed to continue with basic science project winning an additional clinical impactthe research call-backs. Thankfully, we were able to complete our project award reflected two things in the field of periodontology.and get our results.First, the developmental aspects of PDL have yet to be fully explained. Second, we have been reminded againHow will winning this award affect your work going forward?of the importance of saving teeth by understanding theFirst and foremost, I feel incredibly honored to have won the award. This fundamental biology of PDL. I am encouraged to continuemotivates me to delve deeper into research projects, work hard, and do to be curious about the unknowns and to identify themy best to contribute to the field of periodontal research in the future. knowledge gap in periodontics through research. Secondly, this is a project I joined while in residency and I was incredibly Looking back, what was it that first sparked yourinspired by how research works and surprised by how much I enjoyed it. interest in pursuing a career in periodontology? It is important for me to continue to be invested in research and I intend More than drilling, filling, prepping, and crowning the tooth,to lead my own research projects in the future.treating periodontal disease is much more challenging dueWhat advice would you give to up-and-coming periodontists?to variable host susceptibility and disease severity. The comprehensive care approach of this profession allowsEverything I have achieved so far in my career, this award included, is me to be a forefront clinician to treat patients in all formsa result of hard work. I always aimed high and did not take no for an of periodontal conditions to achieve a healthy stateanswer whenever it came to setting a goal. So, this is my advice: nothing both orally and systemically. is unreachable and everything is possible with high aspirations and even harder work!Ioannis Kormas, DDS, MSThank you to the 2022 Balint Orban Memorial Competition sponsor, Texas A&M University, School of Dentistry Salvin Dental / Salvin Regenerative, and the 2022 Research Forum WinnerClinical Science Award,Poster Competition sponsor, Philips Oral Healthcare.Research Forum Poster CompetitionGingival Crevicular Fluid Metabolite Changes After Periodontal TherapyAAP Periospectives| 42'