The Lingual Groove

September 2012
Inside this issue: Alpha Nu Chapter Pregnant in DS National AVAD Yay for Grey Time Management Dental Crossword 2 3 4 5 6 7

Providing Dentistry to Underprivileged Children in Tanzania

This summer, Dr. Abbas Fazel, an adjunct faculty member at the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health (ASDOH) and a Board member of K2Adventures Foundation, a non-profit 5013 organization, and five dental students from ASDOH headed to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. This was a humanitarian mission trip, the purpose of which was to provide much needed dental treatment to children at an orphanage and school in the town of Moshi (Mwereni Integrated School and Orphanage). Most of the children at the orphanage are blind, albino or have an autosomal recessive genetic disorder called XP (xeroderma pigmentosum) which makes their skin very sensitive to sunlight. These children developed skin tumors frequently and have a very short life span. None of them had ever seen a dentist and many of them were in dire need of children have mottling of their teeth (including their front teeth) dental care. due to excessive fluoride intake in K2 Adventures was able to raise their diet. These teeth were treatfunds to build and equip this dened cosmetically which made the tal clinic in the grounds of the children very appreciative and school. The project was complethappy to smile again! Once the ed in April of 2012 and the first orphans were taken care of, we team of students from ASDOH started screening and treating the travelled to Tanzania in June of children at the school. The dental 2012. The group comprised of group kept a record of all the stuDr. Fazel and five ASDOH dental dents that were screened, categostudents including Nadia Fazel rized them from preventive to ur(D3), Sarah Usher (D3), Erin Aygent care, took their photos, and ing (D3), Nipa Patel (D4), and noted if they needed more treatAbrahim Caroci (D4). Dustin ment. The goal of the data was to Usher, an information technology maintain sustainability, so that expert who works at ASDOH, future and current dentists that also accompanied the team and visit the school will have the data set up a networking of 25 computto continue treatment for the chilers that were donated to the dren. school and was able to provide the children with internet access. (continued on next page) After speaking with the headmaster of the school, the group learned that there are less than 500 dentists for over 45 million Tanzanians. The dental students were able to screen 100% of the orphans at the school and were able to perform much needed dental care that included cleanings, fillings, extractions and pulpotomies. Many of these

Providing Dentistry to Children in Tanzania continued

One of the biggest rewards was to give dental care to the children, mainly with special needs. The group gave dental care to children with XP disease, and learned from a local Tanzanian dermatologist that it is unlikely that they will live past 30 years due to the exposure to sunlight. The school faculty gives the children hats and long sleeves to prevent sun exposure to their skin. Other children that were treated were albino. The group learned that the albino children were hunted and slaughtered because their bones are thought to provide medical cures. Though this practice has been abolished and the children are protected, they still live in fear of their lives. Currently the school is building a wall around the premises to further protect the children. Although some of the children are blind, they are still very happy and a pleasure to be around. The dental group learned a lot from the children and hopes that more dentists will step up and volunteer in the efforts of providing much needed dental care to the children at Mwereni. K2 Adventures and Dr. Fazel are hoping to bring back dentists and dental

students more frequently to Tanzania. If you would like to participate on this dental service trip, please contact Dr. Fazel at afazel@atsu.edu, Kevin keving@k2adventures.org, or Kristen at Kristen@k2adventures.org.

~Erin Aying, ASDOH14

Delta Sigma DeltaAlpha Nu Chapter Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health
The alpha Nu chapter kicked off an exciting new school year with several activities to welcome back our members and the Class of 2016! We began the year with a Lu-Au party with the entering D1 class, a lunch and learn and instrument orientation session. Rush week consisted of a scavenge hunt, laser tag and philanthropic efforts at the Garden of Hope. Our myriad number of goals in mind, we rush week concluded with an annual look forward to another remarkable initiation dinner, where sixteen of Alpha Nu year! our new initiates celebrated joining DSD with our Faculty Advisor, Dr. Bell and ASDOH staff. This year, we started a new tradition of Big-Little Brother/Sister, to help guide and support colleges. Additionally, our academic chair, Josh Parfitt initiated weekly tutoring session to help aid D1s transition to dental school. Goals for Alpha Nu this year include focusing more on connecting with alumni and other Delts at national conferences and events, community outreach, fundraising, and developing our yearbook. With a

~Yu Ong, ASDOH 15

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The Lingual Groove

Pregnant in Dental School

Legislative Week At ASDOH September 17-24
Come learn about issues affecting YOU and the field of dentistry! There will be free food at all the events. For more information on how to get involved, please email Angela Lee (ahlee@atsu.edu)

9/17 ADPAC & Cookies 9/18 Home State Legislative Issues 9/20 How To Workshop: Wrting to Your State Legislators

9/24 Congressman Dr. Paul Gosar comes to ASDOH

Gaining 30 pounds during dental school isnt exactly on everyones bucket list. Some may give the excuse of too many late nights pounding Cheetos and red bulls whilst memorizing the cranial nerves and their branches. My excuse came after nine months and the occasional odd glance at my maternity scrubs. But those 30 pounds, or what came of them , have become the greatest accomplishment of my life. Having a baby in dental school? Unheard of? No. Uncommon? Perhaps. Doable? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely. I had my son, Ki ngston, near the end of my second year of dental school just before we transitioned into clinic fulltime. This turned out to be a rather fortunate time in our class schedule and I was able to take a few weeks off with the support of our faculty. Im not sure that there is a best time to have a baby during school, but for me the end of our second year came pretty close. As a third year working in clinic most of the day, I have a lot more free time at night now to spend with my son and husband.

and support of my faculty from the moment I announced I was pregnant, and we worked together to schedule personal leave time and ensure that my school requirements would still be met. I never wanted any special treatment nor felt that I deserved any due to my personal circumstances, but the truth is that each of us as dental students, as people all have individual circumstances and all have lives outside of dental school. My faculty saw that I was ready and willing to balance the two, and have worked with me to do so individual professors arranged and adjusted due dates, opened up the sim-clinic for make-up work, and allowed the time away I needed to recover.

er, and as a dentist, will be shaped by the many other hands that lift, teach, and support me along the way. Most of that 30 pounds is now gone and I can easily fit back into my old clinic scrubs. But I now have a smiling, drooley little guy to show for it. Each of us as dental students spend our days learning how to better care for and improve the quality of life of our patients. And each of us go home at the end of the day and choose to spend the remainder of our time in a variety of fashions. I am no different; I just get to spend the rest of my time learning how to better care for and improve the quality of life of my son. Or rather, he is doing that for me.

And I am ever grateful for the ~ Larisa Smith, ASDOH 14 help of my husband, family, and friends who have helped share the load by helping out at home, babysitting, or simply helping me catch up on missed coursework. Dental school can be a lot of work and require a lot of time; so can a baby. But putting in the time and work is only half of the battle; Ive But timing wasnt as important found that its imof a factor for me as was sup- portant to ask for and port support from my husrely on the help, supband and family, friends, and port, and encourageour school faculty. Every den- ment of others when tal program is different, but I trying to accomplish great truly felt the encouragement things. My success as a moth-

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ASDOH Students at the 2nd Biennial National AVAD Convention

would expect. Like most other Vietnam War refugees, my family attempted to cross the Pacific Ocean in a cramped boat, with no food or water, no personal belongings, and with no knowledge of the American culture or of the English language. Upon arriving to this country, survival mode persisted and the idea of the American Dream It has been nearly 40 years since the evaded that immigrant generation. Inend of the Vietnam War. The afterstead, they worked to ensure that the math of the war left countless dead and next generation can realize this nearly 3 million Southeast Asians Dream the Dream that my sibseeking refuge. It has been estimated lings and I, as well as many other first that nearly half of those refugees reset- generation Vietnamese-Americans, are tled in the United States. A plethora of living today. information on the events of the ViThe American Dream did not elude etnam War can be found in an Ameriall Vietnam War refugees, however. can history textbook or via a simple ASDOHs very own, Dr. Khanh Chu, web search. Thus, it is a part of histowas one of those few. She turned 16 as ry that will never be forgotten by the she traversed the Pacific Ocean, toVietnamese, nor the Americans. Very wards the U.S in 1975. Once in this few people, however, get to hear the country, she attended high school and stories of the refugees, themselves. struggled to learn English (a language My family rarely speaks about their which she claims she is still learning experience with the war, on being today). Following high school, Dr. Chu boat people, and of their journey to went to the University of Maryland the U.S. When the silence is broken, (UMD) for her undergraduate studies however, their stories are unique but a feat which many Vietnamese immitheir struggles are everything one grants were never able to exFrom Left: Cuong Nguyen (D2), Tim Tran (D4), Dr. Chu, Jaqueline Duong (c/o 2012), Jessica Nguyen (c/o 2012, currently in ASDOHs AEGD program), Anh Nguyen (D4), Bao Huynh (D4), Natalie Nguyen (D3), Amy Truong (D2), Jennifer Huynh (D2), MaiLy Duong (c/2012, From Left: Jennifer Huynh, Mai-Ly Duong, Dr. Chu, Amy Truong. Mai-Ly and Dr. Chu are wearing traditional, formal Vietnamese attire, called Ao Dai.
Page 4 The Lingual Groove

perience. If that wasnt enough, Dr. Chu continued her studies at UMD to get her dental degree and returned to UMD again to specialize in prosthodontics. She started teaching as a requirement for her Post Graduate training and loved it so she began teaching at UMD. In 1990, Dr. Chu started a private practice with her brother, also a prosthodontist and UMD alumni, in Washington D.C. For more than a decade, she practiced part-time and taught part-time. Dr. Chu then took her talents to Arizona and been working at ASDOH since 2005 as a CCU director. She also serves as a Board Member of the Association of Vietnamese American Dentists (AVAD), which is a small organization that began in 2008. It aims to enrich the Vietnamese community and provide a forum for sharing knowledge and experiences amongst Vietnamese dentists. Many first generation VietnameseAmericans thought success stories like Dr. Chus were extremely rare to come across - little did we know, many more existed! Continued on next page

2nd Biennial National AVAD Convention continued

Twelve current and alumni ASDOH students of Vietnamese heritage had the amazing opportunity to learn this new fact upon arriving at the 2nd Biennial National AVAD Convention, which took place from August 3rd through August 5th in Orlando, Florida. We expected to see many attendees who were similar in age to us either still in dental school, enrolled in a specialty program, or in practice for 10 years or less. However, what we found was a group of wellspoken, successful dentist our parents ages that have been practicing for decades. Thank you to AVAD and all those who came before us - they continue to inspire us every day. Thank you for providing us with the stepping stones that allows us to stand where we are now.

Special Thanks to Dr. Khanh Chu It was a humbling experience Dr. Chu not only sponsored all to see so many accomplished dental ASDOH students of Vietnamese herprofessionals from the immigrant itage to attend the event, but she also generation. It reminded us that our struggles now pale in comparison to exposed us to a part of our communiwhat theyve had to sacrifice in order ty, culture, and history that was unto achieve such success. It was also a known to us. pride-filled experienced that confirmed what our parents always told us -- we come from a group of people who are resilient, resourceful, and ~ Amy Truong ASDOH 15 strong.

Yay for Grey!

One of the best (and worst) parts about any ethical dilemma is figuring out how to handle that dilemma. One way of handling it may be just as valid as the complete opposite way of handling it. I often find myself seeing the pros and cons to both sides. Yay for grey is my personal ethics motto as I have difficulty saying something is completely right or wrong. When people approach me and tell me about how someone wronged them, quite often I sympathize with that person but look at the situation from the other persons point of view and may sympathize with them too. When I think I see a school code being violated I have to stop and ask myself, Do I really understand what I just saw? Was this actually a violation of some ethical code or professional principle? . Jumping to conclusions without considering all the possibilities has gotten me into trouble before.

clarity when ethical dilemmas present themselves. First, avoid jumping to conclusions; take what you saw and keep it at that, a data point in a series of events of which you witnessed a small part of. Second, gather more data. Asking questions and finding out what data you dont have can allow you to better understand what you witnessed. Third, avoid gathering data from a third party who allegedly witnessed a dilemma. If you hear about some code being violated but have not witnessed it yourself it does no one any good if you take action. Tell the person who told you about the violation that if it truly happened then that person needs to do something about it. Lastly, take all the data you have gathered and make your decision. has occurred the

lemma? Is the dilemma not actually a dilemma but a misinterpretation of the events? By addressing this dilemma are you helping yourself, the people involved, others who may be potentially impacted? Taking action or not taking action will probably be the most difficult part but by being careful about how you approach dilemmas and being thorough in gathering data to understand what has occurred the decision to act or not act should become easier. For more information about how to approach ethical dilemmas, please join the ASDA Student Professionalism and Ethics Committee for its September 26 meeting at noon in Flagstaff where we will discuss how to approach a peer when you suspect an ethical ~ Scott Howell ASDOH 14

grey zone a little brighter and find

decision to act or not act should beThere are ways to make the come easier.Will you address the di-

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Time Management Mantra

Time Management Mantra: If you want to be a successful dental student, or a professional for that matter, you must learn how to manage your time efficiently. Lately, Ive learned to value my time as a precious commodity. Ive found a proverb that accurately describes the first year of Dental School, and it reads, half of knowing what you want is knowing what you will have to give up to get it. In other words, if dental students want top marks in their classes, they must make certain sacrifices. During my first year, for example, I never watched more than six hours of television per week and limited my leisurely outings during the week so that I could focus more of my time on my studies. I am a firm believer in putting in the hours to master new and challenging information. I have known people who could do fairly well on an exam by cramming the night before, while I studied several hours a day for the week and a few hours more the night and morning before. As a conceptual learner, I do not recommend pulling the dreaded all-nighter, because it is extremely stressful and generally a person will forget just about everything they learned' right after the test. Although the most important factor for some that want to make the grade, in the long run having true knowledge and comprehension of what you are learning can help you in ways you can never imagine. As a dental student attempting to get high grades in a competitive curriculum, you will need to acknowledge three very important words: I need help. You need to recognize when you need help and then actually request it or you will back yourself into strenuous corners. Everyone needs help from time to time. You will need assistance in understanding labs, accurate notes to study from, learning new and abstract concepts, and many other things. Are you too smart to need help? There might be a few geniuses out there who knows everything about everything, but I have yet to meet one. There is no shame in not being a genius, only in not using the intellect that you do have. Remember that smart people do not try to re-invent the wheel. You would be surprised how people in general are truly flattered when someone feels that they are worthy of being asked for help. Of course, some people will not help you, so move on. Remember to always be grateful for someone's help, and offer to reciprocate, in some other area that you may be strong in either academically, socially, or anything you can offer. These types of exchanges are win-win situations. Last note be responsible for your own professional development. Need a quick pick me up Well Get the right mind-set: Attempt to avoid studying when you are exhausted. If you are too tired, your concentration will be weak. If you are studying for long blocks of time, always get some rest before you resume studying. Also, if you are confident and have a positive mental attitude, it is very helpful when studying and when taking examinations. I try to Reduce my notes, after I have studied all of notes, I try to write down the most important points on a new page, and then re-review the new pages before the exam. When you study from your notes, change the order in which you do it. Start from the beginning to end, then next time, from the end to the beginning, and then start in the middle, etc. By doing this you will avoid memorizing your notes in order and not really 'learning'' them, and also you will not get study fatigue at the same place in your notes each time you study. If available Recorded video lectures, we are fortunate that we have the Echo system to watch and listen lectures here at the AZ. School of Dentistry & Oral Health. This helps to trigger an auditory recollection of lecture topics. This technique is especially helpful if you know that examinations will be given in large part from the notes.

Mithing Tooth
I'm having trouble thpeaking, thinthe I lotht my middle tooth. Jutht yethterday my tooth wath fine -today it wiggled loothe. At firtht I thought it thilly, when my tooth fell out today, But no one theems to underthtand a thingle word I thay. I athked my mom to clothe the door, she thaid "That would be rude. The door does not like wearing clothes; it's happy in the nude." I thaid a mouthe wath in my room and she should come and thee. She thaid "your mouth is on your face; it's right where it should be." I wonder if you underthtand the thircumthtanthe I'm in. I told her I wath feeling thick. She thaid "you're looking thin." At latht she thaw how mad I wath, And thought I might thtop breathing. She laughed and thaid she didn't mean it -She wath only teething. ~ Kenn Nesbitt

~ Nezahet Mutlu ASDOH 15

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DENTAL CROSSWORD
Across 5. 6. 7. 8. 10. 11. 13. 16. 17. 18. 19. You are not supposed to brush within 6 ft of a (blank). Harmless growth of bone in the mouth that is considrered to be a "developmental anomaly". In early America, this profession often served as dentists as well. instrument with a small brush and long handle used for cleaning teeth sophisticated way of saying x-ray Thin film on the surface of the enamel, comprised of strongly adsorbed proteins and lipids from saliva. Ancient (blank) used pumic, talc, alabaster, coral powder or iron rust as toothpaste. Term that describes when a professional claims to know the best interests of his or her patient. Where was the first ever toothbrush manufactured? This is the single most important way to reduce your risk of disease transmission in a clinic setting. Floss was first manufactured in 1882. What material was it made from?

Down

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 9. 12. 14. 15.

This is the most abundant cell in dental pulp. It produces collagen and ground substance. Who worked as a silversmith, copper plate engraver and dentist and still found time to warn the countryside that the British were coming? What city in Michigan was the first in the US to protect citizen's teeth by fluoridating water? Dissolution of dental hard tissues caused by acids (not bacterial) or mechanical wear. This object is most often choked on by Americans. It is commonly given after a meal in restaurants. Ameloblasts are derived embryologically from the dental (blank). What delectable dairy delight should you eat in order to keep your smile sparkling white? This land animal has teeth that can weigh up to 6lbs! (Blank) remains the most common chronic disease among children.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Fibroblast Paul revere Grand rapids Erosion Toilet Tori

7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Blacksmith Toothbrush Lamina Radiograph Pellicle Cheese

13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

Greeks Elephant Caries Paternalism China Handwashing