News at a Glance

Dean Carol Lefebvre and her associate deans and chairmen showed off their chili-cooking abilities during The Dental College of Georgia Fall Frolic Oct. 30 on the grounds of the Harrison Education Commons. Events included free hot dogs, a photo booth and costume contest. The Department of General Dentistry, aka the Peanuts Gang, snagged the award for best group costume. Nipping at their heels with an Honorable Mention Award were zombie-clad prosthodontic residents.

The Dental College of Georgia’s Student Recruitment and Admissions Committee pored through 938 applications, conducted hundreds of interviews and analyzed thousands of pages of supporting documentation over a six-month period to select the 95 members of the Class of 2020. The students will begin their freshman year in the fall.

The DCG administration is completing a strategic plan aligning academic, clinical and research initiatives. The plan includes mission, vision and value statements. Dr. Kevin Frazier, vice dean, oversaw the leadership retreat during which the plan was created, with deans and chairs collaborating on content regarding education, clinical services and research.

For the second year in a row, our students have logged a 100 percent pass rate on part one of the National Board of Dental Examiners test. They performed a full standard deviation or more above the national average in anatomic sciences and dental anatomy and occlusion. Their overall exam score was almost a full standard deviation above the mean. Our students’ pass rate has surpassed the national mean for the past three years.

The DCG chapter of the Hispanic Dental Association conducted free dental screenings recently at the St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church Health Fair and the 23rd Hispanic Festival of Augusta. The chapter also sponsored the fourth annual International Flavors Event March 30, an international meal representing various DCG cultures. Dr. Roger Arce is the faculty sponsor.

The DCG Chapter of the Student Professionalism and Ethics Association has received the 2015 award for Most Improved Chapter. The chapter received the 2014 award for Best Event based on its professional photo shoot and guest lectures on ethics and professionalism during SPEA Week. This year, the chapter doubled its number of SPEA activities, with twice the number of participants for each event. Events have included a Relax and Wax tutoring session, Social on the Quad and other events promoting professionalism and ethics.

Thirteen members of the DCG community have been inducted into Omicron Kappa Upsilon. Student inductees, who are elected from the top 20 percent of the senior class, are Alex M. Culberson, Natalie Echols Evans, Mariesa L. Manente, Dexter W. Mattox, Michelle J. Paterson, James Nathan Raley, Molly Hawkins Ruiz, Jennifer M. Ryan and Marielle Youmans. Dr. Allison Buchanan, assistant professor of oral health and diagnostic sciences, was inducted as a faculty member. Dr. Michael Davenport, assistant professor of general dentistry, was elected as an honorary member.

Dr. Jan Mitchell, associate professor of oral rehabilitation, oversaw a continuing-education course in London over spring break, welcoming faculty, alumni and community dentists to expand their dental expertise in the British capital. The event followed a DCG continuing-education course last year in Italy and adds to our ever-growing presence in overseas sites throughout China, Europe and elsewhere around the globe.

The Georgia Dental Association Alliance hosted a dinner Oct. 9 at the North Augusta Municipal Building for our students and their spouses. The alliance, whose members are spouses of dental students, partners with the GDA in areas including legislative advocacy, dental health education and the well-being of the dental family. GDA Past President Doug Torbush and President-Elect Ben Jernigan were among the attendees. Alliance liaisons Julie Vaughn and Jackie Koon coordinated the event.

Crystal Thomas, an oral and maxillofacial surgery administrative assistant, and Raul “Jason” Escobar, an oral and maxillofacial surgery dental assistant, recently completed training for the Community Emergency Response Team. The Augusta Fire Department and Emergency Management Division provided the seven-week training, which was sponsored by the Augusta University Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response.

DCG was seeing pink Oct. 29 in honor of dental student Travis Garnto’s wife, Susan, who is battling breast cancer. The REST 5901 Clinic Mentor Group of Dr. Kate Ciarrocca, assistant professor of oral rehabilitation, sponsored a sale of pink scrubs, with proceeds benefiting the Garnto family. More than 150 scrubs were sold, and many others wore pink on the day of the sale in her honor. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer death among women.

DCG inductees into the 2015 Authentic Leadership Pipeline I Program, sponsored by the Augusta University Leadership Academy, are Drs. Kate Ciarrocca, Kevin Frazier, Alan Furness, Sajitha Kalathingal and Michael Pruett.

Zombies descended on the city en masse during the annual Give a Smile 5-kilometer race Nov. 15 in Augusta’s Lake Olmstead Park. The zombie theme ensured lots of double-takes, particularly since this set of zombies picked up the pace of the typical zombie slow-motion slog. Proceeds benefited the Give a Smile Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 by our students seeking to offset the costs of vital dental treatment for patients who otherwise would go without it.

We raised almost $8,000 — $5,000 over our goal — for the American Heart Association’s annual campaign. The college received the Division Leap Frog and Division Over Goal awards. Pam Bales, an administrative assistant in the Department of Orthodontics, received the Individual Sweet Talker Award and achieved Super Surfer status by raising over $1,000 individually. Dawn Fulmer in Financial and Business Operations received the Most Individual Spirit Award.

The Student National Dental Association partnered with the Georgia Cancer Center for an Oral Cancer Walk April 16 to raise awareness about oral cancers, including the importance of self-checks and regular screenings by a dentist or physician. Walkers offered complimentary oral screenings for attendees.

Silly selfies and other fun photos flooded the internet last fall in support of the Oral Cancer Foundation. The Dr. Wayne Herman Society in Oral Medicine, Pathology and Radiology sponsored the online contest to raise funds for the foundation.

The Dream Team, our intramural flag football team, was undefeated in its 2015 season, claiming its championship title at Augusta University’s Christenberry Fieldhouse with a 36-14 win over Charlotte’s Web, comprised of medical and physical therapy students. Dream Team members are Frank Aguebor, Atijah Collins, Marcus Cowan, Dylan Holtman, John Jackson, Blake Jones, Robert Lancaster, Alex McRee, T.J. O’Shea, Brock Pumphrey, Hazie Simon and Charles Smith.

[su_note note_color=”#efefee” text_color=”#000000″ class=”story-side-box”]

Gigantic toothbrushes, stuffed animals and colorful posters were among the props our first-year students used during a recent visit to Augusta’s Heritage Academy. The students spent the morning teaching kindergartners and first-graders about the importance of oral hygiene, emphasizing the importance of brushing, flossing and eating a healthy diet. It was one of several school visits organized through the students’ Kids with a Future initiative, which they highlighted during a presentation to the American Association for Dental Research in Los Angeles.[/su_note]

The Dental College of Georgia’s Student Recruitment and Admissions Committee pored through 938 applications, conducted hundreds of interviews and analyzed thousands of pages of supporting documentation over a six-month period to select the 95 members of the Class of 2020. The students will begin their freshman year in the fall.

The DCG administration is completing a strategic plan aligning academic, clinical and research initiatives. The plan includes mission, vision and value statements. Dr. Kevin Frazier, vice dean, oversaw the leadership retreat during which the plan was created, with deans and chairs collaborating on content regarding education, clinical services and research.

For the second year in a row, our students have logged a 100 percent pass rate on part one of the National Board of Dental Examiners test. They performed a full standard deviation or more above the national average in anatomic sciences and dental anatomy and occlusion. Their overall exam score was almost a full standard deviation above the mean. Our students’ pass rate has surpassed the national mean for the past three years.

The DCG chapter of the Hispanic Dental Association conducted free dental screenings recently at the St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church Health Fair and the 23rd Hispanic Festival of Augusta. The chapter also sponsored the fourth annual International Flavors Event March 30, an international meal representing various DCG cultures. Dr. Roger Arce is the faculty sponsor.

The DCG Chapter of the Student Professionalism and Ethics Association has received the 2015 award for Most Improved Chapter. The chapter received the 2014 award for Best Event based on its professional photo shoot and guest lectures on ethics and professionalism during SPEA Week. This year, the chapter doubled its number of SPEA activities, with twice the number of participants for each event. Events have included a Relax and Wax tutoring session, Social on the Quad and other events promoting professionalism and ethics.

Thirteen members of the DCG community have been inducted into Omicron Kappa Upsilon. Student inductees, who are elected from the top 20 percent of the senior class, are Alex M. Culberson, Natalie Echols Evans, Mariesa L. Manente, Dexter W. Mattox, Michelle J. Paterson, James Nathan Raley, Molly Hawkins Ruiz, Jennifer M. Ryan and Marielle Youmans. Dr. Allison Buchanan, assistant professor of oral health and diagnostic sciences, was inducted as a faculty member. Dr. Michael Davenport, assistant professor of general dentistry, was elected as an honorary member.

Dr. Jan Mitchell, associate professor of oral rehabilitation, oversaw a continuing-education course in London over spring break, welcoming faculty, alumni and community dentists to expand their dental expertise in the British capital. The event followed a DCG continuing-education course last year in Italy and adds to our ever-growing presence in overseas sites throughout China, Europe and elsewhere around the globe.

The Georgia Dental Association Alliance hosted a dinner Oct. 9 at the North Augusta Municipal Building for our students and their spouses. The alliance, whose members are spouses of dental students, partners with the GDA in areas including legislative advocacy, dental health education and the well-being of the dental family. GDA Past President Doug Torbush and President-Elect Ben Jernigan were among the attendees. Alliance liaisons Julie Vaughn and Jackie Koon coordinated the event.

Crystal Thomas, an oral and maxillofacial surgery administrative assistant, and Raul “Jason” Escobar, an oral and maxillofacial surgery dental assistant, recently completed training for the Community Emergency Response Team. The Augusta Fire Department and Emergency Management Division provided the seven-week training, which was sponsored by the Augusta University Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response.

DCG was seeing pink Oct. 29 in honor of dental student Travis Garnto’s wife, Susan, who is battling breast cancer. The REST 5901 Clinic Mentor Group of Dr. Kate Ciarrocca, assistant professor of oral rehabilitation, sponsored a sale of pink scrubs, with proceeds benefiting the Garnto family. More than 150 scrubs were sold, and many others wore pink on the day of the sale in her honor. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer death among women.

[su_note note_color=”#efefee” text_color=”#000000″ class=”story-side-box”]Hinman update

• More than 135 high school and undergraduate students attended a DCG predental student recruitment event during the 2016 Hinman Dental Meeting in Atlanta March 17-19. Associate Dean Carole Hanes and 11 students familiarized the attendees with the admissions process and other dental college-related information. • The Hinman meeting drew more than 20,000 dentists and dental staff, including hundreds of members of the DCG community.[/su_note]

• Honorees during the meeting included Dr. Jorge Gonazlez-Ocasio, a third-year oral and maxillofacial surgery resident, who received the Best Presentation Award for his table clinic session, and four recipients of Hinman Scholarships: third-year students Ashley Clayton, Ashley Farmer, Kassidy Looper and Anthony Rella.

• An alumni reception followed at Taco Mac.

DCG inductees into the 2015 Authentic Leadership Pipeline I Program, sponsored by the Augusta University Leadership Academy, are Drs. Kate Ciarrocca, Kevin Frazier, Alan Furness, Sajitha Kalathingal and Michael Pruett.

Zombies descended on the city en masse during the annual Give a Smile 5-kilometer race Nov. 15 in Augusta’s Lake Olmstead Park. The zombie theme ensured lots of double-takes, particularly since this set of zombies picked up the pace of the typical zombie slow-motion slog. Proceeds benefited the Give a Smile Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 by our students seeking to offset the costs of vital dental treatment for patients who otherwise would go without it.

We raised almost $8,000 — $5,000 over our goal — for the American Heart Association’s annual campaign. The college received the Division Leap Frog and Division Over Goal awards. Pam Bales, an administrative assistant in the Department of Orthodontics, received the Individual Sweet Talker Award and achieved Super Surfer status by raising over $1,000 individually. Dawn Fulmer in Financial and Business Operations received the Most Individual Spirit Award.

The Student National Dental Association partnered with the Georgia Cancer Center for an Oral Cancer Walk April 16 to raise awareness about oral cancers, including the importance of self-checks and regular screenings by a dentist or physician. Walkers offered complimentary oral screenings for attendees.

Silly selfies and other fun photos flooded the internet last fall in support of the Oral Cancer Foundation. The Dr. Wayne Herman Society in Oral Medicine, Pathology and Radiology sponsored the online contest to raise funds for the foundation.

The Dream Team, our intramural flag football team, was undefeated in its 2015 season, claiming its championship title at Augusta University’s Christenberry Fieldhouse with a 36-14 win over Charlotte’s Web, comprised of medical and physical therapy students. Dream Team members are Frank Aguebor, Atijah Collins, Marcus Cowan, Dylan Holtman, John Jackson, Blake Jones, Robert Lancaster, Alex McRee, T.J. O’Shea, Brock Pumphrey, Hazie Simon and Charles Smith.