Research

As for research, I have been collaborating with those working in the Center for Dental Biomaterials under the University of Florida's Dental College to mitigate the prevalence of peri-implantitis through the use of glucosamine sugars. My principal investigator, Dr. Josephine Esquivel-Upshaw, and my team have been working on this project since the beginning of the fall semester of 2023. We aim to reduce the incidence of peri-implantitis by treating dental implants with N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) as a way to promote the health of commensal bacteria in the oral environment, as well as reducing the prevalence of pathogenic bacteria which can lead to peri-implantitis or loss of the implant. Our current responsibilities include creating a biofilm medium that we can use to test on titanium rods coated in GlcNAc or glucose. My research mentor and partner, Haochen Zhu and I prepared these rods in advance, and are working with Dr. Hind Hussein to create and perpetuate this biofilm for later use. These coated rods will later be examined via profilometry to see the results of the treated tods in the simulated oral environment.