Current Students

Faculty

Alumni

Upcoming Events

FAQs

Contact Us

Site Map

Skeletal, Craniofacial & Oral Biology

Skeletal, Craniofacial & Oral Biology

Program Description

Program Objectives

Program Requirements
 
Courses Offered by Oral Biology Faculty

 
Program Objectives
The program will educate scholars in Oral Biology, by providing thorough preparation for biological research. The specific objectives of the program are:

1. To provide the student with a thorough understanding of the current scientific basis of oral biology and how new knowledge is generated.

2. To provide the student with experience in the scientific method and its application to laboratory research and clinically based research using human subjects.

3. To prepare students to assume university teaching positions and to provide them with an opportunity to study the problems and methodologies associated with instruction in professional schools.

[back to top]

Program Requirements
The formal requirements of the Graduate School must be met. Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for the most up-to-date requirements:

1. Residence Requirements

1. Equivalent of three full-time study years beyond the Bachelor's degree or two years beyond a higher degree (full-time study requires a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester).

2. Either the entire second or third year of graduate study must be completed while in residence at the University.

3. All work must be completed within eight years of entry into the program.

2. Course Requirements

1. A total of 44 credits of graduate work (300 and 400 courses) is required by the University for the Ph.D. degree. Modifications of course requirements can be made by the Advisory Committee on the basis of the student's previous experience.

2. All students are required to complete 24 credits of core course work and 15 credits of Graduate Research. Of the 24, at least 9 must be taken from courses within each of two categories: Biomedical Science core and Oral Biology core. All students must take DENT 415 and DENT 416 (Contemporary Topics in Oral Biology, I & II).

BMS Core

• Responsible Conduct in Research, MEDS 310, 1 credit
• Developmental Biology, MEDS 322, 2 credits
• Logic of Modern Biology, MEDS 327, 4 credits
• Immunobiology I, MEDS 329, 2 credits
• Immunobiology II, MEDS 330, 2 credits
• Logic of Modern Biology, MEDS 327, 4 credits
• Biochemistry II MEDS 351, 4 credits
• Topics in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology MEDS 368, 1 credit
• Presentation of Scientific Data, MEDS 447, 1 credit
• Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, MEDS 372, 3 credits
• Neuroscience: Structure, Function, Development of the Nervous System
• MEDS 374, (prerequisite MEDS 372), variable credits
• Cell Biology I, MEDS 380, 4 credits,
• Cell Biology and Physiology II MEDS 381, 4 credits, (prerequisite MEDS 380 and MEDS 351 or consent of instructor)
• Biostatistics MEDS 467, 3 credits
   

Oral Biology Core

• Introduction to Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, DENT 414, 3 credits
• Contemporary Topics in Oral Biology I, MEDS 415, 2 credits
• Contemporary Topics in Oral Biology II, MEDS 416, 2 credits
• Advanced Oral Histology DENT 430, 2 credits
• Biodontics II: Integrating Craniofacial Biology with Clinical Dentistry, DENT 433, 2 credits
• Connective Tissue Biology II, DENT 446, 2 credits
• Functional Oral Anatomy, DENT 434, 2 credits
• Oral Physiology, DENT 436, 2 credits
• Biodontics: Integrating Biotechnology with Clinical Dentistry, DENT 440, 3 credits
• Graduate Seminars in Oral Biology MEDS 497, 1 credit
• Basic Radiation Sciences I, DENT 453, 2 credits
• Basic Radiation Sciences II, DENT 454, 2 credits
   

3. Research Courses

Laboratory research may be formally scheduled under the title MEDS 496, "Laboratory Rotation." The format is flexible: the following options are illustrative only.

• MEDS 496 (1 credit) - A Student spends one-fourth time for one semester in a laboratory learning research procedures. Most often used as a substitute for one of the core courses listed above.
• MEDS 496 ( 3 credits) - A student spends three months full-time in a laboratory. Often used during a summer session.
   

 4. A minimum of 3 credits of MEDS 496 is required.

5. Thesis Research

Students doing thesis research may need to register for MEDS 497 "Graduate Seminars in Oral Biology" or GRAD 495 "Graduate, Dissertation preparation" in order to bring their total credits to 44.

Thesis Research

Thesis Advisory Committee

The student's thesis research is conducted under the guidance of a thesis advisory committee. This committee is selected by the student in consultation with the interim committee usually near the end of the second year, (prior to part 1 of the general examination). This committee shall consist of a major advisor and at least two associate advisors; one of the associate advisors may be a faculty person not appointed to the Oral Biology Graduate Faculty. Any member of the Oral Biology Graduate Faculty is eligible to serve as the major thesis advisor. At least one other program member serves and one or more faculty members who are members of the Graduate Faculty from any of the Schools in the University can serve as associate advisors. The director of the appropriate clinical program (an ex-officio member of the OBGP faculty) will be appointed to the advisory committees for students enrolled in the combined Ph.D./clinical certificate program.

Plan of Study

A plan of study must be submitted to the Graduate School prior to completion of not more than 12 credits. The student prepares a Plan of Study in consultation with the interim advisory committee or the thesis advisory committee if it has been constituted. The plan will specify all formal courses which are to be completed the language requirement (or supporting area of study), the scheduling of the general examination, and the general area of the thesis research. The plan of study must be approved by the student's interim advisory committee and the Graduate School prior to the general examination.

Thesis

Prior to writing the thesis, the student shall present a seminar describing his/her research progress. The seminar will be attended by all members of the advisory committee and by the OBGP faculty. Thesis writing shall begin only after the advisory committee has approved the student's report. Following completing of the thesis, it will be evaluated by the advisory committee. Distinguished members of other faculties may be invited to serve as thesis readers. There shall be a public examination of the thesis following its acceptance by the readers. The thesis will be written in the format prescribed by the Graduate School. It is the student's responsibility to be certain that the thesis format and style conform to these specifications. Scheduling of the final oral examination must adhere to the rules of the Graduate School. A copy of the completed thesis shall be provided before the defense and in addition to the copies required by the Graduate School and the Health Center, one bound copy will be supplied for the departmental library.

General Examination

Each student is required to pass the General Examination before becoming a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. This is generally accomplished by the end of the second year, but, under special circumstances, may occur later, especially for students who are in combined Residency/PhD programs and have spent substantial time during their first two years in clinical training.

The purpose of the General Examination is for the candidate to demonstrate readiness to pursue independent research leading to the Ph.D. degree.

When the student and her or his advisor feel that it is appropriate to proceed with the exam, they should meet with the student’s advisory committee to plan the examination. The examining committee will consist of at least five graduate faculty including all members of the student's advisory committee. A minimum of three Skeletal, Craniofacial and Oral Biology Graduate Faculty should be on the examining committee. The candidate, following consultation with the thesis advisor and advisory committee, will invite any additional faculty needed to join the examining committee.

The General Examination consists of two sections: a written grant proposal and an oral defense of the proposal and related scientific topics.

For the general written examination, the candidate is required to prepare a research proposal following the instructions for a R03 grant including all sections required by NIH. All instructions for the R03 NIH grant application should be followed including the length limitations. Information can be found at the following three web sites:

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/r03.htm

http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/pa-03-108.html

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html Note that these forms are used for multiple grant mechanisms and the specific instructions for preparing R03 applications should be followed.

Additional resources about preparing successful grants should be sought from the mentor, area of concentration director, web and the UCHC Research Administration web site: http://resadm.uchc.edu/orsp/proposalprep/index.html.

The grant application can be written on any topic but trainees are encouraged to write their grant on a topic directly relevant to their anticipated thesis research. Before writing the examination, the student will prepare one or more abstracts of proposals for review and approval by the student's examining committee. The topics of the proposals can be developed in consultation with the student’s major advisor. The abstract should include one or more hypotheses to be tested, the specific aims of the final proposal, and rationales for the hypotheses and the specific aims. The major advisor should not participate in formulating the specific aims, but should advise the student concerning the overall suitability of the topic. The major advisor will not participate in the final decision to approve the abstract. Once the abstract is approved, the specific aims should not be substantially changed without approval of the examining committee. Once the topic is chosen, the student is free to use all library materials and internet sites available at the Health Center or elsewhere, but may not consult either faculty or other students regarding the specifics of the hypotheses, rationale, scientific design and scientific strength their proposal. They may seek help regarding the general principles of grant writing, English grammar, identifying references in the literature and information regarding specific technical issues related to methodology. Not later than one month after the approval of the abstract, the proposal will be submitted to the examining committee.

The candidate will orally defend the grant proposal within 1-2 weeks of submission. A total of five graduate faculty including all members of the advisory committee must be present during the oral examination. The examining committee will choose the chair of the committee, which cannot be the thesis advisor. The written grant application will be reviewed by the examining committee. Immediately prior to the oral examination, the faculty will briefly discuss the quality of the written proposal and determine whether it warrants continuation with the oral examination. Usually the candidate makes a short 10-15 minute presentation at the beginning of the examination to present the hypothesis, rationale, and specific aims of the proposal. The candidate may also briefly present any important corrections or changes to the written proposal. While the oral examination will focus on the material in the grant, examiners are expected to pursue lines of thinking which flow out of the proposal. This allows the examiners to explore the ability of the candidate to relate basic science knowledge and principles to problem solving and scientific thinking. This discussion of the proposal is expected to focus on principles and lines of thinking, and not become overly concerned with technical details. The thesis advisor must refrain from interpreting the candidate's answers or answering questions posed to the candidate by the examining committee. The chair of the examining committee has the responsibility of maintaining an appropriately collegial, fair and unbiased environment during the examination and the duty to rephrase or ask for rephrasing of questions, if necessary.

The major emphasis of the evaluation of the proposal should be the ability of the student to:

Survey and understand the current state of a focused field of study.

Formulate one or two hypotheses related to deficits in our knowledge that can be experimentally tested given the current state of the field.

Propose one or more logical, feasible experiments to address each of these hypotheses.

Describe the potential outcomes of the proposed experiments, and discuss how these outcomes relate to the hypotheses.

Describe potential problems with the experiments, and how these would be dealt with.

The goal of the student should be to propose experiments that can be completed by one person within two years. In general, the details of the proposed experimental methods do not need to be presented, except where the specifics are critical to their success. However the student should show evidence of enough familiarity with the methods to evaluate their suitability for the experiments. The standards for passing the exam are that the proposal be of the quality that could reasonably be expected from the student given their experience and training, and the examination should show strong evidence that the student has the potential for completing the Ph.D. program.

When the examination is finished, the candidate is excused and both written and oral sections of the examination are discussed by the examining committee. Following the discussion, the examining committee votes with a simple majority deciding. Grading will be on a pass-fail basis. Separate entries for the written and oral sections can be made into the records. There will be an overall grade for the entire examination. In cases where the performance is satisfactory but there are definable areas of weakness, the examining committee has sometimes awarded a pass but required the trainee to undergo additional training in limited areas specified by the examining committee. In the event that the examining committee determines the student's written or oral performance to be unsatisfactory, the examining committee shall recommend dismissal or prescribe a specific course of action the student must satisfactorily complete to remedy the unsatisfactory performance. This could include revising and re-defending the proposal, or performing a different remedial activity. The amount of time available for completion must be specified at this time. If the subsequent remedial activity is inadequate, the student may be asked to withdraw from the program.

After the examination, the major advisor shall communicate the results to the candidate as soon as a final decision can be made and immediately send the official report on the examination bearing the signature of each member of the advisory committee to the Graduate School Office of Records/Registration at the Health Center. Should the committee permit the student to take the examination in several sections, only the final result should be reported. Forms are available in the ORR.

In the event that any remedial program is not completed to the satisfaction of the examining committee, the Director shall call a meeting of the Skeletal, Craniofacial and Oral Biology Graduate Faculty to determine a suitable course of action. The Advisory Committee shall present options for deliberation by the SCOB Graduate Faculty.

Approved February 7, 2006

Summary of Major Events

1. First Year

1. Course work, approximately 18 credits

2. Three laboratory rotations

3. Skeletal, Craniofacial and Oral Biology Journal Club

4. Contemporary Topics in Oral Biology

5. Submit plan of study

2. Second Year

1. Additional course work

2. Selection of major (thesis) advisor

3. Skeletal, Craniofacial and Oral Biology Journal Club

4. Contemporary Topics in Oral Biology

5. Thesis project selected and work began

6. General Examination

3. Third Year

1. Thesis research

2. Skeletal, Craniofacial and Oral Biology Journal Club

3. Preparation of dissertation prospectus

4. Fourth Year

1. Thesis research completed

2. Thesis seminar*

3. Thesis written and approved

4. Oral examination

5. Thesis research and preparation may extend into a fifth year

*A student actively engaged in thesis writing is excused from the Skeletal, Craniofacial and Oral Biology Journal Club.

[back to top]

Courses Offered by Oral Biology Faculty

• Advanced Oral Histology DENT 430, 2 credits
• Biomaterials for Dental Graduates DENT 432, 2 credits
• Biodontics II: Integrating Craniofacial Biology with Clinical Dentistry, DENT 433, 2 credits
• Functional Oral Anatomy DENT 434, 2 credits
• Principles of Oral Microbiology and Infections DENT 437, 2 credits
• Biodontics: Integrating Biotechnology with Clinical Dentistry DENT 440, 3 credits
• Connective Tissue Biology II DENT 446, 2 credits
• Basic Radiation Sciences I DENT 453, 2 credits
• Basic Radiation Sciences II DENT 454, 2 credits
• Contemporary Topics in Oral Biology I MEDS 415, 2 credits
• Contemporary Topics in Oral Biology II MEDS 416, 2 credits
• Graduate Seminars in Oral Biology MEDS 497, 1 credit
• Introduction to Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, DENT 414, 3 credits

Advanced Oral Histology (DENT 430)

Summers only. Two credits, Open only with consent of instructor. Dr. Yaeger

Histologic structures, their embryological origin and function. Structure of developing teeth, alveolar bone, temporo-mandibular joint, oral mucosa, gingiva and salivary glands. Lectures and laboratories.

Biomaterials for Dental Graduates (DENT 432)
Two credits. Open only with consent of instructor. Offered in alternate years.

Literature review/seminar covering various subjects of current interest in dental materials. Some prior knowledge of dental materials or of materials science required.

Biodontics II: Integrating Craniofacial Biology with Clinical Dentistry (DENT 433)
Two credits.

Contemporary knowledge of the macromolecules of mineralized and non-mineralized extracellular matrices, with reference to the oral cavity. How do the various extracellular matrices fulfill their biological roles? How do the macromolecular components of the matrices arise and how are they regenerated? How do the matrices contribute to tissue differentiation, pattern regulation and craniofacial development? How do physiologic and pathologic processes affect matrices? Lectures and seminars.

Functional Oral Anatomy (DENT 434)
Two credits. Open only with consent of instructor. Dr. Yaeger

Anatomic structures and relationships of the head and neck emphasizing surgical anatomy for oral, periodontal and endodontic surgery. Lectures and dissections.

Principles of Oral Microbiology and Infections (DENT 437)
Two credits. Open only with consent of instructor. Offered in alternate years. Dr. J. Tanzer.

Oral flora with emphasis on recent research developments. Ecology of the oral cavity, dental caries and periodontal disease. Prior knowledge of microbiology and biochemistry required. Lectures and discussions, term paper required.

Biodontics: Integrating Biotechnology with Clinical Dentistry (DENT 440)
Three credits. Open only with consent of instructor. Offered in alternate years. Dr. Rossomando.

Molecular, cellular and tissue mechanisms operating during normal and abnormal development. Illustrate current biochemical microdissections and tissue culture procedures as applied to developmental biology. Lectures and discussions.

Connective Tissue Biology II (DENT 446)
First semester. Two credits. Prerequisite: DENT 433 or consent of instructor. Offered in alternate years in the fall after Connective Tissue Biology I in the previous winter/spring semester. Dr. Upholt.

Selected topics in developmental biology, cell biology, molecular biology, structural biology and genetics of connective tissues.

This is a seminar course which meets for 2 hours once a week for 15 weeks. Each week two research papers on related topics from the primary literature are read and discussed. All papers are read by all students but each paper is informally presented by a single student. The size of this class has varied from 2 to 6 students. Students write a 10 page paper on a topic of their choice selected from the topics covered in the course. The students are primarily PhD students from the Oral Biology and Developmental Biology Graduate Programs but have also included Master of Dental Science candidates on occasion. Papers covering collagens, proteoglycans, the elastic fiber (elastin), fibronectin, integrins, matrix assembly, extracellular matrix degradation, and basement membranes are usually covered. The exact selection of papers to be read depends in part on the interests of the students taking the course. Students are encouraged to take an active role in the selection of papers. In general recently published papers are chosen but in some cases "classical" papers are selected.

Basic Radiation Sciences I (DENT 453)
First semester. Total of two credits for course. Open only with consent of instructor.

A series of presentations and discussions in which the nature and production of radiations, their interactions with matter, and their effects on molecular and cellular structure and function will be examined through review and analysis of the literature.

Basic Radiation Sciences II (DENT 454)
Second semester. Total of two credits for course. Open only with consent of instructor. Dr. Lurie.

A series of presentations and discussions in which the effects of ionizing radiation on tissue and organ systems, organisms, and genetic integrity, as well as the induction of cancer, will be examined through review and analyses of past and contemporary literature.

Contemporary Topics in Oral Biology I (MEDS 415)
A combination lecture/seminar course in which current areas of investigation in the areas of dentomaxillofacial growth and development, oral microbiology and immunology, oromaxillofacial physiology and neurobiology, oral mucosa and connective tissues, oromaxillofacial mineralized tissues, or salivary glands and saliva will be covered. Dr. Harrison. Fall semester, 2 credits. Prerequisite: D.D.S., D.M.D. or equivalent, or consent of instructor.

Contemporary Topics in Oral Biology II (MRDS 416)
A combination lecture/seminar course in which current areas of investigation in the areas of oral mucosa and connective tissues, oromaxillofacial mineralized tissues, salivary glands and saliva, dentomaxillofacial growth and development, oral microbiology and immunology, or oromaxillofacial physiology and neurobiology will be covered. Dr. Harrison. Spring semester, 2 credits. Prerequisite: D.D.S., D.M.D. or equivalent, or consent of instructor.

Organization
Four sections, each of approximately 6 to 7 weeks duration, meeting once weekly for two hours, to a total of 56 hours for the course over two semesters. The course is offered every year. The course is presented as two 2-unit courses, one in the fall (DENT 415) and one in the spring (DENT 416). There is an overall course director, and one leader for each section. The section leaders and course director meet to construct the overall course, and each section leader is responsible for the specific content, faculty and guest speaker(s) within that section. All Oral Biology Ph.D. students are required to take the entire course (CTOB I & II) for credit in either their first or second year, and to audit the course in a participatory manner during the remainder of their program.

The individual sections are oriented towards contemporary research and thinking in the particular discipline. Introductory overview sessions initiate each section, followed by faculty lectures, guest lectures, student presentations, and laboratory demonstrations if appropriate, with the specific section content determined by the section leader and section faculty. Consultation with the course director and other section leaders is also essential to appropriate structuring of the entire course. Student participation, in the form of reviewing papers, or other activities as determined by the section director, is an essential component of the course. Each section will have a brief syllabus, outlining the major topics to be covered, the entering knowledge expectations of the students, and preparatory and topical reading lists.

Course Sections
The following general areas are presented on a rotating basis over a period of 2 to 3 years, so that students will have a full exposure to the topic areas during their program:

1. Dentomaxillofacial Growth and Development

2. Oral Microbiology and Immunology

3. Oromaxillofacial Physiology and Neurobiology

4. Oral Mucosa and Connective Tissue

5. Oromaxillofacial Mineralized Tissues

6. Salivary Glands and Saliva

Evaluation
Each course section will receive a numerical grade. These are averaged for an overall letter grade each semester. A minimum passing score for each section will be established. Should a student fail an individual section, the course of remediation will be determined by the section faculty, the section leaders and the course director.

Graduate Seminars in Oral Biology (Journal Club) (MEDS 497-44)
Each semester. One credit. Dr. Dealy

The purposes of the journal club are:

1. to provide students with an opportunity to learn to present before an audience of their peers.

2. to provide students with the opportunity to learn to critically evaluate and discuss research data, either their own or data from published literature.

3. to provide students with the opportunity to read, evaluate and discuss current literature from a broad spectrum of areas important to current biomedical research outside of their specialized area of research.

All students in the program are required to participate (present) in the journal club each semester they are in the program with the exception of one semester while they are writing their thesis. The precise format of the journal club has varied from semester to semester. Beginning students usually are a part of a group of students supervised by a faculty organizer who present a series of papers chosen around a selected topic. One student presents each week. Advanced students are given the option of presenting a progress report of their thesis research.

Introduction to Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering (DENT414)
Fall semester evenings. Three credits. Basic knowledge of biology and chemistry (organic) is required.

A broad introduction to the field of biomaterials and tissue engineering. Presents basic principles of biological, medical, and material science as applied to implantable medical devices, drug delivery systems and artificial organs.

[back to top]