February 11, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR KATHY JEAN, DDS, IN IL
A: I am a periodontist (which means a dentist that
specializes in Gum Disease and Surgical Dental
Implants). My field is very exciting (teaching at UIC
Dental School and private practice), because we still
have not found the cure to all gum diseases at this
time. However, millions of people have gum disease
around the world, and their dental disease impacts the
quality of their lives. Before dental school, I was
a pharmacist, and I specialized in industrial
research. I do know that there is a great need to
find pharmacologic solutions to the problems in
periodontal disease. We are just on the brink of
discovering hormones, or growth factors to grow bone
in the jaws of people who have lost bone from gum
disease. This is also important research for other
people who have lost bone from osteoporisis or
arthritis. There are many people who still have gum
disease via other mechanisms and they do not respond
to traditional therapies or bone grafting techniques
(both young and old). Therefore, I think there is
still a great demand for biomedical research to solve
many dental problems. Implants are possible for some
people, but not for all patients, because some
patients do not have enough bone for surgical implant
placement. Some people suffer with oral pain from
loose dentures(lack of jawbone support). As a result,
they have a poor diet (malnutrition), because they can
not eat a full range of healthier food choices. The
lack of dentition also affects the speech and facial
appearance of people (self-esteem). Many people take
their teeth for granted until they loose them as a
result of periodontal disease. Therefore, I believe
that there is much to discover, and we need to educate
the world about this public health problem. I am very
happy to be a part of the dawning of these new
discoveries in bioengineering and dental medicine, and
I highly recommend this field to other young women.
Please consider medical and dental research if you
like biology, chemistry and direct patient care. I am
available for comment at GEM-SET@uic.edu.
Thank you in advance. Sincerely, Kathy H. Jean,
R.Ph., D.D.S. Chicago, Illinois.