Every day, special achievements and newsworthy headlines are happening at the School of Dentistry. In an effort to give proper acknowledgment and share these successes, please tune in for the monthly Dean’s High Five as we acknowledge those responsible for the top five stories happening at Detroit Mercy Dental. If you have news to share, click here to submit your story for a chance to be featured in an upcoming Dean’s High Five!
Zeggara wins first place at Hispanic Dental Association meeting**
Fourth-year dental student Ronald Alejandro Zegarra won first place in the Student Poster Research Competition at the 2026 Hispanic Dental Association Annual Meeting in Boston. His winning research was titled “Functional and Skeletal Correction of Pediatric Recurrent TMJ Ankylosis Using Customized Total TMJ Prosthesis and Orthognathic Surgery.”
The recognition reflects the strength of student research at Detroit Mercy Dental and highlights its students’ contributions to advancing patient care.
Detroit Mercy Dental screens 380 at community men’s health event**
Detroit Mercy Dental students, faculty and staff provided oral health screenings at the Men’s Health event at Wayne State Fieldhouse. More than 1,000 men attended the free community health event, which offered preventive screenings without requiring health insurance. The Detroit Mercy Dental team screened 380 people for oral health concerns. Of those, 47 needed routine dental care and four had findings requiring follow-up biopsies.
The School of Dentistry is helping cover the cost of biopsies for those four patients, ensuring that concerning findings receive timely evaluation and, when necessary, treatment. The effort reflects Detroit Mercy’s commitment to community service and highlights the importance of early detection
Dental hygiene promotes whole-person wellness **
Dental hygiene students and faculty talked with attendees about how stress and daily habits affect oral health, and how oral health connects to overall well-being. A Rethink Your Drink display highlighted the effect of beverage choices on long-term health.
The team also distributed about 300 oral hygiene kits to help attendees keep up healthy habits after the event.
Detroit Mercy Dental faculty and residents publish research on modified lip repositioning**
Detroit Mercy Dental faculty members Bassam M. Kinaia, D.D.S. ’99, M.S. ’08, assistant director of Graduate Periodontics and associate professor, and Anthony L. Neely, D.D.S., M.Dent.Sc., Ph.D., associate professor and program director of Graduate Periodontics, co-authored a case report in Clinical Advances in Periodontics with residents, Joseph Samona, D.D.S., and Maria Latorre Sanchez, D.D.S, ‘24 and alumni Minki Kim, D.D.S, M.S.’26, and Joshua Graham, D.D.S., M.S.’26.
The report examines a modified lip repositioning technique for treating excessive gum display, commonly known as a gummy smile. The researchers followed identical twin sisters over eight years after the original procedure was partially relapsed. Both patients underwent modified techniques, which reduced gum display and improved smile balance. Results remained stable through 18 months of follow-up after retreatment, highlighting modified repositioning as a less invasive approach to improving smile esthetics and addressing recurrence.
The publication reflects Detroit Mercy Dental’s commitment to research collaboration between faculty, residents and alumni and highlights the program’s contributions to evidence-based periodontal care.
AEGD Partners with DMC family medicine for new interprofessional oral health rotation **
A big high five goes to our Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program for launching a new partnership with the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) Family Medicine Residency Program!
Through the new DMC interprofessional Oral Health Rotation, Family Medicine physician residents will spend a select Thursday at the AEGD Corktown Clinic, shadowing and working alongside our AEGD residents in patient care. During their time with us, the physician residents will learn to perform basic oral health screenings, identify risk factors from common oral diseases, recognize caries and think through dental management for medically complex patients.
The rotation is designed to raise awareness of oral health its role in overall health, deepen understanding of the oral-systemic connection and help non-dental providers bring oral health into the care they give their own patients.
This partnership is a great example of our commitment to interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) and to
preparing providers who treat the whole patient.
Dental gives back at homecoming **
Detroit Mercy Dental participated in the 2026 Homecoming and Live6 Street Fest Community Resource Fair. Students, faculty and volunteers provided oral health education and toothbrushes to 670 community members, including 520 adults and 150 children. Through interactive activities and educational resources, the team promoted healthier smiles and celebrated the University’s ongoing commitment to community service.
Detroit Mercy ASDA brings smiles to Wild About Smiles **
A High Five to the Detroit Mercy chapter of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) and the volunteers who staffed Wild About Smiles on Aug. 30, 2026. Rain or not, the team handed out about 567 dental kits to children and adults and showed young visitors how to brush, all with smiles on their faces. Their energy and care made a real difference for the families who came out. Thank you for giving back and making us proud.
**These stories are mission and identity moments that highlight activities that reflect our Jesuit and Mercy values.