Rebuilding
Clinical Research
Under the
leadership of Dean Henry
Gremillion and Dr. Paul
Fidel, associate dean for
research, LSUSD has begun
preparations for the
return of clinical
research to the dental
school. In anticipation of
the completion of the
Advanced Clinical Care and
Research Building, Mathilde
(Tilly) Peters, DMD,
PhD, FADM, FICD,
joined the dental school
last fall in the position
of clinical
professor/consultant for
clinical research to help
jumpstart the initiative.
Clinical trials, at the
heart of all medical
advances, are research
studies involving people.
They seek to answer
specific scientific
questions to find better
ways to prevent, detect,
or treat diseases, or to
improve care for people
with diseases. Before
Hurricane Katrina flooded
the school, LSUSD had a
thriving clinical research
program under the
leadership of Dr. John
Burgess. Until now,
limited resources, space,
and manpower have
prevented the school from
reestablishing the
facility.
Clinical trials, funded
by corporations,
foundations, and public
(state and federal)
sources, complement the
educational efforts of the
dental school while
providing a valued service
for patients who wish to
receive cutting-edge
dental treatment. To
address complex dental
issues, a trained clinical
research staff is critical
to ensure that research is
aligned with scientific,
ethical, and regulatory
standards.
Dr. Peters has already
received funding to set up
a clinical trial with
faculty members in the
LSUSD Department of
Pediatric Dentistry.
Funded by 3M Oral Care
(Germany), the research
project will investigate a
new transitional glass
ionomer material for
permanent posterior teeth.
Dr. Suzanne
Fournier,
director of the pediatric
dentistry advanced
education program, is
co-principal investigator
with Dr. Peters; other
members of the research
team are Dr.
Janice Townsend,
chair of pediatric
dentistry, and Dr.
Richard Olinde,
gratis faculty member.
As the study has recently
received approval from the
U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, patient
enrollment will open
shortly. Patients, ages
12-18, will be accepted by
referral from dental
practitioners.
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Dean
Henry Gremillion
and Dr. Mathilde
(Tilly) Peters in
front of the
construction site
fo the LSUSD
Advanced Clinical
Care and Research
Building
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Dr. Peters,
professor emeritus of
cariology, restorative
sciences, and endodontics
at the University of
Michigan School of
Dentistry, has had a
distinguished career in
academics, clinical
practice, and research. An
international figure in
operative dentistry, her
extensive high-quality
research and related
academic activities have
contributed to new
knowledge and
understanding in the
field. In addition to
being an authority on
biomechanical aspects of
restorations, restored
teeth, and operative
procedures, Dr. Peters is
a champion of minimally
interventive techniques in
operative dentistry, with
special emphasis on the
optimum selection and
application of modern
restorative systems.
Dr. Peters received her
dental degree from the
University of Nijmegen
(currently known as
Radboud University) in the
Netherlands in 1975. She
completed her
interdisciplinary PhD in
biomechanics in 1981 from
the University of Nijmegen
while teaching at the
school and also
maintaining a part-time
faculty practice. During
her tenure in the
Netherlands, she spent
1982 in Ann Arbor,
Michigan, as a Fulbright
Visiting Scholar and 1991
in Minneapolis as a Lasby
Visiting Professor.
Following a three-year
term in the mid-nineties
as professor and chair of
clinical dentistry at the
University of Adelaide in
South Australia, she
returned as a tenured
professor to the
University of Michigan
School of Dentistry.
In 2008 Dr. Peters
received the prestigious
Hollenback Memorial Prize
for Research from the
Academy of Operative
Dentistry for her
life-time work and
contributions to minimally
invasive dentistry. She
has served on NIH external
advisory boards and on
editorial boards of
journals such as the
Journal of Dental Research
and Operative Dentistry.
She is also past-president
of the Academy of
Operative Dentistry. As a
principal investigator,
Dr. Peters has received
research support from the
National Institutes of
Health as well as state,
university, and industry
sources.
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