College of Dentistry celebrates success in prestigious national student research awards

The CADR and NCOHR are cornerstone organizations in the dental research landscape, with a mission to advance research and increase knowledge for the betterment of oral health in Canada and globally. Their role extends beyond simply supporting researchers—they are dedicated to representing the oral health research community and ensuring that groundbreaking discoveries are effectively communicated and translated into meaningful improvements in dental care.

This prestigious achievement for students, faculty, and the entire dental research community, affirms the College of Dentistry's commitment to advancing oral health research.

Dean of the College of Dentistry, Dr. Walter Siqueira, a former president of the CADR, expressed his pride in the achievement:

“These results make me extremely proud of our college’s collective achievement. As a former president of the CADR, I know how competitive these awards are. For a single college to receive seven awards out of twenty across Canada demonstrates that our research portfolio is becoming as strong and relevant as our clinical experience. Here, we received five out of six total awards for the Junior category in all of Canada!”

This accomplishment highlights the significant strides our students and faculty are making in research that tackles both clinical and scientific challenges.

Below are the award recipients, their project titles, and the supervisors guiding them in their research:

Junior Category:

Mouaz Abdel-Radi
Project Title: Antimicrobial Effect of Histatin-5, GK-17, and INKL Against Oral Pathogens
Supervised by: Dr. Eduardo Moffa

Sarah Son
Project Title: Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity and Cytotoxicity of Composites Containing DCPD/CHX-Particles
Supervised by: Dr. Leticia Boaro

Promi Paul
Project Title: Histatin-Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy: Overcoming Resistant Mixed-Biofilms
Supervised by: Dr. Walter Siqueira

Diana Lance
Project Title: Thermography as Tool for Thyroid Nodule Detection: A Scoping Review
Supervised by: Dr. Daniela Pita

Roba Ramadan
Project Title: Examining Gender Differences in Faculty Promotion Among Canadian Dental Schools
Supervised by: Dr. Michelle Siqueira

Senior Basic Science Research:

Asmaa Fadl
Project Title: Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1α as a Potential Contributor to Gingival Overgrowth
Supervised by: Dr. Andrew Leask

Ahmed Eldib
Project Title: Unlocking the Phosphoproteome: Advanced Techniques for Low-Abundance Salivary Protein Analysis
Supervised by: Dr. Walter Siqueira

The students will present their research at the 2025 AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting in New York, March 12-15, 2025. In recognition of their outstanding work, each award recipient will receive a Certificate of Achievement along with CAD$1,000.

This exceptional outcome highlights the talent and dedication of our students, and it signals the rising influence of USask's College of Dentistry in the national and global dental research arena. We look forward to seeing how these projects will shape the future of oral health research and practice.

Congratulations to all the awardees!