RESEARCH

Dental Hygienist Janet Kinney Describes MCOHR Experiences

Research was one of several requirements Janet Kinney had to complete before earning a master's degree in dental hygiene from the School of Dentistry and a second from the School of Public Health this year.

"It seemed the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research was my home away from home," Janet Kinney said jokingly as she talked about her 18 months of clinical research. "I found research fulfilling, and I want to remain involved with it now that I have earned my master's degrees."

Research was one of several requirements Kinney had to complete before earning two master's degrees - one in dental hygiene from the School of Dentistry, the other in public health from the School of Public Health. [See story, pages 53-54.]

Kinney played an important role in the clinical research part of Dr. William Giannobile's efforts to develop a saliva test kit designed to detect periodontal disease in patients.

"I gained a considerable amount of experience at MCOHR, almost from the moment I arrived," Kinney said.

Her work included patient recruiting conducted during outreach efforts at the dental school, elsewhere in Ann Arbor, in Ypsilanti and other communities in a three county area of southeast Michigan, and telephone contacts with directors of various dental hygiene programs in the state advising them of MCOHR's role and how patients could participate in a dental clinic research study.

Applying What's Learned in the Classroom

Besides screening potential patients on the telephone to determine if they might qualify for Giannobile's clinical trial, Kinney was involved in countless other ways after a patient was enrolled in the study.

During each patient's visit, she obtained their medical histories, conducted oral health examinations that included oral cancer screenings, completed extensive clinical periodontal charting information; collected and cataloged sample fluids for the study, provided intervention therapy such as scaling and root planing, took standardized digital radiographs, and arranged patient follow-up visits.

Each study visit lasted between two and four hours, which did not include time needed to complete study paperwork and clinical research forms.

Kinney said she probably collected "thousands of vials of fluids. But doing that, and the other experiences I had, gave me great opportunities to apply in a clinical environment what I learned in the classroom," she said. "My clinical research experiences at MCOHR taught me a lot about patient management, data collection, and more."

Giannobile, who was Kinney's advisor for her master's thesis awarded by the School of Dentistry, agreed.

"Janet had a full plate during the time she was here," he said. "She collected approximately 860,000 data points for the saliva test kit study. That alone was a lot of work, but she was dedicated to gaining the experiences she needed to successfully complete the requirements for her two master's degrees."

However, the saliva test kit clinical research was not the only study in which Kinney was involved.

Another research project she assisted with was Dr. Laurie McCauley's research investigating the impact of parathyroid hormone on regeneration in the oral cavity.

Janet Kinney played an important role in Dr. William Giannobile's efforts to develop a saliva test kit to detect periodontal disease in patients.

Other Research Efforts

McCauley, chair of the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, is attempting to determine if the drug Fortero, which has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in patients with osteoporosis, can increase the build-up of bone and the strengthening of bone over an extended period of time.

It is not known, however, if Fortero will have the same bone-building and bone-strengthening effects for patients with periodontal disease. [DentalUM, Spring & Summer 2007, page 77.]

Kinney also assisted Dr. Tae-ju Oh with his research to determine if the local delivery of the antibiotic periocline, combined with scaling and root planing, helps reduce pocket depths in teeth with periodontal disease.

The gel has not yet been approved for use by the FDA, but results from the clinical laboratory research could help determine the effectiveness of antibacterial treatment of periodontal disease. [DentalUM, Spring & Summer 2007, page 77.]

Consider Research as a Career

Kinney praised many at the dental school for encouraging her research at MCOHR.

"Professor Kerschbaum, Karen Ridley, Dr. Giannobile, and Dr. McCauley all played significant roles in my professional growth and development as a dental hygienist with their encouragement to get as involved as I did in clinical research," she said.

"One of my goals is to offer dental hygiene students a glimpse of what a clinical research dental hygienist does and how he or she can contribute to the overall success of a research project," she added.

"It's both exciting and rewarding to see how one's individual efforts, combined with the efforts from other members of the study team, converge into interesting study results that could, ultimately, change the course of clinical practice."

As for her future plans, Kinney hopes to use her classroom knowledge, clinical education and research skills in a combined teaching and research position in the School's dental hygiene program.