Lectureship, Awards, and Networking Abound for UCLA Orthodontics this Fall

Collage of people associated with UCLA Orthodontics posing
Clockwise from top: Alumni reception during the PCSO Annual Meeting, the Bernard G. Sarnat International Lectureship, and an award for resident and student researchers marked some of the Section of Orthodontics' fall highlights.
December 4, 2024

A busy autumn season of professional networking and continuing education for the UCLA School of Dentistry’s Section of Orthodontics included November’s Western Orthodontic Conference (WOCON) and October’s Consortium for Orthodontic Advances in Science and Technology (COAST) Biennial Meeting.

WOCON, a joint annual gathering for the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists (PCSO) and Rocky Mountain Society of Orthodontists (RMSO), was held Nov. 14 through 17 in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Among the Section’s activities was a presentation on Invisalign by part-time faculty member Dr. Farnaz Younessian, and the President’s Lecture entitled Three Heart Failures, Nasal Valves, and Alpha Bands, delivered by alumnus Eric Phelps, D.D.S. ’01, M.S. ’03.

Tyler Brenan, D.D.S. ’22, M.S. ’25, chief orthodontic resident took third prize in the PCSO’s poster competition for his research titled The Effect of Light-cured Fluoride Varnish on Post-orthodontic White Spot Lesions. Under the mentorship of Dr. Renate Lux, his co-authors were Emily Duong, D.D.S. ’23, and Caitlin Mispagel, D.D.S. ‘26. The competition included presentations from residents representing all programs in PCSO states. 

WOCON also provided an opportunity for Chair Dr. Sunil Kapila to share Section updates with large numbers of UCLA Orthodontics alumni who attended the Section’s informal reception on Friday, Nov. 15. This gathering allowed current residents to network with their predecessors.

“This truly energetic and vibrant get-together demonstrates a loyal and supportive UCLA Orthodontics alumni community, whose members are excited and proud of the many achievements of the program, residents, and faculty,” Dr. Kapila said.

Bringing thought leaders together to accelerate the translation and utilization of novel discoveries in orthodontic health care, COAST held its 10th Biennial Conference titled AI and Biomedicine-Driven Precision Orthodontics from Oct. 6 to 9 at UCLA’s Lake Arrowhead Lodge. With Dr. Kapila who is the founding President of COAST leading the organizing committee and significant investment from the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation and support of UCLA School Dentistry, COAST featured numerous Bruin faculty presenters over the four-day event at UCLA Lake Arrowhead Lodge, including Drs. Jimmy Hu, Karolina Kaczor-Urbanowicz, Yi Lin, Kapila, and Xinli Zhang.

The COAST Conference also provided a platform for two additional events: 1) The inaugural TMD Impact Symposium supported by a recently funded NIH grant and 2) Resuming the Bernard G. Sarnat International Lectureship in Craniofacial Bone Biology, which dates back to 1984 and is named for the renowned former School of Dentistry faculty member. This year’s Barnard and Rhoda Sarnat lecture, titled Growth Plate Skeletal Stem Cells and their Transition from Cartilage to Bone, was delivered by Dr. Noriaki Ono, an associate professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry.

“COAST is the premier academic and research conference in orthodontics designed to share and propel advances in orthodontics to patient care, while offering the opportunity for faculty at all levels to network and initiate collaborations,” Dr. Kapila stated. “I also want to acknowledge the late Dr. Sarnat and the long-standing support of his family to enable continued study of craniofacial skeletal science and care of patients with craniofacial needs.”