Dr. Levin to Address the Marshall Baumgartner Endodontic Study Group in Portland, OR

Dr. Levin will address the Marshall Baumgartner Endodontic Study Group in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, February 24, 2024. The subject of the presentation will be segmentation, metal artifact reduction (MAR) and the application of volumetric analysis in endodontic practice. Serving on the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) Special Committee on Outcomes Consensus, Dr. Levin presents an insightful program that describes current and future trends in the use of CBCT and speaks about other technological advances that use advanced imaging and AI.

In the past 12 months, Dr. Levin has addressed the endodontic residents at the Medical University of South Carolina, NYU at Langone, West Virginia University, the University of Maryland, Nova Southeastern University, the Oregon Health Sciences University, the University of Southern California and the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Martin D. Levin and Dr. Neil Starr Present “Preserving Your Dentition for Life” at the Cosmos Club’s Wellness Group

Dr. Martin D. Levin and Dr. Neil Starr Present “Preserving Your Dentition for Life” at the Cosmos Club’s Wellness Group

Life expectancy has doubled in the past 100 years as a result of improved medical care with the development of vaccines, medications, medical technologies, improved hygiene measures, healthier diets and increased physical exercise. Dentistry maintains the philosophy of “preserving the patient’s dentition for life.” So as patients are living longer, their dentists need strategies to construct, preserve and maintain oral health, function and esthetics. Martin D. Levin (’08) and Neil Starr (’20), who both hold advanced dental degrees, discussed both diagnostic and clinical treatments that support the aging patient’s dental needs for a longer, healthier life.

Dr. Levin stated that as the adult population ages, individuals will be affected by dental conditions associated with aging including dry mouth, caries and periodontitis and may show increased sensitivity to drugs used in dentistry. Critical to dental wellness is an understanding of how aging affects the salivary glands. While studies show that salivary gland function is relatively unchanged in the healthy geriatric population, many medications may cause a reduction in salivary flow resulting in dry mouth, taste aberration and poor oral hygiene, all of which greatly affects quality of life.

If patient’s teeth and gums are compromised, aging individuals are less comfortable chewing food and tend to have more frequent sores in their mouths due to the thinning of their tissues. This discomfort affects their ability to enjoy meals and nutrition often suffers. The resulting frustration often has a strong psychological impact, resulting in shorter life expectancy.

AAE Publishes “A Different Kind of Case”

Dr. Levin examines mandible of Sir George Yeardley
In the lab at Jamestown Rediscovery, Dr. Levin examines the mandible of a specimen presumed to be Sir George Yeardley, Lord Governor of Jamestown. An isolation suit was worn to minimize DNA contamination of the specimen. (Photo by Michael Lavin, Jamestown Rediscovery).

The American Association of Endodontists (AAE) published an interview with Dr. Martin D. Levin about his work with archaeologists and scientists in their newsletter published on March 2, 2020. The article was based on an interview with Michael Dobrow, Integrated Communications Specialist at the AAE, “A Different Kind of Case.”

The purpose of the article was to highlight Dr. Levin’s investigations of specimens from Jamestown, the Smithsonian and the Penn Museum. His work, along with a team of anthropologists, archaeologists, other dental specialists, physicians and a broad range of scientists helped to better understand what life was like for the first settlers in early 17th Century Jamestown.

The article also highlighted another project about his work with a team of archeologists at the University of Pennsylvania to help settle the mysteries around whether Chicago’s World’s Fair serial killer H.H. Holmes, the subject of the novel, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, was in fact buried in a nearby Philadelphia cemetery.

The University of Pennsylvania department of archeology was engaged by the History Channel to determine if H. H. Holmes was actually the person executed at Moyamensing Prison in Philadelphia in 1896 for the murders he committed.  I was asked to document and compare Holmes’ teeth with photographs of his dental casts in his prison records. We performed a CBCT and laser scan of his mandible and maxilla to segment his teeth and create a virtual model of his dentition, which exactly matched his prison dental records. After the tests were concluded, Holmes’ body was reinterred.

Endodontic Society of the Philippines 37th Annual Meeting

The Endodontic Society of the Philippines 37th Annual Meeting was held at the Marco Polo Hotel, Ortigas Center, Pasig City on July 13-14, 2019. Dr. Levin joined Drs. Arnaldo Castellucci, Alan Gluskin, Sai Kalyan and Somsinee Pimkhaokham in conducting the two-day program, which included the use of advanced technologies such as CBCT. The meeting included about one hundred eighty attendees.

Before the congress, Dr. Levin lectured to the pre-doctoral students and the endodontic residents at the University of the East in downtown Manila.

Ingle’s Endodontics, Ed 7 is Published

Ingle’s Endodontics, Ed 7

The seventh edition of Ingle’s Endodontics is the most recent revision of the text that has been known as the “Bible of Endodontics” for half a century.  It continues continues the tradition of including an international group of authors, contributing new cutting-edge knowledge and updates on topics that have formed the core of this book for years and also contributing new chapters that reflect the ways in which the field has evolved over the 50 years since its inception.

The main divisions of the book in the new edition are The Science of Endodontics, The Practice of Endodontics, and Interdisciplinary Endodontics.

The 40 chapters are enhanced with color illustrations. New chapters in this edition include:

  • Periradicular disease
  • Dental innervations and pain of pulpal origin
  • Cone beam computed tomography
  • Magnetic resonance imaging
  • Preparation for endodontic treatment
  • Endodontic therapy in teeth with anatomical variations
  • Achieving long-term success with endodontic therapy
  • Management of teeth with immature apices
  • Regenerative endodontics
  • Intentional replantation of endodontically treated teeth
  • Endodontic therapy in the elderly patient
  • Endodontic therapy in the pediatric patient

Mid-Atlantic Archaeological Conference Paper Presented on Early Dentistry from a Native American Burial in the Southern Chesapeake Region, Virginia

Archaeologist Kerry S. González presented a paper on March 23, 2019, documenting the work of a team of researchers, including Dr. Martin D. Levin, on a Native American showing evidence for prehistoric dentistry.

“The specimen was examined with optical focus-stacking microscopy, periapical radiography, cone beam computed tomography and micro-CT scanning to image the carious lesion and compare it to a smaller carious lesion on another tooth. “These studies revealed compelling evidence for purposeful removal of decayed tissue. Scanning electron microscopy was also used to examine striations observed on the interior surface of the cavity to help identify the tools and methods employed in the treatment of the tooth. In addition, there is evidence for extraction of the mandibular right third molar, suggesting that the individual sought treatment for dental disease on at least two occasions.”* There was evidence of a pulp exposure of the meisobuccal pulp horn with associated evidence of bleeding confined to a 2 mm round area of dentin discoloration.

The research will also be presented at the Society for American Archaeology in Albuquerque, NM on April 13, 2019.

Abstract: Kerry S. González, Joseph R. Blondino, Joanna Wilson-Green, PhD, Jazriel Cruz, DDS, Martin D. Levin, DMD. Primitive Dentistry from a Native American Burial in the Southern Chesapeake Region, Virginia. Abstract, 2019 SAA Conference, Albuquerque, NM.

University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine Alumni Profile: Dr. Martin D. Levin, D’72, GD’74

The University of Pennsylvania published an Alumni Profile about Dr. Levin’s high-tech approach used to help investigate 400 year-old remains at Jamestown, Virginia. The article describes the the team of archaeologists and other researchers who together characterized the dentition and life of the first to die at Jamestown soon after arriving from England in 1607. The article said that Dr. Levin observed a large apical lesion on a fractured tooth that on specimen JR1225B at a Smithsonian exhibit, and was curious about what further investigations might reveal.  To help with the analysis, Dr. Levin enlisted a group of researchers to perform advanced examinations, including micro-CT, Raman spectroscopy, focus-staking microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and paleontology. To link to the article, please click here.

Dr. Levin Addresses the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology on the Analysis of Dental Remains from 1607 Jamestown, Virginia

The American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology hosted a lecture by Dr. Levin titled: Analyses of Dental Remains from 1607 Jamestown, Virginia Using Cone-beam CT imaging, 3D Digital Reconstruction, Micro-CT Imaging, Paleobotany, SEM-EDX and Raman Spectroscopies. During the talk, he explained the use of advanced technologies in the analysis of JR1225B, a specimen from the Early Settlers collection of Jamestown Rediscovery and the Smithsonian Institution.

Dr. Levin Speaks at the International Congress of Dentists, Section XII (China) in Macau

Dr. Levin and other panelists answer questions from the dentists attending the congress.

The International Congress of Dentists, Section XII (China) held their annual congress in  Macau on June 18-20, 2018. Dr. Levin lectured on advances in the use of CBCT in endodontics. He talked about the value of an emerging technology: volumetric analysis of apical periodontitis in outcomes analysis.