Mentor Areas
Dr. Ozer has a broad research background in adhesive dentistry, with specific training and expertise in research areas of material adhesion and developing more biologically stable adhesive/dentin interface. Her basic research interests focus on determining the contribution of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) to enzymatic degradation at resin/dentin interfaces and trying to prevent their activity by using the proprietary MMP 8 and 9 derived peptide inhibitors. One of her recent research projects involves assessing the impact of bacteria on the degradation process of dentinal resin bonding and what can be done to reduce bacterial adhesion at the margins of resin restorations. Dr. Ozer has also conducted various company related clinical research studies in Penn Dental Medicine Restorative Clinics. She has worked on so many collaborative projects with national and international researchers from different institutions and published a large number of peer-reviewed papers in the area of dental materials and particularly in adhesive resins.
Description:
Mussel-derived molecules and polymers have been studied and have had great success as an adhesive in the field of medicine. Medical researchers have tried to convert this natural bioadhesive into a catechol-containing synthetic adhesive for medical sealants and multifunctional polymer coatings. In doing so, they have created a monomer that can be also used in dentistry as a primer to help facilitate an increase in bond strength under wet conditions. In one of our studies, we will evaluate shear bond strengths of two different adhesive resin systems to dentin surfaces after application of the experimental mussel-biomimetic primer with or without thermal aging in wet conditions in order to increase the durability of resin dentin interfaces.
Preferred Qualifications
None.
Details:
Preferred Student Year
First-year, Second-Year, Junior, Senior
Academic Term
Fall, Spring, Summer
I prefer to have students start during the above term(s).Volunteer
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to volunteers.Paid
No
Yes indicates that faculty are open to paying students they engage in their research, regardless of their work-study eligibility.Work Study
No
Yes indicates that faculty are open to hiring work-study-eligible students.