A novel hydrolytic sol-gel method to produce glass ionomer cement, a mercury-free restorative material, using locally sourced materials in Nigeria has been developed by a team of researchers including Professor Donna Chioma Umesi of the Faculty of Dental Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Lagos (UNILAG).
Professor Umesi disclosed this while delivering the 30th Inaugural Lecture of the 2023/2024 academic session on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at the J. F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium, UNILAG.
The Lecture titled: A Restorative Dentist with a flair for Public Health: Putting Beautiful Smiles on the People’s Faces was presided over by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, OON, FAS, and well-attended by family, friends, mentees, staff, students, and well-wishers of the Inaugural Lecturer.
According to her, the hydrolytic sol-gel method was developed while on a quest for a non-mercury replacement for dental amalgam. Dental Amalgam is a restorative material which was hitherto used to restore about 70% of decayed or carious teeth. This material which contains 50% mercury is being phased down in line with the Minamata Convention on Mercury which is an international treaty adopted in 2013 to protect human health and the environment from mercury emissions and releases.
The Professor of Restorative and Conservative Dentistry explained that the search for alternatives to amalgam also helped her to formulate a new curriculum for Junior Operative Techniques course for the Department of Restorative Dentistry in the SPICCES curriculum currently being used at UNILAG, and has been pushed to the new CCMAS Curriculum.
Throughout the course of her Lecture, Prof. Umesi took the audience on a voyage of her research pathways in the field of Restorative Dentistry. She talked about her early career moves along the pathways of Dental Public Health as she carried out several oral health surveys using the World Health Organization Pathfinder Methodology.
Prof Umesi noted the prevalence of oral diseases and conditions such as dental caries, gingival and periodontal diseases, malocclusions, enamel disorders, extrinsic stains, intrinsic stains due to fluorosis (caused by excessive fluoride consumption in childhood), hypoplasia, tetracycline stains and all manner of tooth discolourations.
She elucidated on one of the causes of fluorosis, which is the excessive consumption of fluoride by children who swallow maximum-dose fluoride family toothpaste during tooth brushing. She pointed out that toothpaste manufacturing companies in Nigeria took note of her research work on the need for locally manufactured low-dose fluoride paediatric toothpastes to curb dental fluorosis and consequently commenced indigenous production of paediatric or children-designated low fluoride toothpastes.
Professor Umesi stated that she noticed the high prevalence of tooth discolouration during her oral surveys which piqued her interest in restoring the smiles of people having discoloured teeth and this took her along the pathways of Cosmetic/Aesthetic Dentistry.
The Inaugural Lecturer also mentioned that, in her oral surveys, she had found malocclusions to be prevalent in Nigeria. She noted that these malocclusions are corrected by orthodontists but patients are often referred to Restorative Dentists for tooth replacement in order to close up residual spaces left due to missing teeth.
According to her, some patients can only afford dentures but such tooth replacement options are mutually exclusive with the orthodontic retainers which the patients need to wear for up to 18 hours daily in order to maintain their orthodontic treatment outcome.
Consequently, Professor Umesi designed a specialized type of retainer which combines the features of a Hawley retainer and a partial denture, so that the patients need wear only one appliance to maintain their orthodontic treatment outcome as well as replace any missing teeth. This modified Hawley Appliance is now being prescribed for orthodontic patients across the Nigeria.
Born on Friday, September 16, 1966, Professor Donna Chioma Umesi is a thorough-bred alumna of the University of Lagos, where she obtained a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree in 1990; a Masters degree in Public Health (MPH) in 1995 and another Masters degree in Public Administration (MPA) in 2005. She is the current Vice-Chairman of College of Medicine University of Lagos Alumni Association (2016 till date).
She joined the services of the University of Lagos as a Lecturer I at the Department of Restorative Dentistry in 2001, and rose through the ranks to become Professor in 2020.
Professor Umesi specializes in Restorative/Conservative Dentistry with special interests in Aesthetic/Cosmetic Dentistry and Dental Materials. Her current research works revolves around Conservation (and Endodontics, Adhesives and Aesthetic Dentistry) as well as Dental Materials.
She is married and blessed with children.
Report: Ndidi J. Odinikaeze
Photographs: Ayo Oloyede
Editor: Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem
