Center of Excellence in Oral and Craniofacial Biology

The Center of Excellence in Oral and Craniofacial Biology, a Louisiana state-acknowledged Center, is operated under the auspices of the LSUHSC School of Dentistry (LSUSD). Faculty in the School of Dentistry and the School of Medicine participate in center activities. Its research laboratories occupy two floors at LSUSD with the director and staff housed amidst the laboratories. The Center was formally established in 1999. In the same year the center was awarded a $4.8 million grant from the Louisiana Board of Regents Millennium Trust Health Excellence Fund (HEF); the center's proposal ranked second among 79 proposals statewide. The grant provided infrastructure and laboratory funding to fully initiate the Center of Excellence.

In 2004, the Center received an NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) award of $10.7 million to develop junior faculty into independent researchers and enhance the administrative, equipment and statistical infrastructure at the dental school. The grant ran through September 2011. The theme of the COBRE was "oral infectious diseases" which has become a research strength at the dental school. Current efforts center on opportunistic infections, periodontal disease and caries.

There is also a strong biomaterials research program at LSUSD that is focused on fluoride-releasing bioactive dental restorative materials. The Division of Biomaterials in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry and Biomaterials is responsible for teaching and research in biomaterials and dental materials. Dental materials courses are offered to undergraduate dental, dental hygiene, and dental technology students. An advanced dental materials course is offered to residents and fellows. The division supports Advanced Education programs and the research activities of faculty, students, and residents in the school.

The Biomedical Equipment Core and Biomaterials Equipment Core provides major research equipment and support for investigators. The goal of the cores is to facilitate research by providing access to a diverse array of instruments while fostering greater collaborations among students and/or faculty of the Center of Excellence in Oral and Craniofacial Biology. The cores have a Director who oversees the operations and provides maintenance of the equipment. The Biomedical Equipment core is led by Dr. Thomas Lallier. The Director of Biomaterials research is Dr. Xiaoming Xu.