Two restorative dentistry professors receive UB seed grants for AI-related projects

BUFFALO, N.Y. —  Two faculty members in the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine  have each been awarded $5,000 seed grants from Academic Affairs through the Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation (CATT) to explore creative ways to use artificial intelligence (AI) in the classroom and in their field.

The seed grants, which are funding 10 new projects across UB for 2024-25, are meant to encourage faculty to integrate generative AI into their courses and curricular redesign. The CATT office is also offering continuing funding to five promising projects from the 2023-24 academic year under a new fellows program.

For his project, Ahmet Orgev, DDS, clinical associate professor of restorative dentistry, is developing virtual reality (VR) goggles to plan for dental implant rehabilitation and other dental prosthetics more precisely as well as communicate treatment plans with patients. He also envisions teaching his students to use this technology.

Meanwhile, Adaias Matos, DDS, PhD, clinical assistant professor of restorative dentistry, is focusing on ways to use AI to create interactive lectures and personalized assessments.

Helping patients envision new smiles

Orgev, who also serves as director of UB’s Buhite-DiMino Center for Implant Dentistry and Advanced Dental Education, said the VR goggles would allow for streamlined implant planning and placement in the future and would reduce the possibility for human error. At the same time, he said this technology would give patients the chance to see their future smile designs before they start their treatment, which will likely motivate them to undergo the procedures and be pleased with the results.

“It’s everybody’s dream to use these fancy goggles, and they are especially attractive to this generation of dental students who grew up with interactive video games,” Orgev said. “In gaming, the high-quality graphics create a dynamic environment that feels like it’s real. In dentistry, we can use AI to give patients real life-like experiences with the goggles and simulate what they will be able to achieve at the end of the treatment. Technology is always tempting, and at UB we are lucky to utilize it at a cutting-edge level.”

Saving faculty time in the classroom

Matos said he wants to use AI to assist in providing individual assessments to students, especially in larger classes. Working specifically with his course, Fixed Prosthodontics, he said he would like to implement an AI program to help students improve their coursework in real time.

“For example, in the middle of a recorded lecture, I would give students a quiz,” he explained. “If they do not perform well, AI will provide the next question based on their performance. It provides a second chance for these students.”

Matos added that his vision for using AI in the classroom would streamline teaching and help faculty members lighten their workloads.

“I plan to create an AI assistant to help provide feedback to students by integrating the current book chapter and lecture materials,” he explained. “Student responses will be generated based on this content, and I will review and refine them to ensure accuracy before sharing. This approach is crucial in my class of 120 students, as it enables me to deliver accurate and timely answers to all of my students’ questions.”

Grant provides multiple opportunities

Orgev and Matos both said they are grateful for the seed grants and the chance to work with faculty across disciplines through the CATT office, which offers trainings and the chance to share their research.

“Prior to this, there hasn’t really been an opportunity for us to collaborate,” Orgev said. “We were working on our own projects and not understanding one another because we speak different professional languages and use different terminology. The seed grant project helps us to understand each other’s worlds and then see where we can bridge the gap.”

The other seed grants for 2024-25 went to faculty within the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

“The seed grants provide a great opportunity for UB faculty early in their careers,” Orgev said. “It’s important to start with a smaller grant, such as this one, and learn the process. In the long run, working under this seed grant will allow us to apply for bigger grants because we can show what we are able to achieve and that we’re ready for the next level.”

Here is the full list of recipients for projects for the 2023-24 and 2025-25 academic years.