Waeil Elmisalati elected to ADEA office

Waeil Elmisalati, B.D.S., M.M.Sc., C.A.G.E., associate clinical professor in the College of Dental Medicine, has been elected as the new secretary for the periodontics section of the American Dental Association (ADEA).

In this role, Elmisalati will attend Section Interim Meetings of Officers held during American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) meetings, record meeting minutes, produce the section newsletter and attend the ADEA Annual Session and Exhibition.

At this year’s annual session, Elimisalati delivered a presentation titled "Calibration in Periodontics amongst Dental School Students and Educators." This talk focused on the importance of calibration in the field of dental education and measured variations in periodontal diagnosis amongst second-, third-, and fourth-year dental students as well as faculty members at the UNE College of Dental Medicine. It was one of the most well-attended presentations at the conference, with more than 200 attendees.

Elmisalati also served as a chairman/judge for two scientific sessions and student poster competitions at the annual meeting. 

At the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR), Elmisalati discussed his research on a novel anti-aging gene known as Klotho. This study, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, investigated calcium and phosphate handling of mice lacking Klotho in long bones, as well as phenotypic changes in these mice. Within the limitations of their study, Elmisalati and his colleagues found that ablation of Klotho in bone resulted in significant reduction of renal phosphate level. This may indicate that Klotho has an independent activity within the bone that influences the metabolism of phosphate.