For the second consecutive year, UNE Dental Hygiene awarded first place in Yankee Dental Congress Poster Session

Caitlyn Allison

Caitlyn Allison (Dental Hygiene, ’18) has received top honors in the hygiene category of the Yankee Dental Congress Poster Session. Held January 24-28 in Boston, the competition included participants from the University of New Haven Dental Hygiene Program and Mount Wachusett Community College.

Students from dental hygiene programs around New England were invited to submit abstracts for the poster session. Eight finalists were selected to present in the dental hygiene category, with UNE representing six of the eight in this year’s competition. Judges assessed the visual appearance of posters as well as the verbal presentation of the research. The judging panel also scored presenters on their ability to answer questions regarding their work. 

Allison developed her topic, “Lighting Up the Topic of Electronic Cigarettes,” after receiving numerous questions about the safety of these products from her loved ones and patients. She began to investigate the differences between electronic cigarettes and traditional tobacco products, conducting a literature review of the latest research. Combining her dental hygiene knowledge and research findings, Allison found that there seems to be a decrease in oral symptoms with the use of electronic cigarettes as compared to traditional combustible cigarettes.

“Though there are still many side effects and complications with the use of electronic cigarettes, they may prove to be helpful for heavy tobacco users and lead to smoking cessation,” Allison said. “Electronic cigarettes are very new products, having only been on the market for about ten years, and much more research is needed to build a substantial knowledge of this topic.” 

To learn more about the Department of Dental Hygiene, visit www.une.edu/wchp/dental

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.