When

January 3 , 2018, 6 p.m.

Who

Wenche Borgnakke, D.D.S., M.P.H, Ph.D.
Adjunct clinical assistant professor in the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.

Where

Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, M203
2 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA 24016

Wenche Borgnakke, D.D.S., M.P.H, Ph.D., a leading authority on the relationship between periodontal disease and other illnesses in the body, will deliver the keynote address as part of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine’s Oral Health Week in January. Borgnakke is an adjunct clinical assistant professor in the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.

Her visit is made possible through a gift by Delta Dental of Virginia and is the seventh annual event designed to promote the importance of oral health in medical education.

Borgnakke’s presentation will look at the scientific evidence for characteristics of the oral microbiome, any of a number of microorganisms in the oral cavity. Bacteria – often antibiotic-resistent bacteria – are present when a patient has periodontal disease. These bacteria are the ones that can travel to other places in the body and may be linked to a number of illnesses and conditions.

Borgnakke earned her D.D.S. and Ph.D. from the Royal Dental College in Copenhagen and her master’s degree in dental public health from the University of Michigan. She has published eight book chapters, and has co-authored more than 60 papers. She is also a reviewer for 22 scientific journals, and has lectured nationally and internationally. Among her many accolades are a Special Merit Award and a Clinical Research Award from the American Academy of Periodontology, and nomination for the Charles C. Shepard Science Award, the most prestigious scientific award by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.