Dr. Boaz Arzi, chief of the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service at the UC Davis veterinary hospital, has been accepted as an affiliate member to the American Society of Temporomandibular Joint Surgeons. He is the first veterinarian accepted into the society.
The Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service at the UC Davis veterinary hospital is opening a monthly Stomatitis Clinic to better serve patients suffering from this oral disease and provide them with cutting-edge diagnostic and therapeutic options.
Collaborative and translational research is a cornerstone of advancing the science of veterinary medicine at UC Davis. Three scientists at the university are taking regenerative medicine to new heights.
Seek, a 6-year-old female mastiff, was most likely attacked by a bear. After multiple surgeries and a year of recovery, she is finally back to her old self.
Three surgeons from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine recently joined a growing list of faculty members at the school who are Founding Fellows or Fellows in the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and other specialty colleges.
Dr. Boaz Arzi, DVM, DAVDC, DEVDC, FF-AVDC (OMFS), was recently rated as a top-ranked expert in the field of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) research by Expertscape.
There are many similarities between the usage, and consequent injury, in knee joints and the jaw’s temporomandibular joint (TMJ). However, knee orthopedics are better researched and funded, resulting in tissue-engineered products and other ways to improve the lives of those affected. Dr. Boaz Arzi, professor and dentist/maxillofacial surgeon with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, joined biomedical engineers and orthopedic surgeons from UC Irvine, orthopedic surgeons from Harvard University, oral/maxillofacial surgeons from the University of Texas, and oral/maxillofacial radiologists to research the subject further.
“My personal aim with stem cells is not to improve: I use it to cure. It’s ambitious, but that’s where we need to be,” said Dr. Boaz Arzi, director of the UC Davis Veterinary Institute for Regenerative Cures. “Stem cells do offer promise for many disorders that were previously not considered curable. But giving any regenerative therapy should be based on proper science and proper clinical trials. I think this is what we need to convey to the pet owner: not to be at full expectation, but also not to lose the excitement and the promise that it offers.”
Riley, a 14-year-old Irish terrier, was referred to the UC Davis veterinary hospital for a dental examination in December 2015. Upon examination by the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service, a pea-sized black mass was discovered on the roof of his mouth. Veterinarians suspected the mass to be an oral melanoma tumor—a cancer that could be fatal within 3-6 months if not treated aggressively—and submitted a tissue sample for biopsy.
