Your name, program, mentor name.

Blaine Gordon Calahan, D.D.S., Graduate Periodontics, Brian L. Mealey, D.D.S., M.S.

When did you realize you were passionate about science?

Very early on as my father is a veterinarian and I grew up watching him do small animal surgery.

Please tell me about yourself, why did you pick UT Health Science Center, and your program.

I was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. I went to college at Louisiana Tech University. After this, I attended Dental School in Louisiana State University HSC – New Orleans. I am an Eagle Scout and I have a passion for outdoor adventure. The reason I chose to come to UT Health San Antonio because it is arguably the highest quality program in Periodontics in the country with strengths in both clinical and research training.

Tell me about your research. Why are you passionate about your research topic? How did you first become interested in it?

My research is focused on preservation of the alveolar ridge following the extraction of a tooth through the use of human bone allografts. This procedure helps to maintain the function and esthetic contours of the maxilla or mandible and often facilitates the predictable placement of a dental implant in the ideal position. Many graft materials are available including autografts, allografts, xenografts and alloplasts. My research answers the question of whether a combined cortico-cancellous mineralized freeze dried particulate allograft poses any benefits to the use of a 100 percent cortical or cancellous mineralized freeze-dried bone allograft.

What do you want the public to know about your research? Why is your topic important?

The public should know that this low cost intervention following tooth extraction provides predictable results and often prevents the need for bone augmentation procedures that are also predictable but come with higher degrees of cost and morbidity.

This topic is important as there is no histologic or clinical evidence to support or refute the use of this particular grafting material in this application. Additionally, the marketing of graft manufacturing companies is often touted as the best or better off of an empirical idea. This study provides the first clinical and histologic evidence of the use of this product in this application.

What was your best memory during graduate school or what did you learn?

Some of my best memories from graduate school in the periodontics residency have been the interactions with my mentor, Dr. Brian Mealey, who has an infectious energy which gets his pupils fired up about the surgical therapies a periodontist can provide to enhance the overall oral health of our patients. I have learned much about what it means to be a lecturer, teacher and overall leader from his mentorship.

What do you like to do outside of graduate school?

I love to spend my down time with my amazing and supportive wife I’ve known for 13 years and our beautiful five month old daughter. I love to spend time out in God’s green Earth and want to explore every square inch that it has to offer.

What’s next?

Our family of three will return to our hometown Shreveport, Louisiana to share our lives with family and friends and provide high quality periodontal care to the good people of our community.